Issue 49.09
Have you ever looked at someone and said “That sure looks like a denture smile?” When people lose teeth and get them replaced with false teeth it happens in stages. The back teeth are lost first. Partial dentures are made to fit the opposing teeth. With time, other teeth are lost and so the partial denture is added to, or an upper denture is placed and the natural teeth are removed. In the process of all these changes the proper relationship of the top teeth to the bottom teeth is lost and this is when the “denture look” creeps in. There are certain harmonious relationships and curves to the dental arch that need to be considered.
Patients often say their upper denture fits well and want me to make a lower denture and place the mini implants I’m known for, to hold it in better. Sometimes I can, but often I need to tell them no. In order for their dentures to work well I need to correct their bite and have it balanced carefully to accommodate implants. The smile line, length, and color of teeth are important. The fullness of the lip, the midline of the smile, and many more things all contribute to either a natural looking smile or the “denture look.” To make only one denture to relate to a poorly constructed old opposing denture just insures that the old mistakes will be passed on to the new denture. As ridges resorbe the vertical dimension (the distance between the dental arches) collapses and the denture wearer over closes and again, the dreaded “denture look” appears.
In my office, I take great care to insure that a natural and balanced set of dentures is the final result. See my ad for an example of a natural look vs. the “denture look.”
Phillip Hall is a practicing general dentist in St. George. He is also head of the St. George Craniofacial Treatment Center, and operates St. George Dental Careers, a successful dental assisting school. Appointments for general dentistry or dentures call 656-1111. For sleep apnea appliances or TMJ problems call 634-8338.