Emergency Dentures for Golders Green Patients

Emergency or immediate dentures are an excellent option in several situations. You should consider this treatment if you've experienced sudden tooth loss from an accident or injury and have an important event coming up. It's also the standard of care following planned extractions due to severe tooth decay or advanced gum disease, especially when front teeth are involved. Many patients from Golders Green choose this option to maintain their appearance for work and social life, avoiding the personal discomfort of having a visible gap in their smile. An immediate denture acts as a bandage, protecting the sensitive extraction site and helping to control bleeding while promoting healing.

First, you'll have a 60-minute consultation at our Finchley practice, where we'll assess your needs and take impressions of your teeth before any extractions. Next, while you wait, our laboratory crafts your temporary denture. Then, the tooth extraction procedure is performed under local anaesthetic. Immediately after the tooth is removed, we fit the new denture. The entire process from consultation to fitting can often be completed within a few hours on the same day. You'll need to return for a follow-up appointment within a week so we can check the healing process and make any necessary adjustments for comfort. The denture will need relining after a few months as your gums shrink and change shape.

In the first 24 hours, it's normal to experience some soreness and minor bleeding, which the denture itself helps to control. We recommend you keep the denture in for the first night to act as a protective cover. You should stick to a soft food diet, like soups, yoghurts, and smoothies for the first 3-5 days. You can manage discomfort with over-the-counter painkillers like ibuprofen. After the first 24 hours, you should gently remove the denture to rinse your mouth with warm salt water, which aids healing. Red flags requiring attention include severe, increasing pain after day 3, persistent bleeding, or signs of infection. Please call our practice immediately if you experience these symptoms during office hours (Mon/Wed/Fri 9-5, Tue/Thu 11-7).

An emergency denture is a temporary solution. Once your jaw has fully healed (typically after 3-6 months), you have several permanent options. A dental implant is the gold standard, offering a fixed and durable replacement that functions like a natural tooth and prevents bone loss. It has a success rate of over 95%. A fixed bridge is another option, where a false tooth is supported by crowns on the adjacent teeth. This is often faster than an implant but requires altering healthy teeth. Finally, a new, better-fitting conventional denture can be made to replace the temporary one. We will discuss the best long-term plan for your oral health and budget during your consultation.

The cost of emergency dentures varies depending on the number of teeth being extracted and the complexity of the denture required. We provide a complete, transparent quote during your initial consultation with no hidden fees. The fee includes the denture itself, the extraction procedure, and initial follow-up appointments for adjustments. As a fully private practice, we do not offer NHS services. However, we accept several private insurance plans, including Max Bupa, Denplan, and Cigna. Please let our team know if you have coverage so we can assist with the paperwork.

To make an informed choice, whether you consult with us in Finchley or another practice, here are some key questions to ask: What material will the temporary denture be made from? How long should I expect to wear the immediate denture before a permanent solution is needed? What is the total cost, including the extraction, the denture, and any relining appointments? What are the common challenges with immediate dentures and how are they managed? What are the pros and cons of getting an implant or bridge later versus a new denture?