INTERNET GEMS

Replacing O-ring Tip:

Pulled from DentalTown courtesy of http://www.strobeldentistry.com

Removing the old one with an explorer is the easy part. Placing the new one can be tricky. I have found that if I place an amalgam condenser in the middle to hold it in place and the us a second condenser to tuck the o-ring into place.. P.S. Now don’t you regret throwing out all your amalgam instruments😃

Converting tissue conditioner to a functional impression

Snagged from www.Dentaltown.com :

“This was something I learned many years ago in a class at a convention. Use the tissue conditioner as a functional impression for a couple of days. If you want to make it an even better impression, you can use Jelenko Adaptol after the functional impression. Melt some of the adaptol, dilute it with a few drops of mineral oil, paint a thin layer on the reline, dip it in hot water to keep it softened, place back in the mouth and have the patient go through motions. The diluted adaptol will fill in the porosity of the tissue conditioner and mold to the tissues.”

Fitting dentures

From Linc snagged on www.Dentaltown.com :

This is the order I go through when adjusting.
1.  Fit: Do not ever adjust the base of a denture unless you are sure that it is a fit issue.  To test fit, apply pressure indicating paste.  You want to have brush lines in the paste.  Now carefully insert and press down with finger pressure only. The reason for this is if the teeth touch, and the bite is off, the denture will move sideways and appear to be hitting on the side of the ridge.

Now, if you cannot find a pressure spot that correlates with the sort spot, it is likely not a fit issue, but a bite issue.

2.  Flanges: If flanges are too long, it will cause ulceration of the mobile tissues of the cheeks, tongue and lip.  It will also dislodge the denture or make it loose.  To test a flange of a lower denture, place it in the mouth, and hold the lower lip away with the fingers.  Now ask the patient to lift their tongue.  If the denture lifts, the flanges are too long.

To find where the flange is long, place very thick layer of pressure indicating paste just on the edge of the flange.  Put in the mouth, and ask the patient to lift tongue (but not poke out).  Now you will see where there tissue pushes against the flange.  Adjust these areas repeatedly until the denture doesn’t lift with movement.  The worst muscle is a very powerful mentalis muscle.  These can sometimes only be overcome with implants.

3.  Bite: By far and away the most common problem with dentures.  If all the teeth do not hit evenly and solidly at the same time, the denture will dislodge, usually to one side or the other.  If you do not hear one solid thunk as the teeth hit, the bite is off.

A denture that is moving will cause most of the ulcerations our patients experience.  If a denture is moving left, it will likely cause an ulcer on the right side of a ridge.  Adjusting the base will not make any difference except to move the ulcer slightly further forward or back on the ridge.

Unfortunately there is no alternative except for taking a lot of time to adjust bites.