What Are Dentures?

Dentures are often called "dentures." Just like "prosthetic legs" and "prosthetic limbs" are called "prosthetic limbs", "dentures" means teeth that fulfill their "duties" for human beings. Medically, it is a general term for restorations made after part or all of the upper and lower jaw teeth are missing. There are two types of dentures: removable and fixed. Fixed dentures (commonly known as "fixed dentures") cannot be taken and worn by patients themselves, while removable dentures (commonly known as "movable dentures") can be easily taken and worn by patients.

Dentures are often called "dentures." Just like "prosthetic legs" and "prosthetic limbs" are called "prosthetic limbs", "dentures" means teeth that fulfill their "duties" for human beings. Medically, it is a general term for restorations made after part or all of the upper and lower jaw teeth are missing. There are two types of dentures: removable and fixed. Fixed dentures (commonly known as "fixed dentures") cannot be taken and worn by patients themselves, while removable dentures (commonly known as "movable dentures") can be easily taken and worn by patients.

Definition of dentures

Dentures are often called "dentures." Just like "prosthetic legs" and "prosthetic limbs" are called "prosthetic limbs", "dentures" means teeth that fulfill their "duties" for human beings. Medically, it is a general term for restorations made after part or all of the upper and lower jaw teeth are missing. There are two types of dentures: removable and fixed. Fixed dentures (commonly known as "fixed dentures") cannot be taken and worn by patients themselves, while removable dentures (commonly known as "movable dentures") can be easily taken and worn by patients.

Classification of dentures

1. Removable dentures: Patients can remove dentures on their own, which is suitable for the situation where most of the teeth are missing and the remaining teeth are few. The advantage is that patients can be removed for cleaning, and the remaining teeth have less burden, but there are also many inconveniences such as low chewing efficiency, and patients need to remove and clean after meals.

2. Fixed dentures: Use the healthy teeth on both sides of the missing tooth as support and fix the dentures in the mouth. It is suitable for a small number of missing teeth, intermittent missing teeth, and good health status of the remaining teeth. The advantage is that the fixed denture has high chewing efficiency, the patient is comfortable to wear, the foreign body is small, and there is no need to remove and wear. The disadvantage is that the healthy tooth on both sides of the missing tooth must be removed and the full crown repaired.

3. Dental implants: In recent years, newer and faster technologies have been developed. The method is to implant the implants in the alveolar bone. After the implants form osseointegration with the alveolar bone, insert the implants in the implants. However, dental implants require The overall health of the patient was good, and the alveolar bone had a certain height and width. Dental implants are comfortable and beautiful to use and do not damage adjacent teeth, but they are more expensive.

Denture movable denture

Movable dentures are commonly referred to as "removable partial dentures." It refers to the prosthesis which is supported by the remaining natural teeth in the mouth and the mucosa and alveolar bone covered by the base (dental tray). "Mobile dentures" use the retainers and bases of dentures to obtain retention and stability, and are used to repair missing teeth and adjacent soft and hard tissues. It is a method of repairing missing teeth. The name of "active dentures" is actually inaccurate because it still has a good retention and is not a wobbly "activity", so the word "removable" is more accurate. However, for the convenience of readers, we still use "activity "Dental".

According to the production materials of movable dentures, they can be divided into the following categories.

(1) Plastic teeth. It is chemically connected to the denture base, and more finished teeth are used, which can also be specially made. Plastic teeth have the characteristics of not easy to fall off, strong toughness and not easy to break, and can be arbitrarily modified to adapt to different missing tooth spaces of patients. But the hardness is poor, it is easy to wear, and the chewing performance is also poor. At present, hard plastic teeth have been widely used in clinical practice, and their wear resistance is better than ordinary plastic teeth.

(2) Porcelain teeth. It is connected to the base by means of nails or holes on the tooth surface, which are all finished products. Porcelain teeth have high hardness, dense texture, not easy to wear, high chewing efficiency, good gloss, and difficult to stain and discolor. However, it is brittle, easy to crack, and cannot be arbitrarily or excessively altered. Therefore, it is suitable for large gaps and continuous missing multiple posterior teeth, large gingival distance (distance between the occlusal surface and the gum), and missing teeth Alveolar crests are full and healthy for periodontal teeth.

