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Dentures in General
What are dentures?
Dentures are removable structures of artificial teeth (“false teeth”) that are used to replace missing teeth—either some missing teeth (called a Partial Denture) or all of your missing teeth (called a Full Denture), on the top of your mouth, the bottom or both. While they take getting used to and will never feel exactly like your natural teeth, with advancements in dental technology, dentures have become more natural and comfortable than ever. They will allow you to eat almost whatever you wish (there are some limitations when it comes to full upper and lower dentures, unless they’re Implant Dentures), and comfortably so, and show your big smile to others once again. You can read more on Full Dentures and Partial Dentures below and in the main section on them on our website.
How do dentures work?
With Full Dentures, the Acrylic Base of the dentures attaches to your gums. The base of a Full Upper Denture uses suction to adhere to the roof of your mouth (or upper palate), while a Lower Denture is crafted into a horseshoe shape to leave space for your tongue. Your denturist takes precise Impressions of the shape of your upper and/or lower palate in multiple stages in order to ensure your custom-made denture(s) have a stable and comfortable fit. A Full Lower Denture uses that precision fit, plus gravity, to hold them in place on your lower palate, since there is no suction to utilize like with an Upper Denture. Some patients, not many, also like to dab a couple of drops of adhesive like Poligrip into the lower denture to make it more secure.
On the other hand, a Partial Denture has clasps built into the denture that can anchor the denture to your jaw by hooking onto some of your still existing natural teeth, for a more snug and stable fit.
What is an Impression?
An impression is a procedure where your denturist takes a mold copy of your gum ridge and any natural teeth you have remaining—basically getting an impression of the inside of your mouth. This dentition impression then allows your denturist to make a customized denture that fits your mouth exactly. There are two kinds of impressions, a Preliminary Impression and a Final Impression, which you can read more about on the Appointments page.
Benefits of Dentures
What are the benefits of dentures?
You may have some idea about the obvious uses and benefits of dentures. But there are others you may not be aware of, including some very important ones. Here are some of the benefits of dentures:
- Partial Dentures fill in the gaps of missing teeth, and Full Dentures provide you a full set of teeth, all needed for being able to properly chew your food, and eat the foods you want, and need to, in order to be happy and healthy. They simply help ensure that you are able to eat properly and that is why sturdy materials are utilised in the construction of dentures.
- Dentures improve the aesthetic of your smile, allowing you to once again be confident in public, and even with loved ones. You no longer need to use your hand in front of your mouth while speaking to hide your missing teeth.
- That confidence also allows you to put your best self out there in your interactions with your friends, family, acquaintances, work colleagues, and even a potential employer in that job interview.
- With how dentures are constructed these days, no one will even know that you wear dentures: they look very similar to your natural teeth.
- Even though in general we try to match how your natural teeth looked (so other people, or yourself in the mirror, still see your old self), if your natural teeth were old, broken up a bit and unsightly, and with larger than normal gaps between them, new dentures can be made to look better than you’ve ever looked before.
- If your missing teeth are affecting how you speak, then, once you’ve gotten used to your dentures, with lots of practice and over time, your speech should become clearer.
- Dentures play a supporting role in preventing your facial muscles from sagging which is known to happen when you suffer teeth loss.
- Implant Dentures and their underlying Implants specifically also play a very unique role in slowing down bone resorption (shrinkage), something that is important in dental care (see Advantages of Implant Dentures below).
Be that wise person who understands why it is important to take care of your mouth.
Wearing Your Dentures
Adjusting To Your New Denture
New dentures can sometimes feel uncomfortable or awkward for the first few days to weeks for some individuals when wearing them (especially with the Lower Denture). Everybody gets used to dentures at a different rate: some people get used to them within a day and some people can take months. Eating and speaking will take some getting used to, and a bulky or loose feeling is not uncommon as the muscles of your tongue and cheeks adapt to the dentures. Excess saliva, slight irritation and a feeling like your tongue is crowded for space are all natural as you adjust to your new dentures.
If you feel any painful discomfort or are developing a sore spot on your gums, don’t hesitate to call us to book an Adjustment appointment. Minor adjustments are common in the first few weeks of a new denture (or a relined/rebased denture).
