A replacement denture (synonyms: second denture, duplicate denture) is a dental prosthesis that is used to bridge periods of time when the higher quality, permanently worn denture is not available.
The fabrication of a replacement prosthesis makes sense in order to be safe from imponderables that one would otherwise have to endure toothless and thus aesthetically and functionally very limited.
This is because denture repairs come unexpectedly and represent a real emergency for the denture wearer. The denture can slip out of the hands into the sink or onto the floor tiles during cleaning, or a denture that has lost its fit over the years and is already rocking, whose relining is therefore already overdue, can react to the load during chewing with a crack or even fracture.
Even for a timely and planned relining, the permanently worn denture must be delivered to the dental laboratory for up to one day. Even if there are no important professional or private appointments, this period can be bridged more comfortably with a second denture, which largely ensures chewing, speaking and esthetics.
Ultimately, the replacement denture in the luggage takes away the one or the other holidaymaker the feeling of insecurity that afflicts him at the thought of unscheduled visits to the dentist and toothlessness at home or abroad.
Indications (areas of application)
- To bridge periods of time in which the primary denture must be waived.
Contraindications
- None
The procedures
The most sensible time to make a replacement denture is at the same time as the primary worn denture, because then time-consuming and costly steps can be used twice.
Complete dentures (full dentures for edentulous jaws) are duplicated in the dental laboratory (production of exact copies of denture models): The completed original denture is molded and, on the basis of this hollow mold, transferred to a second copy made of equivalent denture material from PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate). The replacement prosthesis is hardly inferior to the original in terms of esthetics, form and function.
The situation is somewhat different with doubled combined dentures. Here, double crowns or other very precisely fitting, cost-intensive systems are incorporated into the original. The retention of such prostheses results from the interaction of primary parts, which are firmly anchored on the teeth, with secondary parts incorporated into the prosthesis. These abutments are omitted in a replacement prosthesis. Instead, the primary parts are simply made to fit with denture acrylic material, which means that the denture retention of the secondary denture must inevitably be inferior to that of the original. The denture base itself may have to be reinforced, i.e. made thicker, to reduce the risk of fracture of the partially tooth-supported replacement.
Another option for fabricating a second denture is to modify a denture worn as an interim denture (transitional denture) that had to be worn for a few weeks to months after surgical procedures such as extractions or implantations (placement of artificial tooth roots) before the definitive denture was fitted. If necessary, this can be given the necessary fit and stability by relining with denture acrylic and other additions.
After the procedure
Although the denture material itself does not change, changes do take place in the ridges of the jaw that are loaded with dentures, and the patient’s own teeth as well as the denture teeth experience gradual wear due to the chewing process and parafunctions such as grinding or pressing. If the replacement denture is only brought out in an emergency, satisfactory chewing function cannot therefore be expected. Therefore, it is advisable to have the replacement prosthesis
- To wear every now and then and thus check its accuracy of fit and
- Regularly to submit to the dentist for a checkup and have them adjusted.
