Removable dentures made of acrylic plastic

Next you will learn:

• What are removable dentures made of acrylic plastic, and how they look in practice;
• What are acrylic dentures in general and how can they be fixed to the jaw;
• Pros and cons of acrylic dentures, and why dentists, unlike patients, consider them only as temporary orthopedic structures;
• How exactly does the manufacture of a removable denture made of acrylic plastic take place and at what stages is the mandatory presence of the patient required;
• How to care for acrylic dentures so that they last a long time and do not harm the oral cavity;
• Is it possible to repair a broken acrylic prosthesis on your own at home and what important nuances should be taken into account;
• And finally, how much are removable acrylic dentures and what factors directly determine their price ...

Despite the increasing criticism by practicing orthopedic dentists of removable dentures made of acrylic plastic, these orthopedic designs, despite their shortcomings, are still among the most common and popular in Russia.

However, before talking about the pros and cons of acrylic prostheses, let's first look at what kind of design it is, how it looks, and how it actually “works” in practice.

Simply put, an acrylic prosthesis is a removable plastic construction that replaces the teeth lost by the patient and, as a result, allows you to fully chew food and have a very nice smile. The basis of such a prosthesis (basis) made of pink plastic imitates the gum and palate (for the upper jaw) and is adjusted individually to the jaw of a particular patient. In the plastic base, artificial teeth are attached - they are standard, and are taken by a dental technician from special sets of artificial teeth.

As the name implies, the most important feature of a removable acrylic prosthesis is the patient's ability to remove the structure at any time, and later, if necessary, it is easy to reinstall it. In the case of using fixed prostheses, this is not possible: for example, it is impossible to remove bridges, or, say, crowns, fixed on abutments with special cements.

On a note

As you know, the fact that the prosthesis made of acrylic plastic is removable is perceived by most people as a minus rather than a plus. Few people are happy with the idea that they will have to use the so-called “inserted jaws”, which, even for an hour, can also move away from the jaw (fall out) at the most inopportune moment.

However, not everything is so bad: some types of prostheses made of acrylic plastic can be fixed with metal hooks (clasps) or special locks for abutment teeth. In some cases, this fixation is so effective that without significant effort (less often - without the help of a dentist), the prosthesis cannot be removed.

In fairness, it must be said that removable dentures made of acrylic plastic, despite some obsolescence of this technology of prosthetics, have far from negative reviews, but there are also many positive ones, both from dentists and patients.

In general, such designs have existed since the era of Soviet dentistry, and although during this time the technique of their manufacture has undergone a number of significant changes, in any case, the main material of the prosthesis remains acrylic, which dentists have taken up arms for a number of reasons (we’ll talk about this more below). As for the negative reviews of patients on the Internet regarding the use of acrylic prostheses, it is useful to consider such comments from a certain critical angle: people who enjoy prostheses with pleasure usually rarely write about them on websites.But those who are faced with a certain problem, as a rule, actively seek to share a bad review, emphasizing the terrible quality of the product itself and the deplorable results of its use.

Feedback:

“My husband has been using an acrylic prosthesis for 3 years now, grumbling all this time. At first, the prosthesis rubbed the gums, okay, went down, corrected something, it became better. But still I could not get used to it for a long time, complained that the taste of food does not feel, it interferes with the conversation. And in addition to problems with diction, there is also dry mouth. Then he rarely began to use it, he says that he feels disabled with him ... "

Oksana, St. Petersburg

But are acrylic prostheses so terrible, as is sometimes written in reviews, or can such a prosthetics option really become a good choice from both a functional and aesthetic point of view? Let's figure it out ...

 

What are acrylic dentures

So, what is an acrylic prosthesis we have looked at in the most general terms above. However, you need to keep in mind that there are several types of dentures made of acrylic plastic - let's talk about them.

Let's start with the so-called full acrylic dentures - they are made in the absence of all teeth in the jaw. Accordingly, there may be a complete denture of the upper jaw and a complete denture of the lower jaw. In the case when there are no teeth in the oral cavity, both are installed at once.