But eventually everything usually settles down and you will hardly notice you are wearing a denture.
Can I wear my dentures while I sleep?
You should remove your dentures every night, giving your mouth a break while you sleep (especially allowing your gum tissues a rest and allowing normal stimulation and cleansing by the tongue and saliva in order to promote better long term health of your gums), preventing infections and reducing the chance of damage if you tend to grind your teeth or clench your jaw when you sleep.
However, if you are unable to sleep without your dentures in your mouth, then it is recommended that the dentures are thoroughly cleaned (see the “Remove your dentures every night” bullet point under the Cleaning & Taking Care Of Your Denture section on this page), and you massage your gums with a soft toothbrush in order to stimulate blood flow, all before putting the dentures back in your mouth and going to bed. (NOTE: it is always healthier for your tissues to leave them out.)
Cleaning & Taking Care Of Your Denture
Full & Partial Dentures, whether Regular, Immediate or Implant Retained Dentures, all require proper care to keep them clean, free from stains, looking their best and lasting a long time.
For good denture care:
- Soak your dentures overnight in a denture cleaning solution, which is simply warm water (NOT hot) with a denture cleaning product (e.g. Polident). The water also prevents your dentures from warping or cracking in the dry air out of your mouth. In the morning when you remove your dentures from the denture bath, make sure to rinse your dentures thoroughly under warm, running water and use a denture brush to scrub away any debris or plaque buildup (that has been softened up from the cleaner and soaking it all night) around the teeth before you put them back into your mouth: this also helps to remove any chemicals from the cleaning solution used. If you are also using a paste while brushing (not necessary), make sure it is special non-abrasive denture paste or cleanser like Polident Paste, and NOT regular toothpaste because regular toothpaste is abrasive and will remove the finish of your dentures over time, and be sure to rinse the denture thoroughly under warm running water after brushing with denture paste to remove the chemicals in the paste before you put it back into your mouth.
FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON WHATEVER PRODUCT YOU PURCHASE.
- Rinse your dentures after eating under warm running water (NOT hot) to remove food particles. You may want to place a towel on the counter or in the sink, or put some water in the sink, so if the denture slips out of your hands while cleaning it and hits the hard porcelain sink surface, it will help to prevent a tooth being chipped or sheared.
You typically should avoid:
- Abrasive cleaning materials. Avoid any overly stiff-bristled brushes and regular toothpaste as these are too abrasive and can damage your dentures.
- Whitening toothpastes. Toothpastes advertised as whitening pastes often contain peroxide, which does little to change the colour of denture teeth. So they shouldn’t be used.
- Bleach products. Don’t use any Clorox or Javex bleach in cleaning your dentures. This will weaken the acrylic and lighten the colour of the pink base. Don’t soak dentures with a cast metal frame in solutions that contain chlorine because it can tarnish and corrode the metal (just like any bleach product).
- Hot water. Avoid hot or boiling water that could warp your dentures.
Denture Adhesives (Glue)
DENTURE ADHESIVE: Your denturist takes precise Impressions of the shape of your upper and/or lower ridges in multiple stages in order to ensure your custom-made denture(s) have a snug but comfortable fit. Whereas a Full Upper Denture can use suction against the roof of your mouth to hold it in place (in the majority of cases), a FULL Lower Denture doesn’t have that option, so it needs to utilize that precision fit, plus gravity, to hold it in place on your lower gums/ridges. Most patients that had their teeth recently extracted will need to utilize some sort of adhesive to secure the lower denture and make it more stable. Patients that have had dentures for many years may have learned how to control the lower denture over years of practice, and not have to use any adhesive. (Note that a Partial Lower Denture (as opposed to a FULL Lower Denture) is even more stable using just the clasps on it to hook around your existing natural teeth, along with the precision fit over the lower gums/ridges.)
If you are applying an adhesive, first make sure your dentures and mouth are dry, and then FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS on the packaging.
Loose Dentures?
What if my denture has become loose? That problem is very common and natural. There are many reasons a denture becomes loose, and the Grantham Denture Clinic has various solutions. See our Relines & Rebases page for all the details.
I lost another natural tooth - Can it be added to my existing Partial Denture?
