Yes. Immediate dentures are placed the same day your teeth are extracted, so you never leave the office without teeth. They’re custom-made in advance from impressions and molds taken before surgery, then fitted right after extraction. The tradeoff is that immediate dentures typically need adjustment or a reline as your gums and jawbone heal and change shape.
What Are Immediate (Same-Day) Dentures, Exactly?
An immediate denture is a full or partial denture that’s fabricated ahead of time, before any teeth are removed, using detailed impressions, measurements, and sometimes digital scans of your existing teeth and bite. On the day of your extractions, your dentist removes the remaining teeth and seats the pre-made denture immediately, in the same appointment. You walk out with a functioning set of teeth instead of going without any for weeks or months while a conventional denture is made from a healed, toothless gum ridge.
This is different from a conventional (or “delayed”) denture, which is only started after extraction sites have fully healed, usually 8 to 12 weeks later. With a conventional denture, patients go through that healing period with no teeth at all, unless they use a temporary flipper or partial in the meantime.
How Does the Same-Day Denture Process Actually Work?
The process starts weeks before your extraction date. Your dentist takes impressions, bite registrations, and sometimes photographs while your natural teeth are still in place, then works with a dental lab to fabricate the denture to match your natural tooth position, size, and bite as closely as possible. Because the denture is built before extraction, some educated estimating is involved: the lab has to predict how your gum tissue will look once the teeth are gone.
On surgery day, your dentist extracts the remaining teeth, then places and adjusts the finished denture in the same visit. You leave with teeth, a normal-looking smile, and the ability to eat a soft diet and speak comfortably while your mouth heals underneath the denture.
What Happens on the Day of Your Extraction and Denture Placement?
Most same-day denture appointments combine the extraction procedure with the denture fitting in one longer visit. After the teeth are removed and any necessary sutures are placed, your dentist seats the pre-made denture and checks your bite, checking for pressure points that could cause soreness once the numbness wears off. Minor adjustments are usually made chairside before you leave.
You’ll typically be sent home with instructions to leave the denture in place for the first 24 hours, even while sleeping, since it acts like a bandage that helps control swelling and protects the extraction sites. After that, most patients switch to removing it at night, as they would with any other denture.
What Are the Downsides of Getting Dentures the Same Day?
Immediate dentures solve the “walking around without teeth” problem, but they come with real tradeoffs. Because the denture was made before extraction, using an estimate of how your gums would heal rather than a mold of the actual healed ridge, the fit is rarely perfect for long. As swelling goes down and your jawbone naturally remodels over the following months, the denture can start to feel loose instead of gripping snugly.
Immediate dentures also can’t be tried in and adjusted for looks before your natural teeth come out, since there are no teeth left to compare against once they’re extracted. Most dentists set expectations up front that an immediate denture is a functional bridge to get you through healing, not necessarily the final, best-fitting denture you’ll wear long-term.
Will You Need a Reline After Getting Immediate Dentures?
In most cases, yes. As the gum and bone continue to change shape during the first few months of healing, your dentist will typically recommend one or more relines, a process where the inside surface of the denture is refitted to match your current gum contour, to keep it fitting snugly. The American College of Prosthodontists notes that immediate dentures commonly need a reline within the first six months to a year as the jawbone finishes remodeling, and some patients eventually choose to replace the immediate denture with a new one made from an impression of the fully healed ridge.
Are You a Good Candidate for Same-Day Dentures?
Most patients who need multiple extractions and don’t want to go without teeth in the meantime are reasonable candidates for immediate dentures, but a few things matter more than others: the health of your gum tissue, how much bone support remains, and whether you have realistic expectations about needing adjustments afterward. Patients with significant gum disease, heavy bone loss, or teeth that need extensive surgical extraction may be better served by healing first and having a conventional denture, or an implant-supported option, made from a healed mouth. A consultation and exam is really the only reliable way to know which approach fits your situation.
Same-Day Dentures vs. Waiting for Conventional Dentures: Which Is Better?
Neither option is universally better since they solve different problems. Same-day dentures protect your appearance, speech, and ability to eat throughout the healing period, which matters enormously for anyone who can’t take weeks off work or simply doesn’t want to be seen without teeth. Conventional dentures, made only after healing is complete, tend to fit more precisely from day one because they’re molded to the final shape of your gums rather than an educated prediction of it.
Many patients end up doing both: an immediate denture to get through the extraction and healing period, followed by a conventional or implant-supported denture once everything has settled. Your dentist can walk you through which sequence makes the most sense for the number of teeth being removed and your long-term goals.
The Bottom Line
Same-day dentures exist specifically so you’re never without teeth, but they’re a starting point rather than a permanent fit. If you’re facing multiple extractions and want to understand whether immediate dentures, a conventional denture, or an implant-supported denture makes the most sense for your mouth, book a consultation. A quick exam is the only way to know for sure which path fits your situation.
Already wearing dentures and want to keep them fitting well for years? See our guide on how to properly care for your dentures.
