Nobody wants to wear full dentures, but it is sometimes unavoidable. Dentures may create some problems, such as pain or difficulty chewing hard food. Choosing the right type of dentures is necessary in order to be able to chew hard food.
There are two main categories of dentures: partial dentures, which require some teeth, and full dentures, for when all the teeth are gone. Within these categories, various types of dentures are available in different materials.
Attachment denture
An attachment denture is a partial denture with a plug-in clasp. It provides perfect hold and improves appearance.
Flexite denture
A flexite denture is made of elastic nylon resin, which is more flexible than a regular plastic denture. Because the flexite denture base is fixed to the gum and can be thin, no clasp is needed and the denture is comfortable to wear.
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Titanium partial denture
Titanium is thin, lightweight, and the most biocompatible metal available for dental castings. It is also comfortable to wear.
It has been common to use a metal clasp, but often its metal bands are visible and visually unappealing (Photograph 1). Even though other teeth were treated with white fillings, the metal bands drew attention to the partial denture.
The second photograph shows the white clasp denture in replace. The white clasp dentures have a thermo-plastic acetyl resin band, which blends in with the teeth much better than the metal band.
Denture magnet
When some tooth roots still exist, a magnet is implanted to increase the retention of dentures. This is especially effective for a lower full denture, which does not have anything to hold down otherwise.
Metal base denture
Metal base denture has a metal palate replacing the plastic base. Because the metal can define gum lines more precisely, it fits and holds better than a plastic base. No denture adhesive gel is needed. The only difference between the plastic and metal base dentures is the base part.
The first photograph shows the lower teeth of a patient who complained about the unfitted partial denture after the denture had been repaired and adjusted many times. We found that the tooth that used to fasten with a clasp had become smaller. Accordingly the clasp shifted when biting.
We treated all of the lower teeth using crowns and attachment dentures. Because the attachment dentures are stable, the patient gets a perfect bite.
