A Better Smile, A Better You
We'll give you a reason to Smile
Geoff Gallagher is a qualified Dental Prosthetist who provides quality custom dentures. He is committed to creating dentures that fit well, look attractive and allow you to maintain a healthy mouth.
Our experience covers the design, fabrication, insertion and adjustment of removable dentures, as well as implant over dentures, allowing you to benefit fully from the latest technology.
In addition to making new dentures, we will advise you on the daily care of your dentures and how often they should be adjusted for maximum comfort, effectiveness and appearance.
We understand both the clinical and laboratory sides of making dentures. This first-hand experience of working with patients allows us to treat your individual needs.
Geoff can help you look and feel your best
If you or someone you care about needs dentures, or if you wear dentures and are experiencing problems, you should see a Dental Prosthetist for help
When consulting a Dental Prosthetist, a referral from a health care professional is not required. Please feel welcome to come and have a chat with Geoff at our Coffs Harbour clinic today.
Dental Prosthetist Services
Oral examinations and consultation
Partial dentures
Repair of broken dentures
Full dentures
Implant retained and supported dentures
Relining and rebasing of loose dentures
Immediate dentures
Mouth guards
Cleaning and polishing of dentures
Complete Dentures
As oral health care specialists, we offer various types of dentures to suit each patient’s specific requirements.
In close consultation with you, we will determine what these requirements are and how to meet them.
State-of-the-art dentures are able to restore your smile as well as be compatible with the sensitive tissues of your mouth.
How Does One Ensure A Successful Outcome?
We are able to provide you with professional advice before you choose the denture that best suits your lifestyle.
The importance of a thorough consultation and examination with our Dental Prosthetist prior to any treatment cannot be emphasised enough.
This appointment gives you the opportunity to express your concerns and desires for your new dentures. It also allows us to assess your current conditions and address your needs and expectations.
Standard or Premium Personalised Dentures
Standard dentures may fit comfortably and chew well, but are designed for the average patient using basic teeth shades and shapes. Every denture patient, especially those with some natural teeth or those who have an unusual jaw relationship (bite), may require a personalised denture that utilises premium materials and precision techniques. With premium personalised dentures, aesthetics, comfort, fit and function combine to allow your smile to look more natural.
Premium personalised dentures instil confidence and provide optimum function while eating, speaking and laughing. Through the use of sophisticated instrumentation, from the impressions of your jaws to the specific jaw movements you make, all your facial information is recorded. We are then able to recreate the appearance of your smile and restore the natural contour of your lips and facial muscles.
Let your smile shine through!
Removable Partial Dentures
A removable partial denture is usually made to replace one or more teeth, and is customised to a patient’s specific requirements.
Removable partial dentures restore a person’s natural appearance and greatly improve the ability to chew and speak clearly.
Type and Style of Partials
A Partial denture may be tooth-supported and tissue-supported. There are significant differences between these two types of dentures. These differences are best explained by our Dental Prosthetist.
The number of teeth remaining, the position and the stability of the teeth are only a few of the factors that help to determine what styles or type of partial denture would be best for you.
Partials can be made of different materials, including acrylics, a metal/acrylic combination or flexible thermoplastics.
Acrylic partials are usually used as a transitional or temporary replacement of missing teeth, depending on your personal circumstances.
The metal/acrylic – commonly called a cast partial – is usually a more rigid and permanent style of denture. The metal is either a highly compatible chrome cobalt alloy or titanium, which are both ultra thin, light and very strong.
The new flexible thermoplastics have the advantage of aesthetics and flexibility.
The partials are designed to be removable and should be removed nightly to contribute to a healthy oral environment.
With newer designs, materials and techniques, partials are more comfortable than ever before.
Ask us about the many designs available, some of which have no visible clasps and are virtually undetectable.
The Benefits of Partials
Partial dentures do not harm remaining natural teeth. A partial denture may prevent your natural teeth from shifting or drifting into the space left by the loss of a natural tooth. In fact, a partial denture may help maintain the position of your natural teeth by providing them with additional support.
With a partial denture, you’ll look better, feel better, and chew better!
Immediate Dentures
You’ve been advised that you need an immediate denture? But what is it and how is it done?
This information will help to explain the concepts and answer questions you might have regarding this type of denture.