On the upper jaw, the alveolar bone, palate, natural folds and anatomical retention zones serve as a support for the prosthesis. On the lower jaw, there is less opportunity to hold the acrylic prosthesis, since there is no suction option, like the upper structure, which can be attached to the sky. Accordingly, the lower removable acrylic prosthesis is able to hold, first of all, due to natural anatomical formations and adhesion (adhesion) to the gum on the alveolar process.

It is interesting

To carry out removable prosthetics in the complete absence of teeth, the orthopedic dentist relies on the condition of the alveolar processes, cords, compliance of the mucous membrane, frenulum, etc. Most often, a complete removable prosthesis is sought when a serious atrophy of the alveolar processes occurs. This is most often about elderly people, people with disabilities, seriously ill patients who, for financial reasons (most often), deny themselves orthopedic treatment.

Often, patients are pulled until serious health problems appear: disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, the formation of "senile facial expressions", jaw extension, problems with the temporomandibular joint, against which speech and hearing impairment sometimes occur. The success of prosthetics in such patients directly depends not only on the tactics of the dentist, but also on the conditions in the oral cavity for holding the prosthesis. This is precisely what determines the state of comfort when wearing an acrylic plastic structure.

However, partial acrylic dentures are more commonly used. In the presence of at least several teeth in the oral cavity, the situation with the convenient attachment of plastic structures is much more favorable than with full adentia. This is due to the fact that for additional effective retention of a partial acrylic prosthesis, 1 or more teeth are used as a support.

Clasp fixation is one of the most common: the clasp of the prosthesis (in other words, the hook) covers the teeth chosen for support above the gingival margin, which ensures reliable fixation of the structure (see the example in the photo below).

On a note

Plastic prostheses can also be conditionally fixed - for example, cover prostheses that are mounted on the roots of teeth prepared for prosthetics or implants installed in advance. Such designs are functional and look quite aesthetically pleasing, and only a doctor can remove them using special tools.

Non-removable cover prostheses are usually made not of acrylic plastic, but of more flexible nylon, and they also come in two types: partial (fixed to the roots) and full (attached to mounted implants in the absence of all teeth).

Separately, it is worth mentioning partial dentures made of acrylic plastic, which have numerous positive reviews from grateful patients. The fact is that these so-called butterfly prostheses are an excellent option for temporary prosthetics when you need to remove a tooth (or several teeth at once), but you don’t want to walk with a “hole” in the dentition for a long time. Acrylic plastic is still a running material for the manufacture of butterfly prostheses.

I would also like to note an important point that many patients think little about: dentists consider all removable dentures made of acrylic plastic as structures for temporary prosthetics. That is, it is assumed that, ideally, the patient will later install, for example, implants that will prevent bone loss (after prolonged wearing of removable plastic prostheses, the bone does not receive enough chewing load and gradually atrophies - it is possible, for example, to change facial features).

It is clear that not every patient is willing to fork out for the installation of expensive implants. So it turns out that "nothing is so permanent as temporary" ...

 

The benefits of acrylic dentures

Before we point out the positive aspects of acrylic dentures, let's first clarify some details. Today, as a rule, certain pros and cons of prostheses made of acrylic plastic are opposed to the characteristics of nylon prostheses, positioned as more modern. And the key question that interests many people in this regard comes down, in general, to the following: which denture is better, acrylic or nylon?

The photo below shows an example of a partial nylon prosthesis on the upper jaw:

So, from a professional point of view and strictly speaking, it is better that which is not only shown in a specific clinical situation, but will also allow to solve a maximum of problems in the future with minimal negative impact. And asking the dentist which prosthesis is better is the same as asking the dealership manager which car is better: the one that is cheaper or the one that is more expensive. When choosing a financial component in both cases, it should be taken into account, if not in the first, then by no means the least.

However, often not very conscientious orthopedic doctors speculate with the advantages of expensive designs, specially protruding the disadvantages of cheaper acrylic dentures. More precisely, they take out from the context the negative property encountered in this design, warning the patient of a danger that does not exist for him. As a result, the methods and materials that have been tested over the years begin to concede under the onslaught of products that are more “crammed” into patients and are more convenient for the doctor’s wallet.

