Alex Hupka has been answering questions from readers of local newspapers including The Richmond Review and The Richmond News for many years now. Over the years these questions have spanned a wide range of topics including: How Many Appointments are Required to Have Standard Dentures Made? How Often Do I Need to Reline My Dentures? How are Dentures affixed to Implants? If you have any questions on these or any other denture related topics feel free to give Alex a call, book a free consultation or email us with your questions. We’ll be happy to serve you!
Ask us a Question
We are happy to answer any oral health related questions.
How much does a consultation cost?
We provide a no-charge, no-obligation consultation for dentures. If you decide to proceed with treatment, then charges accrue.
How does a denture attach to implants?
Once implants have been implanted into your jawbone by a dental surgeon, the denture is clipped to the implants via precision attachments. This procedure occurs after an appropriate healing time has elapsed after the implant surgery. If you have any questions regarding this procedure feel free to give us a call!
How many appointments are required to have standard dentures made?
The usual number of appointments is six. A consultation (generally free) with a written treatment plan usually precedes any in mouth procedures. See a more detailed answer below.
Choosing a lighter color of tooth is an excellent way to improve self image. Artificial teeth are manufactured by many different companies from many different countries. Examples of high end manufactured artificial teeth are Vita (Germany), Bioform/Bioblend (USA), Integral (Germany), Ivoclar (Liechtenstein), Verident Polychrome Plus (Holland), Univac Porcelain (Holland) and Myerson Durablend Special (USA). Every company constructs artificial teeth with different amounts of enamel, which cause different amounts of light refraction and absorption. They also employ different hue ranges; e.g. reddish-brown, reddish yellow, grayish and reddish. When choosing a color you should try more than one manufacturer of tooth. An artificial tooth may look vital on one person, yet on another lifeless. The cause being the interior shape of a person’s mouth and the color of their gum-tissues determine how the light comes out of an artificial tooth. Each manufacturer’s product will react differently to these conditions. Using your first instincts on what looks good inside your mouth and under your lips, should be your guide, not marketing hype in choosing a new shade of tooth.
The usual number of appointments is six. A consultation (generally free) with a written treatment plan usually precedes any in mouth procedures.
1. Your first appointment is a full examination of your head, neck and oral cavity. First or preliminary impressions are also completed at this time.
2. Final impressions and first or preliminary bite record is taken.
3. A bite refinement is made, using an intra oral pin-tracer if possible to accurately duplicate the individual patients jaw movements and closure. Measurements of the face are also made to record anatomical landmarks.
4. A try-in of all the teeth set in a wax base is the objective of this appointment. This is an important appointment, because this is where you have a chance to be interactive with the denturist. You will be part of the process that determines how you will look for the next ten years of your life.
5. Your fifth appointment is the insertion of your new denture. This appointment is a fine tuning of the fitting surfaces for muscle movement associated with eating, swallowing and speaking. Home care instructions, a denture bath, a denture brush and sample cleaning agents are received.
6. Your final appointment is a follow-up appointment usually seventy two hours after insertion of your dentures. It is normal to have one to two more appointments after the follow-up appointment. Dentures settle in to your tissues. Thin spots of tissue under the dentures fitting surface may become sore and require a small adjustment of space to be made.
Advances in the construction of dentures, such as Cosmetic Precision Denture (CPD)© allow denturists the ability to precisely recreate a person’s jaw movements. Cosmetic Precision Dentures move in a natural motion specific to each person’s physiology. This is achieved using extensive measurements of the person’s jaw and face. Additional measurements assure a more precise function in relation to the movements of the jaw. Cosmetically, considerations such as skin tone, smile line (shape), eye-colour, hair colour and personality are all noted. Teeth are set to produce a pleasing smile, the results are second to none. Cosmetic precision dentures look better, fit better, and provide excellent chewing efficiency. Cosmetic precision dentures are also well suited for the easy addition of implant retainers. Modern denture wearers can feel confident with their smiles. Advances in engineering of artificial teeth and polymer tissue colour denture base acrylics have never been better. High pressure Success Injection™ is just one example of ensuring optimal fit to the gums. Of course with better function and fit, comes better health.
