Some partial dentures are made almost entirely of acrylic – but just like metal framework dentures, acrylic dentures have wire clasps that attach to any remaining natural teeth. These are generally used as a cost-effective alternative to metal-based partial dentures. They can also be used for transitional dentures when you’re expected to have additional prosthetic treatments, such as implants, in the future.
Extra care must be taken when handling dentures or partials because they are delicate and could break when dropped. It is also important to prevent dentures or partials from drying out so place them in the specified soaking solution or plain water when not in use. Avoid hot water because this will cause the denture to lose its shape. Brush dentures daily to dislodge food deposits and prevent them from becoming stained.
The fabrication of a set of complete dentures is a challenge for any dentist/denturist. There are many axioms in the production of dentures that must be understood; ignorance of one axiom can lead to failure of the denture. In the vast majority of cases, complete dentures should be comfortable soon after insertion, although almost always at least two adjustment visits are necessary to remove the cause of sore spots. One of the most critical aspects of dentures is that the impression of the denture must be perfectly made and used with perfect technique to make an accurate model of the patient's edentulous (toothless) gums. The dentist or denturist must use a process called border molding to ensure that the denture flanges are properly extended. An array of problems may occur if the final impression of the denture is not made properly. It takes considerable patience and experience for a dentist to know how to make a denture, and for this reason it may be in the patient's best interest to seek a specialist, either a prosthodontist or denturist, to make the denture. A denturist is a trained and licensed professional who sees patients in need of dentures, partials, relines or repairs. A denturist not only takes the impression, but makes the entire denture in his or her own laboratory. The denturist then schedules a date for the delivery of the finished dentures to the patient. A general dentist may do a good job making dentures, but only if he or she is meticulous and experienced. Many dentists no longer make dentures themselves. but instead take an impression of the patients' mouth and then either send the impressions to a dental laboratory, which could be anywhere in the world, or send the patient to a denturist. Once the laboratory receives dental impressions of the patient's mouth, the laboratory creates plaster molds from them. The laboratory uses the molds to create the wax rims used to register the patient's bite. These wax rims are returned to the dentist, who uses them to register the patient's bite. The dentist may assist the patient in choosing the correct size of teeth for the dentures, or simply make the selection himself. Once bite registration is completed and the teeth are selected for the dentures, the wax rim is usually returned to the dental laboratory in order to have the denture teeth set into the wax. Once the teeth are set into the wax rim, the result is a prefinished denture that looks almost like the finished product. This prefinished denture is usually returned to the dentist's office and the patient usually has a chance to approve the setup (for immediate or standard dentures) or to try the denture before it is finished. After approval by the patient, the dentist returns the pre-denture to the laboratory for final processing. The finished denture is then returned to the dentist's office for delivery to the patient.
Dentures provide several cosmetic benefits. They fill in gaps left by missing teeth so a person can feel more confident about his or her appearance. Dentures also prevent further shifting of the remaining teeth and improve facial structure. They offer a range of functional benefits, which include helping the patients chew food more easily and improving speech.
The lower denture's teeth surface is even with the gum surface making the lower plate essentially flat. I mean there is no white tooth higher than the pink gum material. Not knowing the difference and trusting these so called "professionals," I have worn the partials for 8 years now and my bite is so off that my upper and lower front teeth butt against each other and has resulted in wearing them flat, taking the edge off them.
Later that afternoon I came back to have 16 teeth extracted. I got to the office and waited about 30 minutes before I was seen. I got to the back and began injections. After this I went to a full blown panic attack and came close to passing out. The one positive is the dentist who was working on me took it in stride. I wasn't treated disrespectfully and after about 30 minutes the panic subsided and she was able to finish my injections and begin pulling teeth.
