Dentures and partials that look like your own smile, with teeth chosen for your face and a fit we adjust until it feels like yours.
Maybe a few teeth are already missing and you’ve started chewing on one side. Maybe an old denture rocks when you eat, or you’ve been told the rest of your teeth can’t be saved and you want to know what comes next. Dentures and partials replace missing teeth with ones you can take out, so you can eat, speak and smile without working around the gaps.
At Pearl, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park, we make full dentures and partial dentures, including cast metal and flexible Valplast partials. We plan them with the same care as cosmetic work, because a denture is the smile you’ll wear every day, and it should look like yours.
“Dentistry is not just about fixing teeth; it’s about confidence, self-image, trust, and quality of life.”
Each step is checked before the next one begins, so your denture fits your mouth and suits your face before it’s finished. It usually takes several visits over a few weeks.
We look at your gums, your remaining teeth and your bite, and ask what bothers you most and what you’d like your smile to look like.
We take impressions or a digital scan of your mouth, so the denture is shaped to your gums and any teeth you still have.
We record how your jaws meet, and choose the shape, size and shade of the new teeth with you.
Your denture or partial goes in, and we check how it sits, how you bite and how you speak, adjusting it before you leave.
If anything rubs in the first weeks, come back and we’ll ease it until the fit feels right.
“He is skilled, professional, and caring, and really goes the extra mile to make sure we are comfortable with the dentistry as well as in the treatment experience.”
Whether you need a full denture or a partial depends on how many healthy teeth you have left. A full denture replaces every tooth in the upper or lower jaw and rests on the gums. An upper denture is held by suction against the roof of the mouth; a lower one relies more on your tongue and cheeks, which is why lower dentures tend to move more. If yours won’t stay put, implants can help hold it.
A partial denture replaces a few missing teeth and clips onto the teeth you still have. It also stops those teeth drifting into the gaps, which over time changes your bite. Healthy teeth of your own are almost always worth keeping, so a partial comes first whenever it can, and we won’t suggest a full denture while your teeth can still do their job.
We make two kinds.
A cast metal partial has a thin metal frame that holds the replacement teeth and clasps onto your own. It’s strong and stable, and less bulky than an all-acrylic partial.
A Valplast partial is made of a light, flexible, gum-colored material with no metal, so the clasps blend in with your gums, and it suits people with a metal allergy. It’s harder to adjust or add a tooth to later. We’ll show you which suits your mouth, and why.
“They’ve also been very accommodating and have worked with me around my timeline and insurance, which I really appreciate.”
Getting used to a new denture usually takes a few weeks. At first a new denture can feel bulky, make more saliva and press in a few spots. Then your cheeks and tongue learn to hold it in place.
Start with soft foods cut into small pieces, and chew on both sides at once to keep it steady. Reading aloud helps words with an s or an f come back quickly. Don’t put up with sore spots. Tell us, and we’ll adjust the fit as often as it takes.
Usually five to ten years. The teeth wear down, and the gums and bone underneath slowly shrink after teeth are lost, so a denture that fitted well can start to loosen.
A reline reshapes the fitting surface to your gums as they are now, and often brings the fit back. Keep coming in once a year, even with no teeth of your own, so we can check the fit and screen your mouth for anything unusual.
A denture that clips onto dental implants placed in the jaw, usually two or more. It stays in when you eat and talk, with no adhesive, and the implants help slow the shrinking of the jawbone.
They suit people whose denture, often the lower one, won’t stay in, and they need enough healthy bone to hold the implants. If that sounds like you, ask us at your consultation whether implants could help.
A denture looks natural when it’s designed for you. Dentures look false when the teeth are too even, too white or too big for the face, set above a flat band of pink.
We approach a denture the way we approach any cosmetic work. Together we choose the shape, size and shade of the teeth to suit your face, your coloring and your age, so people see your smile, and don’t wonder about your teeth.
A few habits keep a denture clean, comfortable and the right shape.
If a denture cracks, a tooth comes off or it starts to feel loose, call us. Please don’t glue it at home or bend the clasps yourself.
We look at your gums and any remaining teeth, ask what bothers you now, from eating to how you smile in photos, and go through your options and the cost before you decide. Bring your current denture or partial if you have one, and your insurance details. We’re at 1009 W Webster Ave, across from St. Vincent de Paul Church, with street parking nearby.
Dr. Colby James Gerth, DMD, earned his Doctorate in Dental Medicine at Midwestern University and has practiced in Chicago since 2020. He opened Pearl in Lincoln Park in 2025, where every treatment, from a small filling to a full denture, is done with how your smile looks in mind.
Getting them shouldn’t. A new denture can rub in a few places for the first week or two, and those spots can be adjusted, so tell us where it’s sore rather than putting up with it.
It’s best not to. Taking them out at night lets your gums rest and helps prevent infections under the denture. Keep them in water or a soaking solution overnight.
A denture made in advance and put in the same day your teeth are removed, so you’re never without teeth. Your gums shrink as they heal over the next few months, so it needs relining, and sometimes replacing.
Often in part. Many dental plans cover a share of the cost as major care, with limits on how often a denture can be replaced. We accept plans including Aetna, Cigna, Delta Dental, Guardian and MetLife; bring your insurance details and ask us about yours.
Not usually, if the denture fits well. A little can help a lower denture feel steadier. If you find yourself using more and more, the fit has changed and it’s time for a check.
Most foods, once you’re used to them. Cut food small and chew on both sides at once. Very hard, sticky or tough foods, like nuts, caramel or steak, stay harder to manage.
Neither is better for everyone. A bridge is fixed in place and needs healthy teeth on each side of the gap to hold it. A partial comes out, can replace teeth in several places at once and doesn’t need the neighboring teeth shaped. We’ll go through both with you.
Something else on your mind? Call (312) 858-7067 or see all our questions and answers.
Book a consultation online, or call us. Bring your current denture or partial if you have one, and we’ll start with what bothers you about it.