Yes, no problem! If you currently wear a Partial Denture, and you lose one or more additional natural teeth (by their falling out or your dentist extracted them), then your denturist can add artificial teeth to your existing Partial Denture to replace them, matching the colour and shape of the other ones, and will change the clasps on the denture to accommodate the Add-On. You do NOT need to get a New Denture made. Even if the one or more teeth you lost were the last remaining natural teeth in your mouth, your denturist can add the teeth onto your Partial Denture, making it into a Full Denture, without you needing an entirely New Denture made. Of course, if your existing Partial Denture is in really bad shape (e.g. because it is really old), there my be issues that you can discuss with your denturist. See our Additions to Your Partial Dentures page for further details.
How long do dentures last?
This is a very difficult question to answer with any definitive timeline. Because at the Grantham Denture Clinic we only use premium materials and methods in the construction of your denture, we’re confident to say that your denture will last a long time. Due to our being in business as long as we have been, we can say that most of our patients come back between 10 and 15 years to have their denture replaced (in some cases we have patients coming back 20-30 years later).
Having said that, some patients return sooner. Some individuals want to have their dentures replaced every 5 years (most often because they have insurance that covers them for every 5 years). There is the odd individual that comes back in 3 to 5 years with the teeth worn out (this is a rare occurrence), usually caused by the patient wearing the denture 24/7, grinding their teeth constantly, having an extremely hard bite, chewing on hard candies, peanuts or sunflower seeds consistently, or crunching on ice cubes consistently. This extreme quick wear on the posterior (back) teeth is very uncommon and usually happens—if we’re to put a number on it—one out of every 500 dentures.
Other factors that affect the longevity of a denture include how well you care for them, if you have many mishaps with them and often break them needing Repair (repairs use a softer type of acrylic), what type of cleaner you’re using (some cleaners are much stronger and do have a bleach product in them which over 10-20 years will weaken the denture), and many other factors.
You can extend the lifespan of your denture by taking good care of them.
Types of Dentures & Their Parts
FULL (or complete) Denture
A full (or complete) denture is a denture with a full set of artificial teeth for when you no longer have any of your own natural teeth left, on either the top or bottom of your mouth. When the full denture is for the top of your mouth, it is called an Upper Full Denture, and when it is for the bottom of your mouth, it is called a Lower Full Denture. Full Dentures are in contrast to Partial Dentures.
PARTIAL Denture
A partial denture is a denture with not all teeth replaced with artificial teeth, for when you still have some of your own natural teeth left, on either the top or bottom of your mouth. So there are gaps in the Partial Denture for where your natural teeth fit in, and there are clasps on the denture to hook onto some of those natural teeth to hold the denture in your mouth. When the Partial Denture is for the top of your mouth, it is called an Upper Partial Denture (one is shown at the top of this picture), and when it is for the bottom of your mouth, it is called a Lower Partial Denture (one is shown at the bottom of this picture). Partial Dentures are in contrast to Full Dentures.
IMMEDIATE Denture
An Immediate Denture is a special type of denture that is made for when you are getting extractions of your natural teeth done, usually by an oral surgeon, and when you want to wear a denture right away instead of waiting for your mouth to heal first before getting fitted with a new denture. The Immediate Denture itself is a permanent denture, but the fit is temporary because as the swelling of your gums decreases and the bone supporting the teeth continues to reshape as it heals over time following the extractions, the Immediate Denture gets loose and needs repeated Temporary Liners put into it, until the shrinkage stabilizes 1-2 years later and you receive the final Permanent Liner via what’s called a Reline of the denture.
IMPLANT Denture
See below in the section on Implants.
Teeth of a Denture
A denture has two parts, the Teeth themselves and the pink Base, and both are made of an acrylic resin (a type of plastic). Partial Dentures also have Clasps that can hook the denture around some of your remaining natural teeth to hold it in place. You can read about the Base and Clasps elsewhere on this page. A Cast Metal Partial Denture has its base made of a combination of a cast metal and the pink acrylic.
Base of a Denture (pink part)
The base of a denture is entirely made of either (1) a pink-like coloured acrylic (a hard type of plastic resin) for Full Dentures or Acrylic Partial Dentures, or (2) a combination of a metal framework and the pink-like acrylic in Cast Metal Partial Dentures. The reason for the pink-like colour is obviously to match the shade of a patient’s gums and inside of their mouth. Healthy gums are usually coral pink in light skinned people, and may be naturally darker with melanin pigmentation. Your denturist tries to match your pigmentation in the construction of the base of the denture.
