Patient Resources
Our philosophy in delivering synergistic results, stems from the foundational techniques & protocols we strictly adhere to, as well as educating the public to becoming skillful & knowedgable Denture wearers.
The Past, The Present & The Future
Over the course of past history, the world of Prosthetics have advanced drastically. Technological innovation has pushed the map forward for greater capabilities. In 1961, the historic & infamous iron prosthetic arm was worn by Gotz Von Birlichingen. Furthermore, one of the oldest ever known prosthetic devices for the human body dates back more than 25 centuries of artificial toes from Ancient Egypt constructed from leather & wood.
Dentures have existed as far back as 700BC, using ivory, animal teeth & human teeth. It is without a doubt the Dentures constructed in the anicent times would merely serve its purpose of being able to speak, let alone eating with them. In spite of this, Dentures were worn by individuals of wealth, power & status. In fact, the founding father
& the First ever United States President George Washington wore Dentures. Dentures have evolved progressively over time as better matierals and manufacturing methods are refined & improved upon.
In spite of this, the main purpose of Human Prosthetics have always stayed the same. That is, to restore the function of the missing anatomy, mimicking the aesthetics & to improve the overall quality of life.
As the former 3 michelin star Marco Pierre White would say, “this is a world of refinement not invention”. With technology becoming over-so advanced, There is a wide array of methods to
make Dentures. The most recent advancements have been in the field of Artificial Intelligence, 3D Printing & Digital Interface. Once upon a time, all Dentures were all meticulously hand-crafted with basic materials. Nowadays, despite the existence of high-quality materials, many Dental Practices choose to provide cheaper & least labor intensive alternatives. Some Dental practices provide Dentures to patients that follow a 100% digital workflow in which the Dentures are constructed by machines from start to finish without the
need for hand-craftsmanship.
At Urim Denture Clinic, we believe that it is important to utilize the best resources available, whilst maintaining a quality-controlled workflow to deliver the best possible outcome of well-fitting,
comfortable and aesthetic dentures.
We believe the best outcomes are achieved through the understanding that each & every individual is unique and so as their teeth. Our aim is to provide Dentures that match the patients natural characteristic to achieve harmony .
In this day & age, despite the great resources & materials we have for all types of prostheses, the ultimate development lies in the field of biological regeneration. Like how a lizard can regrow their tails, the future is hopeful in which body parts can regenerate back to its original biological form.
No Teeth? No Smile. Simple as that.
Since the earliest stages of prosthetic innovation & development, whether it be a prosthetic arm, prosthetic leg, prosthetic nose, prosthetic toes. Just like any type of human prostheses, Dentures are no different. That is, to blend in and to look as real, natural and life-like as possible. To make Dentures work in harmony, it is important the Dentures are crafted using the correct colouring, shaping & positioning of teeth. No teeth? No Smile. it's as simple as that.
During the process of making your Dentures, we make sure you are 100% satisfied with how your dentures look. To make this process easier, we provide a dress-researsal on how you want your dentures to look before it becomes a denture. We will not proceed with making your dentures untiil you are fully satisfied in what is called the “try-in” stage in which the teeth are set in wax, so that if you do want the coloring, shape, size or position changed, it can still be altered and changed to the exact way you want it to look. Using our innovative acrylic injection system, we can then finish the Denture, turning the Pink wax into Acrylic of exact one-to-one copy without any changes to the denture teeth.
When you have one tooth missing or several teeth missing, our aim is to blend the colour and aesthetics of denture teeth to your natural teeth to look as natural and life-like as possible. When selecting the colouring of the teeth, we follow a rigorous clinical procedure, using tooth shade tabs and photography. Tooth shade tabs are a useful tool as a starting point for choosing the right colour. The colouring is decided by a patient-clinician interaction during a clinical appointment.
Functional Dentures
A Denture is only as good as its functional capabilities. We are constantly seeking to use the best materials, best
techniques & best equipment on the market. There are various methods in which Dentures are made. Despite the abundance of advanced Denture-manufacturing methods on the market, the great majority of Denture makers use the old-fashioned flask, hammer & clamp technique (looks like something that belongs in the garden shed).
The great majority use this "Denture Flask Processing" conventional technique, simply because it is an equipment of low cost, also perhaps because it is the only technique currently taught in Dental Technology School. Some of the issues surrounding this method are:
- Acrylic shrinkage/warpage (Leading to ill-fitting & unstable dentures, as well as moved teeth from original position)
- Possible Demarkation Lines (Requires repairing & sometimes reprocessing)
- Inconsistent Results (The hardness & curing of the acrylic changes, depending on when the flask is removed from the water bath)
- Majority of Acrylic colours are "bright pink", causing an artificial look when the Denture gums are visible
- Low strength of Acrylic, leading to greater risk of Denture fractures.