Meanwhile, the simple truth is quite obvious: there is no universal ideal prosthetics. Some here may object: like this - I’ve got such a prosthesis, and I use it without any troubles. In fact, every successful case is the result of a correct diagnosis and an individually selected plan for orthopedic treatment. Simply put, one grandmother of a conventional acrylic prosthesis will be enough for a comfortable life and a wallet, while another grandfather will not have the most advanced nylon prosthesis, but his neighbor in the country will do just fine.

Now move on to the specifics.

The main advantages of acrylic dentures:

• Relatively low cost.For many people, the low price of the prosthesis can become a reason to doubt the quality of the design, but in the hands of a skilled doctor, an acrylic prosthesis can solve its problems to the full, both in functional and aesthetic terms. As a result, you can get artificial teeth for little money, and in some cases even for free (thanks to the MHI program, pensioners and certain social categories of people have the opportunity, in turn, to receive partial or full acrylic dentures for free);
• Ease of use. A properly made acrylic prosthesis is easy to put on and take off, and it’s not much harder to care for than with your own teeth;
• Lightness and strength of the material;
• The possibility of manufacturing in one visit;
• Acceptable, or even excellent aesthetic characteristics in the case of a competent selection of the color of artificial teeth;
• Possibility of repair after breakdown;
• Adequate load distribution during chewing.

Feedback

“Now even young people go with dentures and normal. So I decided, I will put a prosthesis on the lower jaw. What will be, it will be, I have already prepared my mouth, there will be crowns in front, and an acrylic prosthesis will stand behind. My friend has already had such a prosthesis for 2 years, she likes everything, she says that she doesn’t even notice it like her own teeth and doesn’t take it off at night. And I have no other options, so I can only hope that everything will be fine ... "

Galina, Moscow

 

What you should know about the disadvantages of acrylic dentures in advance

Despite the apparent simplicity of manufacturing a removable acrylic prosthesis (cast a plastic base and fix artificial teeth in it), it is not always possible for an orthopedist and dental technician to take into account the individual characteristics of the patient's oral cavity to a sufficient extent.

That is why you can so often hear in reviews that the acrylic prosthesis turned out to be uncomfortable, the teeth are “horse”, that the prosthesis rubs the gums, falls out, diction suffers, a gag reflex occurs, etc. Many people mistakenly consider this a drawback of acrylic (acrylic plastic), but in reality one of two problems most often affects one of them: either the lack of professionalism of the specialist, or outdated itself with the tandem of an orthopedist and a dental technician (yes, it happens).

The imperfection of diagnostic methods and the lack of the necessary equipment can also be added to this. In general, every detail is important in removable prosthetics, regardless of its type: if the doctor calculates the features of the jaw and its anatomical structures by eye, then even after numerous corrections the patient will simply put the prosthesis “on the shelf”.

What is considered the real disadvantages of prostheses made of acrylic plastic?

• Increased risk of allergies to acrylic or functional additives present in plastic (dyes, antioxidants, plasticizers). An allergy that manifests itself, for example, in the form of prosthetic stomatitis, is most often caused by trace amounts of methyl methacrylate - methacrylic acid methyl ester contained in dentures. Modern technology allows us to overcome this problem. For example, for many years there has been a technology for protecting the mucous membranes of the oral cavity from the monomers of plastics using insulating pads, glass transitions on the surface of the prosthesis and other types of surface treatments;
• The porous structure of plastic, as a possible breeding ground for bacteria. Special studies have shown that acrylic plastics are able to gradually “absorb” organic substances from food (including dyes), resulting in the formation of bacterial plaque on the plastic surfaces of the prosthesis. However, if you follow the rules of hygiene and take care of the prosthesis, this process can be minimized (in the end, bacterial plaque is formed on the person’s native teeth and on the surface of the tongue).

