A total prosthesis means that all of a patient's natural teeth are replaced by artificial ones.

Total prostheses are performed when there are no teeth left in a jaw and enable chewing ability and better aesthetics. This is sometimes referred to as 'ivories'.

Total prostheses stay in place due to forces of adhesion between the mucuous mebrane and the prosthesis aided by a layer of salive, like two plates of glass held together by a layer of water. The edges must be tightly sealed,otherwise the denture will fall out every time the mouth is opened.

Protheses come in different designed, depending on what is selected. The top picture shows cheap teeth, and the bottom picture expensive ones. Both sets are made of plastic, and sometimes ceramic teeth are used. But these usually only fill the pockets of the dental technician and/or dentist, since modern plastic teeth also provide good results. One other disadvantage to ceramic teeth is that they break if the denture ever falls out.

Clear gums are often made. You can see the porobe through them, and later the gums, which makes it all look less „artificial“. A golden grid makes the denture shown here even more stable.

Uneven pressure or excessive pressure on the jaw caused by ill-fitting dentures causes the ridge of the jaw to recede – which can only be repaired by frequent re-padding. In order to keep the pressure low, the base must rest on a very stable surface, compared to the chewing surface. Dentures set up to the sixth tooth provide the ideal chewing/denture base. However, since fees are charged per tooth, most dentures go up to the seventh tooth.

In spite of the wide variety of the designs, dentures are always a compromise. The top picture shows an expensive variant and the bottom picture a cheaper one. Nowadays, thanks to bone replacement operations and implants, most patients can do without a total prosthesis.