Can Children Get Dentures?


Find UK Dentists »

Children’s dentistry is called pedodontics. Children are more at risk from tooth trauma due to sports and rough play, and they can also fall into bad habits regarding oral hygiene when they do not want to brush their teeth or floss. This means that there are cases of children losing permanent teeth from cavities or accidents. When a child has lost some teeth they can be fitted with a partial denture – on children this is called a pedo-partial. In this case, where the tooth are missing, the process is the same as having a partial denture fitted as an adult. An x-ray and a mould are taken of the mouth and the dentures are attached by metal brackets fitted around a molar on each side of the mouth. The denture place will also be held in with adhesive.

A pedo-partial is not just used as a solution to missing teeth in children. It can be used when the teeth have partially decayed. Tooth decay can spread throughout the mouth and become infected and painful. To prevent this the decayed teeth may need to be extracted and a denture fitted to replace it. Because the extraction process is permanent and could be quite traumatic for a child many people choose to try and retain the original tooth and have the teeth repaired with crowns if this is an option.


It is worth remembering that while dental treatments may not phase us as adults (although of course many people do suffer from a fear of the dentist!) for a child having a pedo-partial fitted may be a very unpleasant experience. The maintenance appointments and the careful cleaning of the teeth and brackets might be more difficult for a child and in particular having permanent teeth extracted is not an easy or ideal solution at a young age.

« Should I Get Dentures Privately? What is Denture Stomatitis? »

Guide to Dentures




Further Information about Dental Treatment