Weights in dentures ! Does anyone still use them ?

[VinnieCDT]

I have a Dr. that wants to add weight to his denture, back in the day we used Mallots metal which was basically lead . As a mater of fact I remember using fishing sinkers melted down ! haha Well we know that's not a good idea now so what do you use now ?

 

[AJEL]

I think the last one I did was in the 90's I used something called German Silver, It is a dead soft alloy for ortho practiceI just twisted them together & placed them in the lower, like a heavy bar. I have no MSDS sheet on it but I do have like 20lbs of the stuff (17g wire) if anyone wanted to practice their vending skills.

 

[dmonwaxa]

Tungsten, has a higher density than lead. Lead is 10gm/cc vs Tungsten 18.6 gm/cc.

 

[droberts]

Just finished one using chromium colbalt. 3mm wide/4mm height. Not as heavy as others, but had the VDO to work with.

 

[actittle]

What is the reason for adding weight to a denture?

 

[VinnieCDT]

As silly as it is , the patient feels they get better retention with the weight in a lower denture. The other weird thing we use to do is make U & L denture with bladed teeth. Yes , S shaped metal across the occlusion of the teeth for slicing their food . Could bits someone's finger off ! LOL

 

[JohnWilson]

In all the years I have been doing this I have never been asked to do this. Of course we have done it for reinforcement or have used magnets but not just to add weight to fight gravity.

Interesting

 

[dmonwaxa]

In all the years I have been doing this I have never been asked to do this. Of course we have done it for reinforcement or have used magnets but not just to add weight to fight gravity.

Interesting

John, my thoughts exactly; just wanted to offer another weighted option. Chuckle

 

[AJEL]

VinnieCDT Myerson still makes the blade teeth, porclain flat lower block with the metal on the upper, Havent done one of those in 15 years but still have 1 set of B62 block teeth in stock, right next to the anteriors with the gold edges .
Has anyone else done a spring denture set? I did 2 for the same guy in 1981. it's a stainless steel spring at the posterior to keep the denture open, I thought it was complicated then with a silicone soft liner spring and like almost flat ridges. I think I took slides on that.

 

[wilkscm]

Heavy weight increases resorption

 

[VinnieCDT]

Ajel, now I have never seen springs ! haha the crazy things we try haha

 

[CPLZ]

We used to make a pile of Vitallium denture bases, both upper and lower. Fit on them was unbelievable. The whole intaglio would be metal except the periphery. It wasn't uncommon to have the Docs occasionally ask us to double up on the weight of the lower.

 

[denturist-student]

I have the video called difficult dentures made easy by Dr. Thomas A. Shipmon, Sr., DDS, F.A.C.D. He uses one in this video as a last resort before prescribing implants on the lower.