Denturism/denture technology is a combination of art and science. The artistic portion of denturism involves the elaborate carving and colorization of gum tissues. Colorization or tissue toning of the acrylic gum tissues to represent healthy vibrant tissue is the objective of the denturist. The carving portion of gum tissues requires accurate representation of root structures in order to provide vital lip support as well as realism. Tissue toning combined with root carving provides youthful appearance and vitality. The viewer, from conversation distance, finds artificial tissues indiscernible from real tissues and the wearer has physiological reassurance that their secret is safe.
An economical way to clean your denture is with liquid hand soap and a stiff denture brush. Overnight soaking agents such as Efferdent or Polident are an excellent way to fight bacterial build up if used on a nightly basis. Professional strength cleaners such as Denture Brite, Novus, and Renew are made to remove heavy staining (red wine, coffee and tea to name a few) and calculus build-up that regular soaking agents have trouble removing. Professional mechanical cleaning can be performed by a dental professional for a reasonable fee. Keeping a denture clean is important for the health of your oral tissues. Keep in mind that your mouth is connected to the rest of your body and having healthy, light pink (in colour), and firm tissues present is what everyone’s goal should be.
When a person has worn dentures for as many years as you have without relining regularly (every two to three years), paths and facets are worn into the tops (occlusals) of the artificial teeth. These paths and facets are created from chewing. The extenuating circumstances however are that the paths and facets were created when the bases were not fitting as positively as they could have been. The resulting fact becomes that your chewing paths and facets work well when your dentures are in there current loose state, but once relined they create sharp forces that transmit onto the tissue surfaces, causing numerous and endless sore spots. This situation can be avoided by regular relining when looseness is first noticed or you begin having sore spots on the outside borders of your dentures. Sore spots in these places are an indicator that you have lost height on your gum tissues.
BPS is the brand name of a denture system produced by Ivoclar. BPS precision dentures are constructed using Ivoclar teeth and a UTS face-bow registration. Then the denture(s) are articulated (placed on) on the Stratos 2000 articulator (machine used in replicating jaw movements). It is processed (turned into plastic) via a continuous acrylic injection processing system called Ivocap. The system produces a precision fitting denture with consistent high quality results. The Denturist Association of British Columbia lists in their fee guide a precision equilibrated denture, which duplicates many of the techniques involved in the BPS system. The difference between the two can be the specific materials and or processing systems. I offer patients the option of processing precision equilibrated dentures using the Ivocap injection system for optimum fit. A certificate of authenticity always accompanies the denture(s) for verification of the completed Ivocap injection process. Both the BPS and the precision equilibrated system use a face-bow measurement to locate you upper jaw in relation to your TMJ (jaw joint). This measurement transfers to an articulator used to construct your denture. The machine is capable of replicating your specific jaw movements so the dentures work to an optimum level for you. You and your denturist can determine the brand and shade of teeth in the precision equilibrated system based on your skin tones and eye color. A high quality naturally appearing tooth with excellent wear resistance is of utmost importance when making this decision. For more information on this subject or any other denture related matter feel free to contact us.
Other anatomical landmarks that may be used for aligning teeth are, the small undulating subtleties of lower lip’s semicircle smile line. The lower lip is shaped early on in our development from the action of the upper teeth as it passes along its surface during eating or simply the act of wetting your lips. Tooth arrangement is customized to follow the subtleties of the lip’s undulations. Form is function and function is form. The human body adheres extremely well to this. Another landmark is the long axis of your skull, if you drew a line down the middle of your skull the centerline that is created should pass through the center of your two upper central teeth. Your eyes are also used to determine the angle of your teeth. When you draw a horizontal connecting line through your eyes (called the bipapillary line), the edges of your teeth should match this line horizontally. The term “eye teeth” comes from the fact that your cuspids should point at your eyes. The color of your eyes and skin also help in choosing a harmonious color of tooth shade. The shape of your skull is a determinant in choosing the shape of your teeth. For example: there are round face shapes, square, tapering, round square tapering, square tapering, and round tapering face shapes. All these face shapes have corresponding tooth shapes. Choosing a correct tooth shape increases the natural appearance of the tooth arrangement. Your side profile should also be in harmony with your teeth arrangement. Take the time to allow your denturist to educate you on these important points.