Our Dental Prosthetist can guide you as to when the situation warrants immediate dentures.
When is Immediate Denture Used?
To avoid the situation of being without teeth, we will use the immediate denture technique.
This involves taking impressions of your mouth while your teeth are still present. We are then able to fabricate a denture in the likeness of your natural teeth, and make any necessary modification you may wish.
When your natural teeth are extracted, your immediate denture is then inserted. In this technique, you have avoided having to go without any teeth while you go through the healing process.
Things You Should Know About Immediate Dentures
Since we are unable to try in the denture prior to extracting your teeth, certain aesthetic compromises may be necessary.
This does not present any significant problems, and the results are normally quite good.
It is important to follow the postoperative instructions of your Dental Prosthetist or Oral Surgeon very carefully.
As healing occurs, the oral tissues recede so denture adjustments may be required. Follow-up appointments with us are necessary.
To maintain the best fit and comfort, a temporary liner or tissue conditioner may be placed in denture. During the next few months, bone and gum tissue will probably continue to shrink to some degree; however, the rate of change decreases with time. This is a natural occurrence, which is to be expected.
After the healing process is complete, either a new permanent full denture (s) will be made or your denture(s) will be relined or rebased for the most comfortable fit.
We will recommend the option that best meets your particular needs.
Contact us to see if an immediate denture is the right option for you.
Repair, Rebase & Reline
Broken, worn or ill-fitting dentures need not always be replaced. In fact, we can assess very quickly if you’re a candidate for a rebase, reline or repair.
In the case of repairs, we can offer a same-day service.
Rebase
Rebasing is usually done when the denture teeth have worn out in comparison to the denture base material. It is a process of retrofitting dentures by replacing all of the acrylic denture base with new acrylic, which provides a stable denture without replacing the denture teeth.
Relines
This consists of adding new base material to the tissue side of a denture so it fits properly. We will need to take an impression inside your existing denture.
Relining affects only the fit of your denture and will not change the appearance.
Relines are required when tissue changes occur due to resorption (shrinkage). This can be due to:
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Loss of weight
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Loss of teeth
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Loss of bone
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Ageing
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Disease or illness
Repairs
In most cases, we can restore an existing broken or cracked denture to its original state. Repairs may be required when breakage or chipping occurs, when one or more teeth need to be added to an existing denture (due to tooth extraction), or because of wear and tear.
Most repairs can easily be done in one day. If your denture requires a repair, it may be indicative of underlying problems, including age of the denture, worn teeth, or poor fit. As professionals, we can best explain how to prevent denture breakage from occurring.
BUMP Mouthguards
Like any piece of custom made sporting equipment, a custom made mouthguard will improve your performance.
A pre fabricated shop bought general fit mouthguard will only fit a handful of the population correctly and offers some protection to a general low contact sporting session.
Prefabricated guards look the part but offer little protection due to the uneven fit over the teeth reducing breathing space and speech.
We can offer a custom made mouthguard which will lock onto the teeth taking no effort to retain the guard in your mouth. This close fit offers protection to your teeth and keeps airways open and free to communicate.
The guards have a measured even surface that allows your teeth to come together in a natural comfortable position and offers protection to molar teeth and jaws.
Protecting developing teeth is a must. Mouthguards are for all mouths.
A Child’s mouth guard can be fitted with provision for full growth of teeth. A well fitting mouthguard is more likely to stay in during the game and get the child use to wearing a mouth guard for future sport.
With a choice of 30 colours there is bound to be a team or favourite colour.
Junior sports guards
Junior sports guards are for developing mouths that need to protect permanent adult teeth, these mouthguards offer a dual layer offering a solid layer of plastic in front of the front teeth.
Multi sports guard
Multi sports guard is a standard of protection for any contact sport. This guard offers full protection of jaw and teeth with added molar clench pad for heavy collision protection.
Fight guard
Fight guard is for heavy contact sport. Guards are made from a solid plastic layer protecting teeth bone and jaw structures.
Sleep & Gym guard
Sleep & Gym guard protect your teeth at night or when working out, a clear thin mouthguard will offer a protective layer between your teeth when you are likely to clench or grind your teeth.
A guard is a wise investment in the protection of your teeth. They are personally fitted to the mouth and made to last. Identification is imprinted into the guard in case of misplacement.