(3) Metal (tongue) face teeth. It refers to the posterior face of the artificial tooth and the lingual part of the front tooth, which are made of different metals by casting or hammering, and are connected to the plastic teeth by a metal retaining device. Because the metal is hard, it can withstand a large bite force, and it is not easy to crack and wear, but it is difficult to modify. Metal-faced teeth are suitable for those with tooth gaps that are too small or the gingival distance is too small due to the elongation of teeth or the tilting or displacement of adjacent teeth toward the missing tooth area. In addition, various methods are used clinically to improve the performance of dentures, such as embedding metal sheets in plastic teeth to increase the wear resistance of dentures. It is also useful to embed cast metal mesh reinforcements into plastic teeth to prevent biting.

(4) Metal teeth. In order to prevent the longitudinal folding of artificial teeth, for those with too small missing tooth gap or too low gingival distance, cast metal teeth or metal teeth with support and retaining ring can be used as a whole to achieve aesthetic and durable purposes.

Denture fixed denture

Dentures are classified into fixed dentures (fixed dentures) and removable dentures (movable dentures) according to different retention methods. Fixed dentures use natural teeth adjacent to both sides or one side of the missing tooth area for support and retention, and the dentures are fixed to the prepared natural teeth through the retainer. This type of denture is commonly referred to as fixed dentures because patients cannot take it on their own.

The basic structural principle of fixed dentures is similar to that of bridge engineering, so it is medically called a fixed bridge, and the bridge body, the retainer and the connection body are the three important components of the fixed denture.

(1) Bridge body. That is, artificial denture is a part that restores the missing tooth shape and function through a fixed bridge, mainly connected by a retainer and a connector. The material used to make the bridge body must meet the requirements of natural beauty and have certain rigidity, so that it will not damage the fixed bridge and damage the abutment when it is subjected to the bite force.

(2) Retaining body. The natural teeth on both sides of the tooth gap are similar to the abutment of a bridge and are medically called abutments. The bridge body must be firmly placed in the missing tooth area and must be connected to the abutment by a fixing device, which is a retention body. In order for the retainer to resist the various stresses formed when the bridge is stressed, so as not to loosen, fall off or even break from the abutment, the material for the retainer must have a certain strength. Common retainers include full crowns, partial crowns, and pile crown inlays.

(3) Connector. It is the part between the fixed body and the bridge body. According to different connection methods, it can be divided into fixed connection bodies (moved connection bodies integrally cast by welding) and movable connection bodies (stress interruption).

Denture Extended Reading

1. Zhang Aiwu and Xue Sen. Research progress of soft denture lining materials, Journal of Clinical Stomatology, 1989, 3 (4): 233-239

2. Xu Wei, Xian Suqin. Design and clinical application of full mouth implantable denture, Foreign Medical Stomatology Volume, 2006, 33 (1): 72-74

3. Zhou Shiyi and Zhang Jianzhong. Research progress in improving the retention of full dentures, Journal of Dental Materials and Devices, 2007, 16 (2): 91-93

4. BWDarvell, RKFClark. The physical mechanisms of complete denture retention. Br Dent Journal, 2000, 189 (5): 248 252.

5. Zhang Fuqiang, Zhang Jianzhong, Zhang Baowei, et al. Editor. Basic and Clinical Oral Prosthetics. Shanghai: Shanghai Science and Technology Literature Press, 2004, 178 183;

6. Shen Beiyong, Zheng Cangshang, Zhou Qi. Clinical application of magnetic attachments in dentures covering the entire mouth. China Journal of Modern Medicine, 2005, 15 (12): 1857 1859.

7. H. Matsumura, N. Tanouue, K. Kawasaki, et a1. Clinical evaluation of a chemically cured hard denture relining material. J Oral Rehabil, 2001, 28: 640 644.

8. Miao Hui and Wang Yuanqin. Research progress of full mouth dentureless jaw implant denture restoration, Guangdong Dental Prevention, 2013, 21 (4): 220-223