Denture Facts 2

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Denture Facts 2
2008
Harrison Dental Clinic

Did you know there is a significant difference between standard and precision dentures?

There is a significant difference between standard and precision dentures. A standard denture is usually made using less expensive materials. The teeth themselves and the pink acrylic that forms the base are manufactured all over the world and some of these materials are fabricated under poor supervision using cheap ingredients. The acrylics sometimes have dangerous trace components such as cadmium, nickel and various co-polymers as well that often provoke allergic reactions in the denture wearer. These cheaper acrylics are also mixed by hand resulting in improper ratios and a toxic liquid known as free monomer is often present. This is released into the mouth gradually by the denture and again can cause a reaction in the gums.

The cheaper denture teeth look fake and unnatural. They also are softer and wear out faster. A denture made from these materials will wear out very quickly, often in just a couple of years. These teeth are also often flat and dull so that they don't chew efficiently. Standard dentures are set up on a primitive hinge called an articualator. This device opens and closes roughly simulating the opening and closing of the human jaw. It does not however move forward and back or accurately from side to side like a real jaw and this limitation makes the resulting denture very clumsy and mechanical in function.

Less time is taken in measuring the patients mouth and bite. Less accurate preliminary moulds of the gums are used in making this type of denture. This lack of detail, accuracy and quality is reflected in the price of the denture, which is often even lower that the provincial fee-guide price. Ultimately, you get what you pay for.

A precision denture is another matter altogether. There are more appointments involved as exact and precise measurements are taken. Preliminary impressions are taken and instead of using them to make the denture they are used to fabricate special custom impression trays that fit your mouth exactly. A second, more accurate impression is taken using these trays which details not only the gums, but the surrounding muscles and tissues as well. This ensures a perfect fit. Special wax bites are made to fit your mouth and we use these to measure your bite as well as determining where the teeth should go. A special measurement called a face-bow transfer is then taken to measure you head and bone structure as well. This records all of the data that is unique to you and transfers it to an intricate apparatus called an adjustable Stratos Articulator. This device is about the size of a human head and instead of muscle and bone it is made out of metal alloys and silicon bands. Once your data is plugged into it, this instrument becomes your jaws. The Stratos opens, closes, moves side to side, forward and back just like your own jaws (unlike the other hinge whcih just opens and closes).

Of course only the best materials go into these dentures. Natural looking wear resistant teeth and injection moulded additive free acrylic is also used. The gums have tiny simulated blood vessels in them and are sculpted to look natural so that no one can tell it's a denture. We work closely with the patient, often using old photographs to make sure that the look is just right. The denture is tried in before finishing to verify that it is perfect. Only when it passes this final inspection is it finished. Satifaction is guaranteed and nothing is spared to ensure that everthing is as good as it can be. Again, you get what you pay for. This type of denture costs more but it is certainly worth it.