What materials are dentures made of

In our daily life, many people will install dentures to repair problems with their teeth, but we all know that dentures also have a certain service life and are made of different materials. Many people hope that installing dentures will no longer cause pain to the oral cavity, but when installing dentures, we must choose different materials according to our own tooth conditions and the location of the missing teeth. Let's take a look at what materials dentures are made of.

What materials are dentures made of?

The materials for fixing dentures can be divided into three types: non-metallic materials (plastics), metal materials and porcelain materials.

Non-metallic materials (plastics) include general plastics and ceramic-like plastics. Its advantages are beautiful colors and simple and quick production. The disadvantages are poor wear resistance, color and luster are not as good as porcelain teeth, and the plastic may age and change color and properties after wearing for a long time.

Metal materials have good wear resistance and fit well with abutment teeth, but they are metallic in color and are generally only suitable for repairing posterior teeth. Porcelain material is a metal crown with the required porcelain surface (enamel, a material similar to the surface of normal teeth) baked on the surface, which can make the shape, color and gloss of the dentures similar to real teeth. This metal-ceramic composite avoids the disadvantage of poor color of metal materials, and also solves the disadvantages of porcelain materials such as high brittleness and easy breakage, making the production of dentures basically reach the level of being indistinguishable from the real ones. However, it requires more grinding teeth during clinical preparation, the manufacturing process is complicated, and the cost is also high. The color, shape, and gloss of the all-ceramic materials (all-ceramic crowns) that have appeared in recent years are more realistic. They can truly reproduce the color and translucent characteristics of natural teeth and are currently the restorations with the best aesthetic effects. However, due to its poor mechanical properties, it is currently only recommended for the restoration of single anterior teeth.

Denture types: The ideal denture repair material should be non-toxic, non-irritating, non-carcinogenic to the oral mucosa, not cause allergic reactions to the tissue covered by the denture, be insoluble in saliva, not corrode or denature due to the oral environment, be resistant to biological aging, have stable performance during changes in oral temperature, and be harmless to operators during the production process. In addition, it should also strive to be beautiful, durable, light, easy to process, simple to operate, easy to obtain materials, and low in price. The materials used to make dentures can currently be divided into two categories: metal and non-metal. Metal materials include pure gold and alloys. Alloys such as cobalt-chromium alloy, nickel-chromium alloy, copper alloy, etc. The stainless steel wire commonly used to make denture clasps is a forged alloy. Metal materials are mainly used to make denture clasps, supports, connectors and other supports, as well as various metal crowns and pads.

The non-metal materials used to make dentures are mainly plastics. For example, methyl methacrylate is divided into two types: heat-curing thermosetting plastics and room temperature-curing self-curing plastics. Commonly used non-metallic materials include composite resins and ceramics. Plastics and composite resins can be widely used in making crowns and bases (commonly known as dentures) for dentures, and can also be used as materials for modifying dentures. Porcelain teeth are mainly used to make dental crowns. The above materials each have their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, plastic is easy to make, modify, and use, but it is not wear-resistant. Porcelain teeth have good wear resistance, but they are not firmly fixed to the base, are easy to fall off, and are difficult to modify. When making dentures, the choice of preservation materials and restoration methods should be determined by the physician based on the patient's oral conditions, patient requirements, material properties and medical technology status.

The above is an introduction to the materials of dentures. After understanding, we know that dentures are made of various materials. We don’t have to judge the quality based on the price. We must make the choice based on our own oral cavity and the location of the tooth defect. It is best to go to a professional dental hospital and listen to the doctor’s advice.