The remaining shortcomings (difficulty in adapting, possible violation of taste and diction, low level of fixation, possible gum injury, insufficient aesthetics of clasps and others) can be called conditional, since they are to a greater extent the result of errors of the orthopedic treatment. The fact is that the lion's share of such shortcomings in the case of a low level of skill of a doctor can also occur with other types of prosthetics, even on implants.

The disadvantage of acrylic prostheses is also the increased fragility of acrylic plastic, as a result of which the structure can break down, for example, when falling or even simply chewing solid food.

As atrophy of the prosthetic bed, the risk of breakage of the acrylic prosthesis increases. And even if the acrylic prosthesis can be repaired with your own hands (for example, craftsmen like to glue with epoxy or super-glue), then with a high probability it will break again at the next load, since its basis already does not correspond well to the changed base of the bed. As soon as the relief of the bed has changed, you need to make a new acrylic denture, and not engage in regular regular repairs.

Feedback

“I had a removable prosthesis made of acrylic six months ago, but I could not use it regularly. All the fault is the gag reflex increased to horror. I can’t communicate normally and I couldn’t do that with him. Actually, I myself chose this prosthesis, as there was simply not enough money for something else, and the doctor immediately warned me that it would be difficult to get used to it at first. Even when the cast was shot from above, I almost vomited. She thought that I was being trite on a clasp prosthesis, his doctor initially advised. Now I understand that clasp prostheses do not really cover the sky, so people have almost no urge to vomit ... "

Olga, Samara

 

How is the production of dentures made of acrylic plastic

The principle of manufacturing a removable prosthesis from acrylic plastic from the point of view of the patient is quite simple, and the whole process, in fact, consists of only two stages: clinical and laboratory. Clinical is performed in the office of the orthopedic dentist, and laboratory - in the dental laboratory.

Consider the technology of manufacturing prostheses from acrylic in order:

1. The first clinical stage includes the preparation or processing (“turning”) of the supporting teeth (if any), followed by the removal of impressions from the patient's jaws. Crowns will almost always be made on the supporting teeth to prevent the negative effects of contact between the clasps and the teeth. The duration of this clinical phase is from 30 minutes to 2-3 hours, depending on the complexity of the work;
2. At the first laboratory stage, the dental technician casts gypsum models based on the impressions obtained - these are, in fact, the patient's jaws, but only from gypsum. Bite wax ridges form along them;
3. At the second clinical stage, the patient bites these rollers to determine the height of the bite and its features. It usually takes about 15-30 minutes;
4. At the second laboratory stage, the technician creates a wax model of future jaws with artificial teeth mounted on it;
5. At the third clinical stage, the orthopedist tries on the wax structure in the patient's oral cavity;
6. At the third (last) laboratory stage, an acrylic prosthesis is made, as a rule, it is cast. Then the structure is ground and polished;
7. After the finished products are transferred from the laboratory, the orthopedic dentist gives the prosthesis to the patient: fits and corrects them according to the situation. In this case, the shade of artificial teeth corresponds to the Vita color scale (color table) agreed upon with the patient at the clinical stages of treatment.

 

Basic rules for the care of acrylic dentures

Most people today know how to properly care for their teeth: rinse every time after eating and brush in the morning and before going to bed with a toothpaste brush. Despite the fact that acrylic plastic is an artificial material and, it would seem, bacteria “too tough”, in reality, care for an acrylic prosthesis should be no less carefully than for native teeth. All principles of care remain unchanged: rinse your mouth after eating and brush your denture with a toothbrush and paste.

On a note

Just do not use a whitening toothpaste - such pastes are characterized by increased abrasiveness, and you do not want to quickly grind off plastic?

If it is impossible to clean the prosthesis by rinsing the oral cavity, you can rinse the structure under running water after eating. In addition, there are special solutions for additional hygiene of the prosthesis and maintaining it in good condition.

Do not forget that any problems associated with discomfort after receiving the prosthesis require monitoring by a doctor. It does not matter when they appeared: the next day or after a few months. A mandatory recommendation is to visit the orthopedist once every 6 months for monitoring and the possible “correction” of the basis or retaining elements of the prosthesis.

