Cosmetic Denture Prosthodontic Dentists
Up until just a few years ago... the range of choices available for creating truly cosmetic, makeover grade dentures were limited.
For what seems an eternity... it has been the belief that dentures will always look and feel like dentures. A fixed bridge, when feasible as a treatment option, was usually the treatment alternative that could span an entire arch in essentially the same manner as a common denture product.
Although theoretically a modern denture has some of the same components as a fixed, implant supported bridge... it was always the nature of the fabrication process and selection dental components (can be premium grades of porcelain crowns) that created the immense differences in treatment requirements and financial investment.
Bridge and Denture Differences Become Blurred
|
| Fixed Bridge |
The advent of specialized cosmetic laboratory processes, increased choices of materials used for making denture teeth and now an ever increasing number of implant devices and anchoring systems that can make even the most common denture product feel, fit, function and appear like natural teeth... similar to a high grade fixed bridge.
Mini dental implants are also now available in greater numbers, from different manufacturers that enable some dentists to create a denture product that is almost indistinguishable from a classic fixed bridge.
|
| Palateless Upper Denture |
Popular product lines from Imtec, OcoBiomedical and BioHorizons now provide patients a seemingly unlimited menu of denture retention/anchoring devices and implant support solutions that move a common denture treatment into the area of precision cosmetic dentistry.
An accomplished denture dentist can combine any variety of acrylics, denture teeth styles and aesthetics, possible use of hybrid porcelain denture teeth, palateless upper dentures (eliminates gag), stylized trimming of unneeded acrylic (for cosmetic or comfort issues), individual tooth sizing differences along with the degrees of hollywood style whitening effects that are commonly associated with porcelain veneers.
|
In Office Palateless Implant Denture
Click picture to watch video |
Click here to see how a dentist trims and converts a standard immediate denture into a palate-less set of new teeth that can be worn the same day for most patients.
Denture Cosmetics
Finally... what was once considered the domain of fixed bridges.... can now be made available in the form of cosmetic dentures. Depending on the choices made by each patient, their denture need not look like a denture or feel like one.
|
| Cosmetic Coloring - Sizing - Imperfections |
Mini and traditional implants, if incorporated into the design of a denture (including immediate dentures) can create the function, feel and durability of a traditional fixed bridge.
Cosmetic Porcelain Denture Teeth
Patients seeking the highest degree of cosmetic perfection in denture prosthetics (meaning that they can fool even a dentist) can request Dr. Nazarian to use a specialty dental lab that has patented fabrication and design methods that make acrylic teeth look as natural as porcelain teeth.
| Click picture to watch video |
|
| Acrylic Teeth Competing with Porcelain |
The adjacent photo shows a tooth replacement treatment plan that was selected by a male patient in his 50's (who said men can't be vain?). The fixed bridge product is porcelain fused to metal (PFM) which has the customary translucency along the biting edges (a hallmark of natural appearing teeth).
Notice how the upper denture, which has acrylic teeth, presents a near perfect match with the bridge teeth. Although porcelain teeth can be used in denture products, they are not as "care-free" as all acrylic prosthetics, for some patients.
An all porcelain bridge that has opposing acrylic teeth (more resilient) is typically reported to provide the most comfortable dental function and bite. Click here to watch a short slide presentation showing the replacement procedures used with this patient.
Material provided in part by Dr Ara Nazarian of Troy, MI and Dr Ira Koeppel of Long Island (East Setauket), NY
Editorial Staff
|
