They're often used as comic relief

in movies and Pixar animated shorts,

but they play a big part in the daily lives

of about 20 million people in America,

and it's not just older people wearing them.

But how exactly are they made?

Dentures have come a long way.

This set took two fittings and was shipped

between two locations before it was ready to wear.

The first thing to know is that a full set of dentures

has a flesh-colored acrylic base that fits over the gums.

The upper portion covers the roof of your mouth,

and the lower is a horseshoe shape

that accommodates the tongue.

Now that we know the basics,

let's learn how dentures are made.

First, a prosthodontist makes an impression

to capture the patient's upper and lower gums.

A thick paste gets placed into the patient's mouth for a few seconds.

While the impression is still gooey,

it's poured into a stone, which acts as a cast.

This cast is now a replica of the patient's mouth,

which comes in handy during the final stages of creating the dentures.

In the meantime,

the patient tries on different sets of dentures

to determine the size and color of their soon-to-be teeth.

From there, the prosthodontist makes a few adjustments to the cast.

Next, the cast of the mouth is sent to the lab

where the dentures get made.

Using the patient's cast as reference,

the lab starts to create the wax version of the gum line.

The teeth, made of acrylic resin —

a material that looks very similar to real teeth — are set in place.

Minor touches get made to the wax around the teeth

then get sent back to the prosthodontist.

After the wax dentures are approved

by both the patient and the prosthodontist for fit and look,

they're sent back to the lab to finish the process.

The wax is just temporary.

It gets replaced by an acrylic,

which is more aesthetically pleasing and realistic-looking.

The lab boils the dentures to get rid of the wax portions.

Holes are indented into the teeth

so the material can attach to it.

Then, a machine called the IvoBase

injects the acrylic liquid into the molds

to stick to the denture teeth.

The dentures are cleaned up and polished.

They're now ready for the patient.