Instructions on Making Dentures

Dentures are precision made prosthetic dental appliances for edentulous -- toothless people -- fitting only the patient they are made for. Dentures should be made by a dentist with the assistance of a dental lab specializing in the fabrication of dentures and other dental prostheses, such as partial dentures and framework implants.

Instructions

• 1

  Schedule an appointment with the family dentist. If the dentist is unavailable,1800dentist.com, or the American Dental Association, ada.org, can assist in locating a dentist that is suitable.

• 2

  Attend the scheduled appointment. Likely the doctor will take a panoramic x-ray, an x-ray of the entire edentulous space on one film. This x-ray checks the condition of the bone the denture will rest on, ensuring the proper bone depth for a good result.

• 3

  Allow the dentist, or his assistant to perform preliminary impressions, of both upper and lower arches or jaws. These impressions will be required to create a custom tray out of acrylic for a final impression. Once completed, the office will schedule a second appointment to return for the final impressions.

• 4

  Return to the dentist for the final impression, the dentist has made a custom tray that fits only the patient's mouth. He will use an impression material called rubber base. It smells terrible, but the detail the material picks up in impressions is crucial to the fit of the completed denture. Once again, another session gets scheduled. this one will be for a wax bite.

• 5

  Return to the dental office for the wax bite procedure. A wax bite is trying on wax dentures made from the final impressions, on the top of each wax denture, is a horseshoe shaped wax block. It simulates teeth. The dentist will require the patient to close her mouth while he takes individual measurements; while checking the appearance of the profile and appearance of the face with the wax dentures in place. The doctor, and patient together, will choose the correct size, shape and color of denture teeth. Once completed, another meeting is scheduled for a try-in.

• 6

  Return to the dental office for the try-in appointment. In a try-in procedure is the denture still made in wax, but with the actual teeth in place. This gives the dentist the opportunity to move teeth that are not in the right position and make necessary, final, adjustments in sizing and aesthetic appearance of the teeth. This is the time for the patient to make the dentist aware of anything he dislikes about the appearance of the dentures. Once satisfied, the patient's upcoming visit is for delivery of the completed dentures.

• 7

  Return to the office for delivery of the dentures, the dentist will place the dentures in the patient's mouth. He will go through a series of checkpoints on the dentures. He will establish the denture fits snugly, with no extra acrylic that can cause sore spots, and he will adjust areas in the bite that are too high. New dentures will usually require at least a couple of adjustments, once the patient has been able to use them. The patient is rescheduled as needed for these appointments.