Materials of a total denture

Dental prostheses or also called total dentures consist of a plastic base. This base is pink in color and fits the palate. The materials for the teeth, which are anchored in the palatal plate, are either like the base also made of plastic or ceramic.

Plastic teeth are softer and wear out after a while. Ceramic teeth are much more robust and resistant and have a longer life span. In telescopic dentures, the telescopes and the counterparts incorporated in the denture are made of metal alloys.

At first sight it seems a bit puzzling how a total denture/dentity prosthesis can even hold in the upper jaw, because after all there are no teeth left there to which it could be attached. Nevertheless, it is possible to talk to it and eat without it falling out. There are three important factors for this.

The first factor is based on occlusal stabilization. This means that the row of teeth from the lower jaw, whether they are normal teeth or also a total prosthesis, have contact with the teeth in the upper jaw when the mouth is closed and sometimes also during movements. Thus a static stabilization is ensured.

The second factor is the integration of the total prosthesis into the surrounding soft tissue. The prosthesis is made so that it fits perfectly on the jaw ridge and is covered by muscles and cheeks on the sides. This is also called muscle grip.

For example, the posterior areas of the prosthesis are made convex and the anterior area concave to allow the tissue and muscles to snuggle up. For the third and last factor, which is also the most important for grip, a small excursion into physics must be made. The whole thing can be thought of as a kind of valve in which a negative pressure is created that causes the hold of the denture.

There are air bubbles between the denture to be placed (denture base) and the tissue below (denture bearing). These are expressed when the prosthesis is fitted. If the edges of the prosthesis are optimally designed, the air cannot return, so that the said negative pressure is created and the prosthesis is sucked in.

To the outside, to the surrounding structures, there is an external valve, to the inside, i.e. from the edge of the prosthesis to the middle of the alveolar ridge, there is an internal valve. In some cases, however, it can happen that after a certain time the hold of a prosthesis weakens and wearing it becomes more uncomfortable. This can be caused by various factors.

On the one hand, an inaccurate work of the dentist or the dental technician can lead to the fact that the prosthesis does not fit optimally on the alveolar ridge. On the other hand, the ratio of denture base to denture base can be unfavorable, so that the hold is not optimal. The main cause, however, is changes that take place in our oral cavity.

If the prosthesis is incorrectly loaded, for example, one side is exposed to stronger chewing pressures than the other, the side where the stronger chewing pressures act tends to recede. This shows that the jaw ridge recedes the more the incorrect loading is. But it is also a general fact that the missing teeth transfer all the force to the alveolar ridges and that these recede with age.

This is differently pronounced with each patient. If the alveolar ridge recedes, the prosthesis made some time ago no longer fits properly. The tissue and bone have changed, the prosthesis remains the same.

All factors that determine the hold of the prosthesis become weaker and weaker. Among other things, the valve effect can no longer grip properly or the surrounding tissue cannot support the prosthesis optimally. However, since this is normal and can happen with every prosthesis, regular visits to the dentist are advisable, since then it is possible to “reline” the prosthesis.

This means adapting the denture base to the new conditions of the oral cavity so that it fits properly again. Even if the prosthesis should break, it can be repaired in the dental laboratory.As soon as one notices that the denture does not hold properly while eating, is loose or disturbs, a visit to the dentist is advisable. Implants can improve the hold of a dental prosthesis, but they are not applicable to everyone and a surgical procedure is necessary.

If you are considering such an improvement, a detailed conversation with the dentist of confidence is important. In advertising, different denture adhesives, so-called adhesive creams, are often advertised to improve the hold. If a denture is optimally adapted to the situation in the patient’s mouth, these are superfluous.

In the short term they can be used to compensate for the onset of loosening. Many denture wearers, however, use adhesive creams for years because they shy away from visiting a dentist, even if they find the adhesive creams unpleasant. If you notice any changes in the hold of your dentures, a visit to the dentist is a better and safer solution to restore the hold than using these products permanently.