Clasp
A clasp is a hook (usually made of stainless steel) on a Partial Denture that attaches to a natural tooth (one of your own teeth that you’ve had all your life after your baby teeth fell out) whenever you insert your Partial Denture into your mouth. The clasp(s) hold the Partial Denture in your mouth because they wrap around and are therefore attached to your natural teeth.
Implants
What are Implants & Implant Dentures?
Implant Retained Dentures are dentures we make for you at the Grantham Denture Clinic for when you have permanent screw-like Implants screwed into your jaw by an oral surgeon, with metal Locator type (or Ball type) Posts (officially called abutments) attached to the top of the implants so that dentures can be snapped in and out by you for a superior fit. Implant Dentures are considered superior dentures because they are basically attached to your jaw bone, so there is little chance of them moving around, rather than relying on suction for Regular Upper Dentures, or Regular Lower Dentures that sometimes even require a couple of dabs of adhesive like Poligrip to hold them in place.
Who is a candidate for Implant-Retained Dentures?
In general, anyone that wears a denture, has enough jaw bone and is in good health can have implants, from teenagers up to someone in their 90s. But you will need to make a Free Consultation appointment with your denturist at Grantham Denture Clinic, who will provide you an initial assessment and go over all the details with you (what’s involved, prices, etc.). If you both agree, a written referral will then be faxed from our office to your oral surgeon to get your second assessment, where all the details will be presented to you from the surgical point of view as well.
If you qualify and agree to go ahead, then your denturist and oral surgeon will communicate with each other on details, and your surgery will be booked by the oral surgery office. Your oral surgeon will also have discussed with you the healing period that will be needed after the implants surgery—which can be a number of months. When you are all healed up, then you can contact the Grantham Denture Clinic to proceed with the fabrication of your Implant Denture. You can view all the appointments that are involved in that on our Implants page.
Cost of Implants & Implant Retained Dentures?
It is difficult for us to provide a definitive price. Prices vary between oral surgeons and the different types of implants they use. It also depends on how many implants you get, which depends on your bone and tissue condition and other factors, including what you can afford. This would need to be discussed with your denturist and oral surgeon.
On the Grantham Denture Clinic side of things, you will need to book an initial in-person Free Consultation appointment to get an assessment and discuss all the options before prices for the Implant Retained Denture itself can be quoted.
How painful are implant insertions by the oral surgeon?
Patients have described the pain level to be no more than getting a tooth pulled, or even less. The procedure is minimally invasive in most cases.
Caring for my Implants and Implant Retained Dentures?
Caring for the Implant is very easy. All you have to do is your routine dental care: (i) daily brushing with a soft-bristled toothbrush and regular toothpaste (NOT denture paste) and/or using a Waterpik to keep your implants clean (you do this at the same time you brush & floss any remaining natural teeth). Make sure you do this AFTER removing your dentures (do NOT keep your dentures in your mouth when cleaning your mouth, natural teeth and implants); and (ii) going to your dentist for periodic cleaning of and checkup on the implants. But discuss all of this with your dentist.
Caring for the Implant Denture is also no different than with a regular denture: see that section on this page for details (READ IT…FOLLOW IT!). But there are some additional things to keep mindful of.
There are the Nylons or O-Rings: In the Implant Retained Denture are Metal Housings and inside them are Nylon Inserts or Rubber O-Rings (which one you have depends on the type of Implants you have—Nylon Inserts with Locator type Implants or Rubber O-Rings with Ball type Implants), and it is these housings & nylon or rubber rings that together snaps and holds secure the denture onto the Implant Posts. The retaining Nylons & O-Rings unfortunately do wear out and therefore need to be replaced by your denturist at the Grantham Denture Clinic on a regular basis (it varies between every 6 months and every 3 years: how often depends on many factors) (in this photo, you can see one blue Nylon Insert in one of the metal Housings on this Locator type Implant Denture, with the other blue Nylon Insert at the end of the special tool to be placed into the other housing). If your denture starts to loosen, please make an appointment to have them checked by your denturist.
