Look, we get it: Removable prosthetics is probably not your favorite type of prosthetic, but for millions of Americans, access to affordable full and partial arch removable prosthetics is a necessity. Unfortunately, as you well know, many of those same patients have a need or desire to have the lowest cost option to replace those teeth.
Everything has a cost, and everything has a value. When discussing removable prosthetics with your patient it’s necessary to educate them on the value as much as giving them a price. Probably the biggest contributor to the long term value of dentures and partials is the aspect that is given the least thought: the denture acrylic.
Denture acrylics come in a wide variety of types. Most commonly these can be separated in to a few distinct categories:
- Cold or “Bench” cure acrylics: most likely found in “budget” denture operations
- Traditional Heat Cure: “dough packed” style dentures, hand mixed acrylic, and cured with heat under pressure
- Injection Acrylics: Heat cure acrylics processed under extremely high pressure to reduce porosity
Fig 1: Comparison of Denture Acrylic Porosity
In our lab, the only time “cold cure” acrylics are used in our lab is for basic repairs, and even then they are matched with the original acrylic manufacturer as best as possible. For example, our Ivocap Denture Processing acrylic has a matching “cold” version that is used to repair anything that might have been done by us in that system.
The problem that most often fails to get addressed in talking to patients about dentures is the long term viability of their prosthetic. While getting a budget denture might get you a lower cost option, we’ve all seen those same patients come back later with dirty, smelly, and discolored prosthetics. This has to do with the acrylic porosity (Fig 1). Lower quality dentures and partials created with these products and techniques leave more space for bacteria and staining, and therefore deliver a tremendously lower value to the patient.
To help with patient education, RDL has created a pamphlet for your office explaining the difference between “budget” dentures and those your office produces with us. For more information, or to order a pack for your operatories, please call 1.877.714.6595 today.
