Dentures and other dental prosthetics like bridges, crowns, and implants are usually made in laboratories. You can partner with a dental lab to facilitate the quick fabrication and delivery of custom prosthetics for your clients. Fabrication is completed using the dental impressions or scans you provide of your patient’s oral anatomy. Here are the steps for making partial dentures:
1. Mouth Impressions and Models
Dentists must take the initial impressions of their patients’ bites and oral anatomy using silicone or a digital scan. Patients bite into a soft, moldable material that hardens into the shape of their teeth, gums, and jawline. Digital techniques use intraoral scanners and computer-aided design (CAD) for greater precision and accuracy. The scanners produce high-quality 3D digital models of the shape and contours of the patient’s gums, teeth, and oral structures. This provides a dental lab with a detailed representation of where the partial denture must be placed. Dentists should also record the patient’s bite or occlusion to correctly align the upper and lower teeth.
Impressions are sent to the lab, where they are used to create plaster models of the patient’s mouth. Model creation involves filling silicone impressions with a hard gypsum material or dental stone to form an accurate model of the patient’s mouth. Lab technicians use this model throughout the denture-making process. A digital scan can easily be imported into prosthetic design programs.
2. Denture Design and Fabrication
Lab technicians design and fabricate dentures using models and digital scans of patients’ teeth and gums. Dentures are composed of a framework base, clasps, and attachment anchors, and accurate impressions verify that each element fits well inside your patients’ mouths. Labs must also determine the alignment of the artificial teeth and the shape of the base that rests on the gums. Leading labs use a dental surveyor to analyze provided impressions to determine an insertion path and retention areas.
Using Physical Dental Models
Partial dentures are fabricated from high-quality materials, such as an acrylic framework base. The acrylic base is usually colored to match the patient’s natural gums. Labs create a wax pattern of the designed framework on the model before encasing it in a casting ring. The wax pattern is surrounded with the chosen base material and left to harden. In the lost-wax technique, any remaining wax is melted once the base hardens.
Using Digital Dental Models
When working with digital oral models, lab technicians can design partial dentures with CAD programs. After creating a digital design, the files are transferred to computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM) software. Custom prosthetics are then printed on a milling machine to provide denture prototypes quickly.
3. Teeth Setting and Polishing
Artificial teeth matching your patients’ natural teeth shade and shape are attached to the framework. Dentists provide lab technicians with patient selections for material, color, and shade. Artificial teeth may be made of titanium, resin, or porcelain. They are carefully positioned in the base to achieve correct alignment, bite, and appearance. Labs can send dentists this prototype so patients can test the fit before designs are finalized.
Wax prototypes or those made with CAM software are then recreated in durable acrylic materials. The acrylic is cured under heat and pressure to harden, resulting in a finished denture. Lab technicians trim, polish, and clean the denture to create a smooth, comfortable, and aesthetic fit. Final inspection and quality assurance are completed to verify that the denture meets the provided specifications.
Speak to a Dental Lab Today
Dental labs have experienced personnel and advanced equipment to fabricate accurate, comfortable dentures and prosthetics. Using information provided by dentists, they can offer professional insight into design aspects, from fabrication to adjustment, repair, and maintenance. Contact an experienced dental lab today to learn more about their services and processes.