Finally, as we’re sure your oral surgeon already explained to you, you should NEVER try to “bite” your denture into place! If you have not aligned the denture quite correctly, you will almost certainly squash the nylons or o-rings and they will not retain properly. Your denturist will have shown you how to insert and remove your denture properly, but please do not hesitate to call us if you find you cannot quite manage it when on your own.
How long does an Implant or Implant Retained Denture last?
How long your Implants themselves last would need to be discussed with your oral surgeon.
Implant Retained Dentures, on the other hand, last like all dentures made at the Grantham Denture Clinic. You can read the details under that section on this page.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Implant Dentures
Advantages:
- Implant Dentures usually provide the best denture fit, comfort, stability, hygiene and functionality, as described in more detail below.
- Stability: Implant Dentures are considered superior dentures because they are basically attached (anchored) to your jaw bone, so there is little chance of them moving around, rather than relying on suction for Regular Upper Dentures, or Regular Lower Dentures that sometimes even require a couple of dabs of adhesive like Poligrip to hold them in place. That greater stability then makes Implant Dentures more functionally close to natural teeth than regular dentures.
- Taking Them Out At Night: If you already have implants or qualify to get them, then we at the Grantham Denture Clinic can make you an Implant Retained/Tissue Supported Denture (upper or lower, full or partial) that you snap in and out of your mouth. Because you yourself are able to place an Implant Retained Denture in and out of your mouth whenever you wish, you will be able to let them soak in a cleaning solution overnight every day to give your mouth a break while you sleep (especially allowing your gum tissues a rest and allowing normal stimulation and cleansing by the tongue and saliva in order to promote better long term health of your gums), preventing infections and reducing the chance of damage if you tend to grind your teeth or clench your jaw when you sleep. In the morning, you can just rinse and snap them back into your mouth all clean and fresh, ready to start your day.
- Slows Resorption: Implants and Implant Dentures play a significant role in maintaining your jaw bone and the bones & tissues above it (collectively called your Periodontium) that all together hold in any remaining natural teeth you may have and support your denture. When you begin to lose your natural teeth (for all sorts of reasons, including aging, tooth decay and your gums receding due to Periodontal Disease caused by harmful bacteria (plaque & tartar)), the underlying bones & tissues begin to shrink (resorb) immediately and continuously. Implants and Implant Dentures slow down that Resorption. Because Implants are screwed into your jaw, they slow down the Resorption because they kind of act like your original natural teeth roots, so those biting down forces reach the bone to stimulate them (though of course we are only talking about a few implants (2 minimal), compared with a full mouth of natural teeth all stimulating the bones and tissues). You can read more about all of this on our Understanding Teeth Loss page.
Disadvantages:
- The cost of the Implants & Posts themselves and getting them surgically screwed into your jaw by an oral surgeon is quite costly for some people, but if you can afford it, it is most definitely worth it.
The Denture Clinic Itself
Do I Need an Appointment?
Appointments are necessary for any type of major denture work, consultations (free) or adjustments (adjustments are for when your denture is causing you some discomfort).
Major denture work includes getting a new denture (full or partial), whether it’s regular, immediate or implant; a reline or rebase (for when your denture is loose); an add-on to your existing partial denture (when you’ve lost one or more additional natural teeth); a permanent soft liner put into your existing lower denture; or a temporary liner (a.k.a. tissue conditioner) put into your immediate denture (when it gets too loose to wear—as part of a repeating process with an immediate denture until the swelling reduction settles down).
Handicap Access / Wheelchair Accessible?
We are unfortunately NOT handicap/wheelchair accessible, as there are two steps down into the Grantham Shopping Plaza’s garden alleyway in which we are located, and then two steps up to our front door (though both sets of steps are quite wide), and our bathroom is too small for a wheelchair—all of which you can see in the photo slideshow below.
Peruse this special photo slideshow specific to the steps, etc. mentioned to give you an idea of what we’re talking about:
Where Exactly Are We Located?
See our Online Map & Directions page.
Website Protection/Security
Our website is protected through two levels of security. First, SSL encryption is used. Proof of that is shown with a little padlock on the address line of your browser when you are on our website:
SSL is a digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and creates an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser on a customer’s computer or mobile device, thus keeping customer information private and secure. Secondly, our website is protected from malware using SiteLock Security software.
