Denture fabrication for edentulous patients is a meticulous process that involves effective case planning and a dental laboratory you can rely on for natural-looking esthetics and accuracy, so we’re sharing our process with you to help you make the right decisions for your patients.
The Denture Process from Start to Finish
1. Pouring the Model
The process starts by taking a preliminary impression of your patient's mouth. Be sure to use stock trays that are designed for edentulous patients. You can also enhance the tray periphery with wax if necessary. To eliminate bubbles and voids, use a vibrator while pouring the impression in dental stone.
2. Fabrication of Preliminary Cast, Custom Tray, and Bite Rims
Next, we fabricate the preliminary cast, custom impression tray, and wax bite rims. The preliminary cast should be slightly over-extended in the periphery. The bit rims are contoured to provide the correct lip support and to indicate future incisal edge positions, along with the occlusal plate, vertical dimension, and midline. When filling out your RX, be sure to include the chosen tooth mode and shade that best suits your patient.
3. Kois Facial Analyzer
Use of this tool is highly recommended. When this step is done there is no guesswork by the technician regarding the orientation of the model in our adjustable articulator and proper cant and long axis is no longer a problem.
4. Model Articulation
We then index and mount the master casts created with the custom tray impression and bite rim measurements. This is done using an articulator to represent your patient's jaw relationship.
5. Arrangement and Setting of Teeth
One of our lab technicians will arrange and set the teeth in your desired occlusal scheme while ensuring proper function and form.
6. Waxing
After all of the teeth are set up correctly, additional wax is added around the teeth to gradually build up to the correct gingival contours. This extra wax is also added to properly support the patient's facial muscles in order to create a more natural-looking appearance. To prevent the acrylic gums from looking unnaturally smooth, the wax can be stippled.
7. Flasking
Once the teeth try in has been approved by both you and your patient, we start processing the denture. We start by placing the model with the denture in a bottom flask and securing it with plaster. After the plaster dries, we put the upper flask in place and fill it with additional plaster. We then heat the flask until the wax has been sufficiently melted. With the wax flushed out of the mold, the teeth and denture mold can then be filled with acrylic.
8. Mixing the Acrylic
The acrylic is produced next. After weighing out the monomer and polymer, they're thoroughly mixed in our laboratory. Various tissue tinting colors are added to copy the natural appearance of tissue.
9. Acrylic Pressing
With the acrylic prepared, it's packed into the flask and both halves are placed back together. We cure the denture under high pressure to ensure the correct hardness is reached. The denture is then removed from the flask to be cleaned and prepared for finishing.
10. Finishing the Denture
The final denture is hand-finished with special burs in order to remove excess acrylic gathered around the edges and/or palatal area to provide a clean and comfortable esthetic. We double check the articulation and adjust if necessary.
11. Polishing the Denture
Our lab technicians will polish and smooth the denture using polishing mops and paste. This creates a natural-looking luster and esthetic for your patient.
Now that you have a better understanding of how we create dentures for edentulous patients, PRO-Craft Dental Laboratory is here to help you restore the smiles of your patients.