Feedback

“I have been wearing an acrylic prosthesis for 3 years and I can say that it’s both convenient and affordable. And if you put implants, as the doctor counted, then I would have to sell the car, or at least a kidney. Removed easily, cleaned without any problems. I brush it with an ordinary toothbrush. The prosthesis does not rub the gums and sits in the mouth like a glove. In short, while I have no complaints. Let's hope that the prosthesis will last a long time. ”

Ivan, Yekaterinburg

 

Is it possible to repair the prosthesis yourself?

If an acrylic prosthesis is accidentally dropped during a hygiene procedure into a sink or on the floor, or if its individual zones are overloaded while chewing food, a crack may form in the base or even a structural fracture may occur.

DIY repair of a removable acrylic denture is not possible in all cases. For example, if a clasp (hook) of a structure has broken, then a person without special skills is unlikely to be able to replace it.

The main mistake of especially "advanced" people is an attempt to glue the fragments of the prosthesis with the first adhesives that came to hand: epoxy glue, "Moment", sometimes even try to use PVA. Often, this independent initiative leads to undesirable consequences due to the toxic effect of the substances contained in the adhesive, which, with prolonged contact with the oral mucosa, can cause dermatitis and eczema (especially with the wrong ratio of hardener and epoxy).

Here are some nuances that are useful to consider if you suddenly decide to fix the denture yourself:

• When using PVA, the adhesive joint under the influence of moisture can become soft - accordingly, the glued halves again quickly disperse;
• Rubber glues do not even try to glue the acrylic prosthesis. The glued seam should not be elastic but stiff (in the case of nylon prostheses, the situation can be exactly the opposite);
• When using an excessive amount of hardener with respect to epoxy resin, there is a risk of severe irritation of the gums with alkaline amines that are part of the hardener;
• In some cases, super-glue (cyanoacrylate) may be suitable for temporary repair of an acrylic prosthesis - for example, if you have made an appointment with a dental technician for repair, but you need to wait a few more days and don’t want to go “without teeth”. Well, in this case, with competent and accurate work, repairing the prosthesis with super glue may turn out to be a more promising and safe undertaking than trying to use other types of adhesives (of course, it is important to follow the instructions for using super glue).However, it must be borne in mind that in this case, the adhesive joint will gradually lose strength due to the constant action of moisture.

On a note

Some craftsmen sometimes also try to solder a broken acrylic denture at home. As a rule, such attempts fail, even if polymethyl methacrylate is used as a kind of hot-melt adhesive.

As for the correction of the prosthesis, for example, in relation to too tight or, conversely, a free clasp, it is also better to contact a dental technician with this. If you decide at your own risk and repair the denture at home - in this case, you can use pliers. Doing this is as careful as possible with constant fitting of the prosthesis so as not to accidentally break off the hook.

The same applies to the correction of the basis of the prosthesis if it rubs the mucous membrane. If you are not sure that you can polish it with high-quality nail files or sandpaper, then it’s better not to start at all. The risk of permanently damaging the prosthesis during the DIY repair is very high, therefore, for maximum results, it is preferable to adjust removable structures at the orthopedic dentist.

 

A few words about the cost of acrylic dentures

The cost of an acrylic prosthesis largely depends on the materials used for its manufacture, as well as on the extent of the defect of the dentition.

For example, at the request of the client, acrylic plastics of Russian, Czech and even Japanese manufacturers can be used to make the basis. Accordingly, the price of the finished product can vary significantly, sometimes varying at times.

The price of an acrylic prosthesis is also formed according to the method of fixing it to the abutment teeth. Acrylic prostheses with a small number of artificial teeth can be relatively inexpensive, but it is important to remember that in addition to removable structures, crowns for abutments can also be made, which is charged separately for each crown unit.

In general, the cost of removable acrylic dentures for the entire jaw (upper or lower) usually ranges from 5 thousand rubles to 15-20 thousand, depending on the level of the clinic, the quality of the plastic for the bases, the purchase price of tooth sets and some other factors.

 

Useful video about corns in the oral cavity caused by an acrylic prosthesis

 

How to fully live and care for a removable denture