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3 Things To Know About Digital Dentures

  • May 3, 2022
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3 Things To Know About Digital Dentures

Dentures have long been known in the oral health industry as one of the tried-and-tested solutions for teeth loss. Traditional dentures were the only way in the past. But, with advancements in technology, now there’s an upgraded version of those traditional dentures, aptly known as digital dentures.

As their name implies, digital dentures use software and other innovative materials, and are now available in family dentistry clinics and other types of dental clinics. Using the digital denture technique proves to be a more efficient and well-defined system, as it’s more able to accurately capture the occlusal plane and vertical dimension of the teeth, right from the very first appointment. A 3D scanner is used to have a clear impression of your gums and teeth, to come up with the right dentures.

If you need more information about them, this article gives a list of the three things to know about digital dentures.

  1. Digital Denture Creation Is Heavily-Reliant On Data And A Design Software

Digital dentures are both precise and functional. For this to happen, the making of digital dentures then depends on a very important thing: data. This is what the design software uses and reads through to come up with accurate dentures.

Modern dental equipment for dentures and monitor

First, the workflow starts with the registration of the patient’s situation. Clinical tools are used to come up with an impression, so as to optimize the overall data collection, which may include customs records. The information gathered during that process is then transferred to the design software. 

Some of the software used by dentists are:

  • Centric Tray, which is responsible for the first step of pre-registration. This is what the dentist uses to determine the position of the occlusal plane, in relation to the bipupillary line and camper’s plane/
  • Digital Denture Professional Design Software, which receives the information coming from the centric tray
  • Gnathometer CAD, also known as the support pin registration device, which determines the individual jaw position. This is what’s responsible for making the denture design patient-specific. 
  1. Digital Dentures’ Process Is A Stark Contrast To How Traditional Dentures Were Made

With the process described above, now you have to understand that dental dentures may essentially be the most precise and accurate choice, compared to traditional dentures. Here’s a comparison between both:

As for traditional dentures, the process is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Your dentist starts the process by taking a mold of your teeth and gums. Then, the dentures are shaped to ensure they’ll fit in your mouth well enough. Your prosthetic dentist has to continuously adjust and fit your dentures to be certain that no rubbing will occur.

With the digital process, the dental prosthetist uses engineering tools and a computer-aided design to come up with your dental implants and permanent dentures. It’s only when the 3D lab is done rendering your final dentures that you’ll come in for a second and final appointment.

  1. Digital Dentures Have So Many Benefits

Many dentists have now switched to using digital dentures mainly because of the substantial benefits they could provide to patients. Some of those benefits include:

  • Precise fit. The CAD computing technology used by dentists allows them to come up with dentures that are most accurate to the patient’s smile, bite, and teeth spacing.
  • Fewer appointments are required. While dental appointments are a must for good oral health, it may also be very time-consuming to have to deal with too many appointments. With traditional dentures, you need to make multiple appointments for the extraction, impression, fitting, and adjustments. With digital dentures, only two visits will be required. 
  • Durable. Digital dentures are very durable, so you’re certain you’ll have dentures that’ll last through so many years of use. Digital dentures are created using a high-quality acrylic material, processed under high heat and temperature for tremendous strength. 
  • Replacements can easily be given. Imagine the horror of waking up one day and realizing that you need to have new dentures. Traditional dentures may take longer to replace, whereas for digital dentures, the replacement can only take up to two days. 
  • Faster turnaround time. Traditional dentures take an average of a month to be completed. Digital dentures, on the other hand, will only take a maximum of two weeks.

Conclusion

In case you aren’t sure yet whether or not digital dentures are right for you, the insights above should be more than enough to help you make an informed choice. Of course, this isn’t to say that all the information above can already substitute a visit to your dentist. Whenever unsure and for whatever question you may have, it’s still the dentist’s opinion that matters the most. Moreover, be sure, too, that the dentist you’ll choose is no less than the best and most qualified one in your locality.

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