235 North Northwest Highway
Palatine, IL 60067
Estrella Dental
247 Dundee Ave
Elgin, IL, 60120
(847) 488-1100
Peacock Dental Assoc Ltd
320 N Mclean Blvd
Elgin, IL, 60123-3220
Jon D Nickelsen Dentistry
523 N Mclean Blvd
Elgin, IL, 60123-3269
Quesea, Meliza C D.D.S.
370 Summit St
Elgin, IL, 60120-3843
A soft denture liner is placed in the part of a denture base that contacts tissues. This provides comfort for those persons experiencing considerable pain while wearing a denture that has a hard plastic interface (the inside of the denture).
These individuals may have a low threshold for pain, and/or the gum tissue that overlays jawbone is usually thinner than normal and does not resist pressure well. When such tissue is compressed between hard jawbone and hard denture plastic, pain is easily elicited. Replacing one of these hard interfaces with a soft denture liner helps eliminate or reduce this painful tissue compression.
Denture liners are usually fabricated from special medical grade rubber or silicone-type compounds. The silicone materials are generally more compressible and, consequently, softer.
In order for these materials to function adequately, they must be reasonably thick. Therefore, the amount of plastic that needs to be removed from the inside of a denture to allow room for these liners may weaken some dentures. In those cases, it becomes necessary to incorporate a reinforcing metal framework within the body of certain dentures. There are several steps involved in installing a soft denture liner, such as impressions and various laboratory procedures.
Soft denture liners tend to continually harden, though a patient may not be aware of this happening because the process is gradual. However, they eventually will begin to have increasing problems until a new soft denture liner is placed.
Denture liners are porous in nature, which accounts for why they are soft. However, this porosity contributes to their deterioration and collection of microorganisms.
If a soft denture liner becomes contaminated with disease-causing microorganisms (a fungus for example), it may not be possible to decontaminate the denture without having to replace the denture liner.
Persons with dry mouth usually have difficulty wearing dentures due to pain and irritation caused by the hard denture surface rubbing against underlying tissues that are not lubricated with adequate saliva. While soft denture liners would appear to be ideal for such individuals, they are generally much more difficult to maintain. Because impaired saliva production allows a very significant collection of microorganisms to buildup in the mouth, this usually results in unacceptable contamination of porous soft denture liners unless meticulous oral hygiene is maintained.
While denture liners generally will last longer than a year, they should be replaced on an annual basis or sooner. The frequency of replacement depends on each situation and the patient's oral hygiene.
by Joseph J. Massad, D.D.S.
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
A metal-based denture is one in which a portion of the denture body is made of a substantial metal casting rather than all plastic (acrylic resin). This procedure is usually done on the lower denture.
There are two types of metal-based dentures.
The metal base portion of the denture is in direct contact with underlying supporting tissues.
The base is fabricated from a special medical grade alloy that is hypoallergenic and very biocompatible with tissues. Generally, tissues in contact with this type of material are very healthy in appearance.
The metal base portion of the denture is not in direct contact with underlying supporting tissues. A soft or hard plastic liner may be interposed between the metal and supporting tissues.
A soft liner is generally preferred to hard plastic since it is more comfortable to wear; however, the soft liner usually should be replaced on an annual basis.
Sometimes it is necessary to construct a very narrow denture in order to avoid any structures that would loosen the prosthesis, such as muscles flexing, and so forth. In addition, necessary surgical procedures to reposition a muscle attachment (called a frenum) can sometimes be avoided with these narrow type dentures.
However, such narrow dentures are weak and tend to break quite easily when fabricated just from plastic. A metal base provides the needed strength to design a very narrow denture in order to follow the confines of a patient's lower resorbed alveolar ridge (the remaining bony ridge). In addition, the metal base provides long-term dimensional stability and strength that is not enjoyed with an all-plastic denture base.
The added weight of the metal base provides a more natural perception for many patients. Many patients prefer the additional weight on the lower jaw.
A private study measured the actual weight of cadaver jaw ridges and teeth that would normally be lost after the extraction of teeth and associated natural shrinkage of the jawbones. It was found that the weight of these tissues closely approximated the weight of a metal base. Therefore, it is likely that the more natural feeling perceived by persons wearing metal-based dentures is probably real rather than imagined.
The additional weight of a metal base also contributes to lower denture stability by causing the denture to settle down onto a jaw ridge.
by Joseph J. Massad, D.D.S.
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