When we process our Dentures at Urim Denture Clinic, we use the Acrylic Injection System by Ivoclar Vivadent. Some of the major advantages of using this system is as follows:
- Exact 1:1 copy from wax stage during the "try-in / rehearsal" stage to your final dentures (i.e. no change in dimensions)
- High-impact Acrylic (Greater strength & stability, reducing the risk of your Denture breaking or fracturing)
- Consistent & Reliable Procedures due to Highly Accurate Technology
One of the great advantages of using the Ivobase Injection System is its highly accurate and dimensionally stable properties. This means your dentures will have a greater and more comfortable fit compared to using the standard methods.
The Shape of a Denture
One of the most frequent age-old questions about Dentures, "Why do Dentures have to be so thick & bulky?". It is a very fair question. By and large, many dental practices provide Dentures that are much thicker & bulkier than they need to be. In saying this, we provide Dentures that are as comfortable and spacious in the mouth as possible, without compromising the overall strength of the Denture. Too thick and you'll feel like having a golf ball in your mouth. Too thin and you'll be calling the Dental Clinic with a Denture snapped in half. Like in all aspects of life, Balance is the Everything.
Many patients who still have a few teeth remaining and want a denture to fill in the areas of missing teeth, the large majority decide to get a plastic denture over a chrome-cobalt (metal) framework partial denture to resort to the cheaper option. However to their upset, much of the complaints with such plastic dentures so it feels very bulky making it difficult to speak properly, breaks easily and food easily gets trapped under there while eating. By investing in a cobalt-chrome denture, you get a much thinner Denture that will not only feel much less bulky, it is much stronger, durable & long-lasting. Another benefit with Chrome Dentures is that if you lose more of your real teeth in the future, the Denture can be laser-welded to add more teeth with supported metal strength.
A well-fitting Denture starts from the initial clinical stages. The final impression taking should involve a "border-moulding" stage in which the Clinician asks their Patient to do certain movements with the mouth to "activate" the correct muscles to ultimately shape the borders of the Dentures. As many clinicians don't take a "border-moulded" final impression, it results in an "over-extended" impression, ultimately leading to the Denture becoming much bulkier than it needs to be. This cause all sorts of problematic issues and a whole lot of additional appointments to try and fix the pain, failure and discomfort. At Urim Denture Clinic, we follow strict clinical procedures to make "functionally border-moulded" dentures.
Take for example our Complete Lower Dentures. A "border-moulded" Denture is less bulky and a lot more stable in the mouth.
One of the major challenges many Dental Clinic's face, is providing a Denture that is just as well fitting as it was during the
initial clinical appointment stages. At Urim Denture Clinic, your Dentures are all made locally and constructed by our in-house Dental Technicians at Urim Denture Studio, to make sure everything from start to finish is quality controlled,
checked & monitored.
Taste Better with Complete Upper Dentures
Apart from the difficulty of coping with wearing Complete Dentures, one of the major challenges people face is the lack of taste. It is much more difficult to chew and break down food with Dentures, restricting the ability to taste food.
One major anatomy the most dentures don't incorporate is the palatal rugae on the upper denture. By definition, the palatal rugae is a critical anatomical landmark in the oral cavity. It assists majorly by breaking, holding and mashing down food.
This anatomical landmark is not commonly used in Dentures because it requires more time and effort during the construction phase. At Urim Denture Clinic, we want our Dentures to feel as natural and as life-like as possible. Therefore we encourage all of our Full Upper Denture Patients to al least have a feel of it and give it a go during the "try-in" or "rehearsal" clinical appointment in wax.
Upper Complete Denture with Palatal Rugae:
Implant Dentures - Referral
The most challenging stages of getting used to wearing a new Denture, let alone wearing Dentures for the first time in your life, is the first few months. Wearing a new Denture requires resilience and patience. Most often than not, patients learn to adapt and tolerate wearing removable dentures over time.
Once a Patient decides to switch from Plastic to Cobalt-Chrome Dentures, it Is very easy to adapt, as it feels much more comfortable and durable in the mouth. When a Patient decides to switch from their worn-out loose fitting dentures to a Denture made by Urim Denture Clinic, it feels stable and comfortable. However it all comes down to how much one is willing to be able to learn to adapt and cope with Removable Dentures.
At the end of the day, Removable Dentures are not for everyone. If you are looking for alternatives that can assist in better functionality and strength without having to worry about the Dentures falling down or moving around as much, Implant Dentures may be the solution for you. Simply make a consultation appointment with us to discuss what the available options are, and how we can assist with finding the right solution for you.
