Creating Complete Dentures that are Stable in Function

From Volume 35, Issue 4, May 2008 | Pages 259-267

Authors

Brendan JJ Scott

BDS, BSc, FDS, PhD

Senior Lecturer/Consultant in Restorative Dentistry, Park Place, Dundee DD1 4HN

Articles by Brendan JJ Scott

Romana V Hunter

BDS, MDSc

Clinical Lecturer, Unit of Restorative Dental Care and Clinical Dental Sciences, Dundee Dental Hospital and School, Park Place, Dundee DD1 4HN

Articles by Romana V Hunter

Abstract

Many edentulous people can experience difficulty in carrying out functional activities when wearing complete dentures. This may be due to a number of factors, one of which is the ability to control the dentures effectively during mastication and speech. For this reason, it is critical when constructing complete dentures to incorporate features in their design which will aid stability in function. Usually, the challenges are greater in constructing a prosthesis to replace the missing mandibular teeth. It is recognized that the use of osseointegrated implants offers considerable advantages for people who have to wear complete dentures, and the contribution of implantology to the provision of stable complete dentures will be explored. However, many people will not have the opportunity to experience the benefits of this approach. Furthermore, for people who need to wear conventional dentures, age and other factors may impact on their ability to control the prostheses effectively during oral function. In this paper, the ways in which design features may impact on the stability of complete dentures will be discussed.

Article