Help On Using This Website
How To Search This Website
If you are looking for something specific on our website, and you’re not sure where to find it, just click the magnifying glass near the top of any page to type in your Search Terms.
Figure 1: How to search our website
Example 1: If your dentures are loose and you don’t know where to look on our website, then (referring to Figure 1): (1) click the little magnifying glass at the top right of any page and that will display the Search Typing Box right underneath. (2) Then begin to type into that box the word: loose. Even before you finish typing or pressing Return on your keyboard, options come up (see Figure 3 for what this means) and you can click any of them; or you can finish typing in your search terms and then (3) click the little blue-boxed magnifying glass to the right of what you typed in (or you can just press Return on your keyboard instead of clicking the blue-boxed magnifying glass), and you will be taken to a page listing all pages with the word “loose” on them (Figure 2), and showing words around “loose” to give you some context. Click on any of them to go to that page. If it’s not the page you want, click the Back arrow in your browser (at the top left of your browser window) to go back to the search results page (Figure 2) again.
Figure 2: The Search Results screen searching for ‘loose’
Figure 3: Search Results as you type
Example 2: Looking for new dentures, then you can either type in “new dentures” without the quote marks, in which case you will get results listing all pages that have both the word “new” and the word “dentures” on them, in any order and anywhere on the page; or type in “new dentures” with the quote marks (Figure 3), in which case you will get results listing all pages that have exactly the phrase “new dentures” on them (those two words side by side in that order). As in the first example, after typing in your search terms, press Return on your keyboard or click the little blue-boxed magnifying glass to the right of what you typed in (see Figure 1, Button 3 above), and you will be taken to a page listing all pages with the phrase “new dentures” on them (Figure 4), and showing words around “new dentures” to give you some context. Click on any of them to go to that page. If it’s not the page you want, click the Back arrow in your browser (at the top left of your browser window) to go back to this search results page:
Figure 4: The Search Results screen searching for ‘ “new dentures” ‘
Clicking Images to View Their Full Size - 3 Types
Most images on this website are displayed in a smaller size to make the pages more readable and to save page loading times. This is the case for medium- and small-sized images on all the different pages, as well as the smallest-sized versions of images called “thumbnails“, a regular term for the tiny representations of images that when clicked or tapped open up the full-sized versions of the images. A Thumbnail Image on any website, including this one, isn’t meant to be viewed that way, but is only to give you an idea of the full-sized image available should you click the thumbnail. But this feature of clicking an image to open up its full-sized version is also available for most of the medium- and small-sized images throughout the website. Generally speaking, click on any image you see on the website to get its full-sized version to look at if you wish.
This website has 3 different kinds of such images where this clicking feature works a little differently in each case: (1) Clicking Regular Images that appear throughout all the pages of the website; (2) Clicking Images In Our Virtual Tour that can be viewed through the different thumbnail image grids on our Virtual Tour page; and (3) Clicking Images in a Slide Show that appear on only certain pages where multiple images need to be viewable as a set. In each case there is a smaller version of an image that when clicked or tapped will display a full-sized version of it:
... (1) Clicking Regular Images
HELP WITH REGULAR IMAGES: The first type of image on this website that you can click to see the full-sized version of it is the main one, any image amongst the Regular Images on all the pages of this website. If you are on a computer (a desktop computer or a laptop), whenever you hover your mouse over an image, if that image has a full-sized version for you to view, you will see the symbol shown in Figure 1:
Figure 1: What you see when you hover your mouse over an image
As you can see, it overlays a semi-transparency over top of the image and shows that blue circle in the middle with the arrows icon showing that this image can be expanded (that’s why the arrows are pointing outwards) into its full-sized version for you to view in the Regular “Lightbox” Image Viewer (as opposed to the Virtual Tour Lightbox Image Viewer, which is a little different and discussed in the next section, (2) Clicking Images In Our Virtual Tour). If you then click anywhere on the image (it doesn’t have to be in the blue circle), then the full-sized image will open up in the Regular Lightbox Image Viewer (Figure 2). If you are on a tablet or phone, there is no hover feature, but if you just tap the image, then if there is a full-sized version to see it will open up the Lightbox Viewer.
