Opinions on most dense, greatest longevity, minimally wearing denture tooth?

[denturist-student]

To my thinking, the harder the tooth....ei abrasion resistance the harder it is on the bone. I have seen long term cases where the bone is flat flat flat because of porcelain teeth. So it is not just about wear factor....Insurance companies will often replace dentures greater than five years old and plastic teeth are far less damaging on the tissues...So it is a long term affect we need to care about for patients....For my practice I usually prescribe a soft liner on the lower to help stave off the damage done by hard teeth....People like the notion of having teeth last a long time but at the cost of bone??? We cannot just simply provide them with the latest and most abrasive resistant teeth...Your thoughts?

 

[JMN]

To my thinking, the harder the tooth....ei abrasion resistance the harder it is on the bone. I have seen long term cases where the bone is flat flat flat because of porcelain teeth. So it is not just about wear factor....Insurance companies will often replace dentures greater than five years old and plastic teeth are far less damaging on the tissues...So it is a long term affect we need to care about for patients....For my practice I usually prescribe a soft liner on the lower to help stave off the damage done by hard teeth....People like the notion of having teeth last a long time but at the cost of bone??? We cannot just simply provide them with the latest and most abrasive resistant teeth...Your thoughts?

Very interesting point. I've taken issue with the flexible partial market for similar reasons. They don't transfer force to structures intended to take that force, but upon the bone causing premature resorption to occur and make the rest of the pt's denture wearing life difficult when those abutment teeth leave.

 

[Denture Dude]

Very interesting point. I've taken issue with the flexible partial market for similar reasons. They don't transfer force to structures intended to take that force, but upon the bone causing premature resorption to occur and make the rest of the pt's denture wearing life difficult when those abutment teeth leave.

When I took the ValPlast course in NY they loved to say that 'our appliances arent tissue/bone destroyers rather theyre tissue bone 'massagers'.' I wonder how the flexible market is as of late? They were pretty hot for awhile but Ive been told the demand has really diminished.

 

[JMN]

When I took the ValPlast course in NY they loved to say that 'our appliances arent tissue/bone destroyers rather theyre tissue bone 'massagers'.' I wonder how the flexible market is as of late? They were pretty hot for awhile but Ive been told the demand has really diminished.

Still lots of them out there, adding to them weekly at least. I know one office that would do 5-10/month if I'd make them.

The opposite view is that they leave the teeth as long as possible instead of transferring an ultimately overloading force which will require the tooth to be extracted sooner than later.

 

[JKraver]

Still lots of them out there, adding to them weekly at least. I know one office that would do 5-10/month if I'd make them.

The opposite view is that they leave the teeth as long as possible instead of transferring an ultimately overloading force which will require the tooth to be extracted sooner than later.

Not to mention they are making room for us to work with all that tissue massaging action.

 

[TheLabGuy]

When I took the ValPlast course in NY they loved to say that 'our appliances arent tissue/bone destroyers rather theyre tissue bone 'massagers'.' I wonder how the flexible market is as of late? They were pretty hot for awhile but Ive been told the demand has really diminished.

It's been a great market for us. As I've mentioned before, the patient compliance on a mandible flexible vs. a mandible metal RPD is no comparison. As for resorption, I know the Flexible folks use Wolff's Law in discussing resorption, where you will have actually less resorption because you are stimulating the bone with a flexible. I'm sure their is some research out there, but I don't know of any off hand.

 

[JKraver]

It's been a great market for us. As I've mentioned before, the patient compliance on a mandible flexible vs. a mandible metal RPD is no comparison. As for resorption, I know the Flexible folks use Wolff's Law in discussing resorption, where you will have actually less resorption because you are stimulating the bone with a flexible. I'm sure their is some research out there, but I don't know of any off hand.

Different patients at different ages react differently I am sure. So both sides could be right. Everything we do is custom, for custom situations, and custom people.