Assessing patients and dentures Flashcards
what must be addressed before beginning patient examination
address the patient concerns and their reason for attending:
- why do they want a new denture, do they need one
- are they complaining of functional issues like pain, looseness, lack of retention, difficulty eating or speaking?
- are they complaining of their appearance ie tooth shade, amount of tooth showing
which problems should be identified regarding medical history before examining the patient
any issues which affect their treatment attendance, tolerance for treatment, and how they can live with dentures.
rheumatoid arthritis, stroke, mobility, mucosal disease, dry mouth etc
which elements of social history can affect if a patient can get dentures
are they living alone, in supported living or a carehome
how far do they have to travel to attend the appointment
do they have hobbies as musical instruments can impact the space they need in their mouths
do they drink or smoke
what is the diet like
which elements of prosthodontics treatment is relevant for a history taking prior to denture assessment
what type of denture is the patient wearing
how old is the denture
what materials have previous dentures been made from
do they have a favourite denture
which elements of a dental history are relevant for denture assessment
are they a regular attender or do they only come when they are in pain
how often do they clean their teeth
have they ever managed to wear dentures
how many dentures have they owned previously
how do they clean their dentures
do they take them out at night
what do you have to assess for a patient prior to dentures - extra oral assessment
look at the midline, is the incisal plane in line with the intrapupillary line, look at the aesthetics of the existing dentures,
what are the different lip positions
high - gummy smile
medium - normal smile
low - don’t see much tooth
what does the nasiolabial angle show
the facial support being provided by the teeth
what kind of nasio labial angle do people with teeth have
perpendicular
what to investigate regarding the soft tissues for denture examination
general exam, denture bearing areas, are they healthy, are they traumatised, are they clean and well looked after, are they red, is there any denture stomatitis.
why is intraoral access relevant for denture placement
does the patient actually have space to insert and remove the denture
why is plaque control important
the patient needs to have optimal oral hygiene before denture provision
why is dry mouth an issue for denturews
often this is medication related but an increase the chance of root caries
why would you want to leave retained roots when placing a denture
so there is no bone resorption
what to assess regarding the saddle areas for partial dentures
how atrophic is the bone
is there any displaceable tissue
what is the number, position, length etc
look for soft tissue undercuts that could be used for denture placement
what is the sulcus depth
frenum positions
