Newsletter 88

This case was an absolute joy from start to finish.

Nick is a dental technician from Romania. His son, Alex, is a dentist working on the south coast of England and is a huge removable prosthodontics enthusiast. Alex has been on several of my courses over the years and, when his dad needed complete dentures, he wanted him to have something really special.

Nick’s failing upper natural teeth had already been removed before he came to see us, and the plan was straightforward: acrylic complete dentures, made over a series of visits involving primary and definitive impressions, registration, tooth try-in and fitting.

But this became much more than simply making a pair of dentures.
Nick speaks virtually no English and I speak absolutely no Romanian! Fortunately, Alex translated brilliantly for us. More importantly, Nick has that wonderful sparkle and twinkle in his eyes that seems to transcend language. We got on immediately and had an absolute laugh throughout.

That communication was important. Making successful complete dentures isn't simply about impressions, jaw relationships and arranging teeth. The person wearing them needs to understand what we are trying to achieve, the limitations of dentures, and—crucially—the process of learning and adapting to them. Alex was able to communicate all of this beautifully to his dad.

A denture made by four people

My wonderful technician Rowan Garstang carried out most of the technical work. In my opinion, Rowan is one of the very best dental technicians in the world, and I feel incredibly lucky to work alongside him.

We reached the tooth try-in. He wasn't completely happy with the aesthetics.

And because Nick is himself a dental technician, he wanted to improve it!

So he took the try-in away with him to Alex's house and rearranged the teeth himself. He made the changes he wanted, posted the try-in back to us, and Rowan and I took it from there and finished the dentures.

I loved this - collaborating and making something that was right for Nick.

Dentist. Prosthodontist. Dental technician. Patient—who also happened to be a dental technician.

Complete dentures we made together.

And the result?
Nick loves them.

For me, cases like this represent dentistry at its very best. Technical excellence matters enormously, but so do people. Collaboration. Creativity. Loads of laughs.

Patients around the world still need and want high-quality removable prosthodontics.

These skills matter.

Please share this newsletter with your friends and colleagues around the world – dentists, prosthodontists, clinical dental technicians, denturists and dental technicians.

The more we share our techniques, our successes and our failures, the more we can improve.

And hopefully, together, we can continue to show just how relevant, rewarding and life-changing great removable prosthodontics can be.

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Want to make better dentures?

Complete Dentures — 2 days

Come and spend two days with Rowan and me making complete dentures on a real patient, from start to finish. You’ll see every clinical and technical stage, understand why we do it, and learn a predictable approach you can take straight back into practice.

Removable Partial Dentures — 2 days

My two-day RPD course is all about designing simpler, kinder and more effective partial dentures. We cover everything from assessment and design through to impressions, support, clasping, occlusion and working brilliantly with your technician.

Implant Overdentures — 2 days

A practical approach to planning and making implant-retained overdentures, bringing the surgical, restorative and technical elements together.

Immediate Dentures — 1 day

Planning, impressions, tooth positioning, extractions, fitting and aftercare — making the transition from natural teeth to dentures as predictable as possible.

All Dentures Refresher Day — 1 day

Been on my Complete Denture course before? Come back for a concentrated day to refresh, refine and build on what you learnt.

Great dentures. Small groups. Loads of practical dentistry. And plenty of fun.

In House Courses

These are small, personalised clinical courses that I run here in practice with Rowan working alongside me in the laboratory next door.

People travel to Garstang from all over the world to attend them, and we are very much set up for international delegates. Over the years we have welcomed clinicians and technicians from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Japan, India, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa, across Europe, and many other countries besides.

The courses are very different from large lecture-style meetings. The atmosphere is relaxed, friendly, practical, and highly interactive. We keep the delegate numbers deliberately low so that people can genuinely see what is happening, ask questions throughout the day, and properly understand each step of treatment.

The courses are built around real patients, real workflows, and real removable prosthodontics — not idealised textbook dentistry.

A huge amount of practical information is shared throughout the sessions:
• complete dentures
• removable partial dentures
• immediate dentures
• implant overdentures
• tooth positioning
• impression techniques
• occlusion
• Scandinavian partial denture design
• aesthetics
• laboratory communication
• workflow simplification
• patient management
• and the emotional side of denture treatment

The emphasis throughout is on practical solutions and understanding the thinking behind the treatment — not simply following recipes blindly.

One of the major advantages of the courses is that Rowan and I work side-by-side clinically and technically every day. Delegates therefore gain insight into both the clinical and laboratory aspects of treatment simultaneously, which many people find transformational in helping them understand removable prosthodontics properly.

People often comment that the courses completely change how they see dentures and removable prosthodontics. Many delegates tell me they leave feeling:
• more enthusiastic
• more confident
• less stressed
• and far clearer about how to approach difficult cases

The courses are expensive, and intentionally so. They reflect the enormous amount of experience, preparation, photography, documentation, teaching, clinical exposure, and honest sharing that goes into them. I hold absolutely nothing back — clinically or emotionally — because my genuine aim is to help people improve and avoid years of frustration and costly mistakes.

Honestly, I think these courses can significantly accelerate a clinician’s understanding of removable prosthodontics. Difficult denture cases can cost many thousands of pounds, huge amounts of stress, and endless emotional energy. If attendees apply even a portion of the ideas discussed throughout the courses, it can profoundly improve both patient outcomes and professional enjoyment.

My hope is simple:
to help clinicians and technicians make natural-looking, comfortable dentures that genuinely improve patients’ lives — whilst also helping people rediscover enthusiasm for removable prosthodontics.