Figure 2: The Regular Lightbox Image Viewer
Inside the Regular Lightbox Image Viewer (Figure 2) you can view the full-sized version of the image you just clicked, as well as all the other images on this same webpage that have full-sized versions as well. The Image Counter in the bottom right corner shows the current image number and the total number of images (image 1 of 29 in this case), and on the left under the image you have a Caption that tells you about the image (in this case it is saying that the FAQ page is to “Get answers to your questions”). Click or tap the left arrow to go to the previous image. Click or tap the right arrow (or alternatively click anywhere on the big image) to go to the next image. Click or tap the X in the upper right corner (or anywhere in the black surrounding area—much easier) to Close the Image Viewer and return to the webpage.
... (2) Clicking Images In Our Virtual Tour
HELP WITH PHOTO GALLERIES: The second type of image on this website that you can click to see the full-sized version of it is a Virtual Tour Image. The images on the Virtual Tour page work a little differently than the Regular Images. The Virtual Tour starts off with a set of thumbnail images (Figure 3), each when clicked open up an entire Gallery of images under that category (Figure 4).
Figure 3: The different Image Gallery thumbnails on the Virtual Tour page
So the category, Approaching the Clinic, in Figure 3 is its own Gallery of Images; Entrance is a separate Gallery; the Reception & Waiting Room images are in their own Gallery; and so forth.
Figure 4: All the Image thumbnails in the Entrance Gallery
So in this example, we clicked the Entrance thumbnail image in Figure 3, which then opened up the Entrance Gallery of Images—different shots of our entrance (Figure 4). Click any of the image thumbnails in this Entrance Gallery, and it opens up the full-sized version of that image in a special Lightbox Image Viewer for our Virtual Tour (Figure 5). This Viewer looks and works a little differently than the Regular Images Viewer discussed above in (1) Clicking Regular Images, though similar.
Figure 5: The Virtual Tour Lightbox Image Viewer
Like the Regular Images viewer discussed above, the Virtual Tour Lightbox Image Viewer (Figure 5) displays the full-sized version of an image, and all the other images in this particular gallery (in this case, the 10 images in the Entrance Gallery). The Image Counter is in the bottom left corner this time, still showing the current image number and the total number of images (image 1 of 10 in this case), and under the image you have a Caption that tells you about the image (telling us this photo is of “The garden alleyway entrance to our clinic”). Click or tap the left arrow along the left halfway up (or anywhere in the white area near the left arrow) to go to the previous image. Click or tap the right arrow along the right halfway up (or anywhere in the white area near the right arrow) to go to the next image. Click or tap the X in the upper right corner to Close the Image Viewer and return to the Gallery page (Figure 4) (you have to specifically click the X in this Viewer to close it).
In addition, in this Viewer there are additional controls at the bottom. First, there is a Filmstrip of images showing tiny thumbnails of each image in the gallery: but not all can be shown at once if there are more than 8 or 9 images, in this case, or whatever maximum number of images your computer window or mobile device can show along the Filmstrip, which is why there are left and right arrows on the Filmstrip at the left and right edges of the filmstrip to scroll to more thumbnail images along this gallery filmstrip. The current image showing is highlighted in the Filmstrip with an orange box or border around that thumbnail (in this case it’s the first one at the far left). Besides allowing you to see some of the adjacent images in the gallery to the current one, the Filmstrip also allows you to click or tap any of the thumbnails in the Filmstrip to jump to that image’s full-sized view (instead of having to scroll one by one).
