Removable dentures
Removable dentures are dental restorations that can be removed by the patient when their use is not necessary.
Dentures are the most common removable dental prostheses on the market and are the most common way most patients choose to replace their missing teeth.
What are the different types of removable dentures?
Partial dentures are removable dental prostheses that are used for patients who are missing only a few teeth, with the restoration anchored or attached to the patient’s remaining natural teeth. The replacement teeth in a partial denture are usually attached to a coloured plastic base that is connected to the metal framework that will hold the denture in place when it is placed inside the patient’s mouth.
On the other hand, complete dentures are used to replace all of the teeth in the patient’s upper maxillary or lower mandibular arch. A conventional full denture is a type of removable dental prosthesis that is inserted into the mouth after the gums have completely healed from tooth extraction.
What are the different types of removable dentures?
<strong>Partial dentures</strong> are removable dental prostheses that are used for patients who are missing only a few teeth, with the restoration anchored or attached to the patient’s remaining natural teeth. The replacement teeth in a partial denture are usually attached to a coloured plastic base that is connected to the metal framework that will hold the denture in place when it is placed inside the patient’s mouth.
On the other hand, complete dentures are used to replace all of the teeth in the patient’s upper maxillary or lower mandibular arch. A conventional full denture is a type of removable dental prosthesis that is inserted into the mouth after the gums have completely healed from tooth extraction.
Deflex flexible dentures
Deflex dentures are made of materials with different combinations of flexibility and stiffness.
They are known as flexible dentures because the first materials used to make these types of dentures were very flexible to begin with, and this was a way of distinguishing them from conventional materials. However, they are far from being soft or rubbery, and they do not deform easily, unlike other polymers on the market that are extremely flexible for clinical use.
Advantages over conventional acrylic prostheses:
- Aesthetics: Translucent (non-metallic) and discreet retainers in partial dentures.
- Lightweight: Optimal retention. Reduced thickness. Improved phonetics when speaking.
- Biocompatible: Metal-free. Hypoallergenic.
- Resistant: High resistance to shocks and falls.
- Functional flexibility guarantees better preservation of the supporting teeth.
Dental skeletal prosthesis
The dental skeletal prosthesis (or removable metallic prosthesis) is constructed from a metallic base (in which the artificial teeth are fixed) and another acrylic part that simulates the gum in colour and appearance.
The dental skeleton uses the existing teeth and the oral mucosa to achieve sufficient fixation to ensure that the corrective appliance does not move. At the same time, it tries to ensure that the patient’s aesthetics are not excessively compromised by visible clasps that detract from their natural appearance.
Immediate dental denture
Immediate dental prostheses make it possible to immediately replace teeth that have been extracted on the same day, in order to contribute to better chewing and speech and to safeguard aesthetics during the gum healing period.
They are provisional, lasting a few months, after which the definitive prosthesis is made. During this period, the bone where the extractions were made is remodelled; a process that is helped by these provisional prostheses, and the rapid The provisional prostheses help in this process and prevent the rapid loosening that the definitive prostheses would undergo if they were made immediately after the extractions.
