A PATIENT SEARCHING FOR FUNCTIONALITY AND NATURAL AESTHETICS. BY DENTAL TECHNICIAN JOSÉ MARÍA FONOLLOSA PHD BARCELONA, SPAIN Leave a comment
The expectations of a full denture restoration are always the same – the patients want to be able to chew with their dentures without any problems and regain an age-appropriate appearance. Neither was present in the following case, which is why the affected 63-year-old patient wanted new dentures. Her expectations were understandably high after years of frustration. Dental technician José María Fonollosa PhD (Barcelona, Spain) demonstrates that by combining the prefabricated teeth VITAPAN EXCELL Anterior and VITAPAN LINGOFORM Posterior, the situation was functionally and aesthetically restored.
The previous restoration
The clinical inspection revealed a total prosthetic restoration. The denture teeth of this restoration appeared lifeless at first glance and showed unsightly discoloration. The incisal edges of the maxillary teeth did not follow the line of the lips, but were in infraposition in the first quadrant and supraposition in the second. The incisal edge of tooth 22 was also longer than that of the neighboring tooth 21. This made the aesthetic zone appear asymmetrical and bumpy. The front featured a progenic bite (Angle class III), as well as a frontal open bite, which made it difficult to bite off food, and the lower lip bulged forward. Occlusal contact existed only between the incisors in the maxilla, and the lateral incisor and canine in the mandible, which led to instability and point loading during chewing.
The new restoration
The aim was to change the current dentition of an Angle class III to a neutral bite position (Angle class I) in the full denture restoration, which was statically and dynamically possible, due to the positional relationship of the jaw ridges, and by changing the tooth setup. After the mucodynamic impression and determination of the jaw relation, the patient’s situation was transferred to the articulator and the wax setup was started. Thanks to the diverse selection of shades and shapes, it was possible to find the VITAPAN EXCELL anterior tooth set in the desired shade that matched the shape of the face and the jaw ridge conditions. The three-dimensional anatomical layering and the natural surface texture of the denture tooth ensured a natural and lively appearance. In the posterior region, a simple and intuitive setup was possible by closing the articulator, and thanks to the VITAPAN LINGOFORM with automatic centric finding based on the gear wheel principle.
A smile restored
During the clinical try-in, the patient gave her consent and the two wax setups were implemented in resin. After finishing the denture bases, the teeth were only selectively polished with the handpiece to prevent the reduction of the juvenile surface texture of the VITAPAN EXCELL. After the integration, the patient was absolutely satisfied with her new smile and the optimised dentition. Thanks to the right choice of denture teeth and dental technology, she now had the full denture function and aesthetics that she had desired for so long.
