Private Removable Prosthetics by Kash Qureshi

I often get asked, ‘What are the private options for removable prosthodontics?’ I have taken three of the most popular prosthetic products from our dental laboratory.

In a future issue, I will discuss the most popular products in fixed prosthodontics, including a cheat sheet.

Swissedent Cosmetic ‘Natural Looking’ Dentures
Swissedent Cosmetic ‘Natural Looking’ Dentures are designed for dentists to create ‘private’-quality dentures with a certified Swissedent-approved dental laboratory.

The Swissedent system utilises the patient’s facial and smile features, age and gender to produce cosmetic natural-looking dentures that restore physical appearance, optimum aesthetics, function and comfort whilst providing a self-cleansing hygienic, retentive and stable denture to perfection.

Swissedent promotes the ‘dentogenic’ concept to allow dentists to work in harmony with the patient’s objective personality, which implies anterior teeth are aesthetically positioned to complement the patient’s facial characteristics, smile line, age and gender, by allowing natural light to brighten or darken certain anterior teeth, as with natural teeth. The ‘dentogenic’ concept also generates the gingival components of the denture by determining the gingival line, contour, zenith, height and symmetry to create unique smile characteristics.

With the help of the ‘dentogenic’ concept there are four distinctive anterior styles— masculine, feminine, universal and irregular —that are arranged within the parameters of the patient’s unique ‘dentogenic’ concept. The shape and mould of tooth is chosen via the same ‘dentogenic’ concept to create a natural look, unique to the individual.

Swissedent dentures not only provide aesthetics, they promote hygiene. The root contour, interdental areas and gingival necks are created convexly to prevent food traps, with added support from stippling to provide a self-cleansing hygienic denture.

Physical appearance is easily restored with Swissedent, because the smooth root contours of the denture are rolled toward the periphery, convexly constructed with prominent canine roots that work in harmony with the ‘dentogenic’ parameters, facial muscles and the soft tissues to provide adequate tissue support.

With all of the factors incorporated, this provides the basis for function with balanced occlusion to maximise stability and chewing efficiency.

Valplast Flexible Dentures
Valplast Flexible Partials are the first flexible partials in the world and have more than 60 years of research and development. It’s a nylon-based material, which makes it 100 percent monomer-free, flexible, thin, comfortable and easy to adapt to, with a life-long guarantee. It’s routinely used as an alternative to acrylic partial dentures and is used for one-tooth partials to hybrid cobalt chrome partials.

Valplast Flexible Partials have a unique clasping system: The flexible clasps are translucent with natural gingival shades and provide retention and reciprocation that blend in naturally with gingiva.

The major connector is designed to sit on the cingulum of the anterior teeth and acts like an occulsal rest. There is also relief on areas around the periphery and bony areas; this stops adverse pressure on the, gingiva, gingival tissues or periodontum.

Cobalt chrome dentures
Chromes are still the ‘gold standard’ in partial prosthetics. At 1–2mm thickness and various major connector designs, from skeletal to full plate and lingual plate to sublingual bars, the designs are endless. Clasp design with the RPI (mesial rest seat, plate, I-bar clasp) system is favourable on free-end saddles due to the distribution of the vertical applied forces, which stops crown movement distally and minimizes the risk of damage to the periodontum and teeth.

Chromes are designed to be easily adapted and biocompatible whilst providing the patient with optimum comfort, function and hygiene. The designs are based on minimizing risk of damage to the teeth and periodontum via major connectors placed 3mm away from gingival margin.

Clasps are added for retention and to resist displacement away from the oral tissues, whilst the lateral displacement during function is controlled via reciprocation and bracing. By having all of the features above incorporated into a partial, it provides a stable chewing experience for the patient.

Conclusion

All cases are dependent on how you manage the patient’s expectations and if you can get a desired result. Also, clinical limitations can also dictate the best achievable result.

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  Swissedent:
  Natural-looking handcrafted teeth, for confidence and peace of mind

• 

  Valplast Flexible Partial:
  The comfortable removable choice

• 

  Chrome dentures:
  Still the ‘gold standard’ in removable partial dentures

Kash Qureshi is a clinical dental technician (denturist) in the UK who oversees and quality controls over 3,000 fixed and removable prosthesis, including implant cases from a clinical and technical aspect monthly at Bremadent Dental Laboratory and Swissedent Denture Clinic in London.