The Fulcrum Effect

When it comes to dentures there are always a lot of specifics to consider when something goes awry. Unlike with crowns, the patient is actively involved with the care and daily operation of the appliance. Just the other day, one of my clients sent us a denture with a hairline fracture in the palate to repair. I’m sure the patient felt that something like this shouldn’t be happening with a denture that is less than a year old. I was asked if I thought a metal mesh would be needed to give the denture more strength. Even though this sounds like a reasonable idea and might be suitable in some cases, I suggested otherwise.

In most cases like this, there are changes in the patient’s tissue. Someone who never wore an appliance before, especially if they had teeth extracted, will most likely continue to have resorption. The tissue has been under a new type of stress for a year. When I first got into the Dental Industry one of my mentors told me this. “When you buy a pair of shoes, you really don’t break them in, they break you in.”

Without the patient being aware, the denture had loosened over time. This can eventually cause a fulcrum effect resulting in fracture.

Ultimately, my suggestion for the doctor was to take a to take a light body impression inside the denture and we would reline and repair at the same time. Now the fit would be better and strength is restored.

Ned LaMarti CDT, Yola Dental Labs