Figure 6: The Viewer’s Extra Controls
Extra Control Buttons: The icons above the Filmstrip (Figure 6) allow some additional control: left to right we have the (i) Play button: click it to play the entire filmstrip automatically (you can sit back and watch a slideshow of all the images in this gallery; to stop the slideshow, just click the Play button, which turned into the II Pause button for you to pause (or stop) the slideshow); (ii) Full Screen button (showing a square with 4 arrows in the four corners pointing outwards): click it to open the Viewer in Full Screen Mode (to exit Full Screen Mode, click the X in the upper right corner or press ESC (escape) in the upper left corner of your keyboard); (iii) Information button (“i”): click it to toggle between hiding the Caption and displaying it; (note that from all these extra control buttons the Information button is the only button displayed on a tablet or phone); (iv) Zoom button (magnifying glass): when you click this button with your mouse on a desktop or laptop computer, you are placed into Zoom Mode; while you are in Zoom Mode, you can hover your mouse pointer and move it around over the image in different places to see a zoomed in view of the image in those spots (click the Zoom button (magnifying glass) again to exit Zoom Mode); (v) you can ignore the Facebook button since the Clinic doesn’t have a Facebook page (yet); (vi) you can ignore the Twitter button since the Clinic doesn’t have a Twitter page (yet); (vii) Hide the Controls button (the down arrow above the 6 control buttons): click this button on and off to hide and display the 6 control buttons (it will hide the Image Counter too).
Therefore using these various controls (the main ones and the Extra ones) you can view the full-sized versions of all the images in each of our Virtual Tour galleries. As mentioned, to exit the Virtual Tour Lightbox Image Viewer, click or tap the X in the upper right corner of Figure 5. This will return you to the thumbnail grid of all the images in that gallery (Figure 4). Click the red Back link/button (with the red left arrow) above the grid on the left in Figure 4 to return to the main Virtual Tour page showing the grid of thumbnails of all the different galleries (Figure 3).
... (3) Clicking Images in a Slideshow
HELP WITH PHOTO SLIDESHOWS: The third and final type of image on this website that you can click to see the full-sized version of it is a Slideshow Image. Another way images are displayed on this website is in a Slideshow presentation like in Figure 7.
Figure 7: The Slideshow Viewer way of displaying multiple images
On some pages of our website multiple images belonging together are displayed in this clean, compact way: a Slideshow (Figure 7), in this case images of denturist Joe Schankula, which can be found on the History page of our website. This is similar to the Virtual Tour Lightbox Image Viewer discussed above, except the Slideshow Viewer is shown directly on the webpage without you needing to click or tap an image, and it’s a manual slideshow, as there is no automatic Play button like in the (2) Clicking Images In Our Virtual Tour.
Like in the Virtual Tour Viewer, there are left and right arrows halfway up along the left and right that you can use to scroll left and right through the images in the set, and the Caption is there under the full-sized image explaining what the image is of. However, one difference is that instead of an Image Counter (“1/6”) like there is in the Virtual Tour Viewer, there are dots under the Caption representing all the images in the set: the current image is highlighted with a blue dot. One neat thing is, you can click on any of the dots to jump to that image directly.
There is also a Filmstrip of images at the bottom showing small thumbnails of each image in the slideshow, and again, if all the image thumbnails can’t be shown in the filmstrip, arrows will appear on the left and right edges of the Filmstrip to allow you to scroll left and right along the filmstrip to display the other thumbnails currently hidden. In this example, there are only 6 images, so no arrows are needed, but you can see an example of such a case under the Handicap Access section above, which has a lot more images in its set. Another difference in the Slideshow Viewer is that the current image along the Filmstrip is shown brighter rather than the orange box/border used in the Virtual Tour Viewer (you can see that the current image being displayed in this example, of Joe in the lab, is the first, leftmost thumbnail in the Filmstrip and that thumbnail is brighter than all the rest). Like the Virtual Tour Filmstrip, in this one you can also click or tap any of the thumbnails in the Filmstrip to jump to that image’s full-sized view (instead of having to scroll one by one).
Finally, there is no need to have a way to “exit” the Slideshow Viewer, since we never did anything to “go into it”: it just sits there directly on the webpage.
Our Mission at Grantham Denture Clinic for more than 50 years (first with father Joe and now with son Tim as your denturists) has always been to bring our patients exceptional solutions, techniques and quality care to their denture needs along with a compassionate approach, creating a calming environment with confident, yet gentle, personalized denture care, always putting our patients first. We just love the joy we bring to our patients’ lives when we fit them with a denture that makes them feel whole again.
Office Hours
| Mon | 9:00am-5:00pm |
|---|---|
| Tue | 9:00am-5:00pm |
| Wed | 9:00am-5:00pm |
| Thu | 9:00am-5:00pm |
| Fri | Closed |
| Sat | Closed |
| Sun | Closed |
