Overdentures

Question 1

Define overdenture?

Answer 1

Any removable dental prosthesis that covers and rests on one or more remaining natural teeth, the roots of natural teeth and/or dental implants.

Question 2

what is the canine eminence?

Answer 2

The prominence on the labial aspect of the maxilla overlying the root of the canine tooth.

Question 3

6 advantages of overdentures.

Answer 3

1. Correction of occlusion and aesthetics.
2. Support (tooth-mucosa borne).
3. Tooth wear management.
4. Preservation of ridge form.
5. Proprioception (through PDL, helps with eating)
6. Denture retention.
7. Can be used with precision attachments.
8. MRONJ and radiotherapy patients - avoids extractions.
9. Psychological benefits.
10. Useful in elderly patients. (ex. heavily restored teeth, constantly replacing fractures restorations)).
11. Eases transition to edentulism.

Question 4

Why are teeth important in proprioception?

Answer 4

• Teeth maintain the PDL which has proprioreceptors.
• Tells us how hard to chew and helps with eating.
• If teeth lost, PDL and thus proprioception is lost.

Question 5

What can be placed into the roots to help with retention?

Answer 5

Precision attachments.

Question 6

Disadvantages of overdentures?

Answer 6

1. Need for good oral health.
2. Increased caries/ perio problems.
3. Care homes (diet high in refined sugar, require help with brushing teeth).
4. Denture fracture (acrylic over abutment is thinner and more prone to fracture).
5. Discomfort/ infection.
6. Medical history (polypharmacy can lead to dry mouth and increase caries risk).
7. Potentially more traumatic extractions.

Question 7

What is needed if we are planning to increase a patient OVD using overdentures?

Answer 7

Adequate FWS.

Question 8

What is meant by “opening up” a patient’s occlusion?

Answer 8

Increasing OVD.

Question 9

You are dealing with a problem tooth wear case. What are two questions you ask yourself?

Answer 9

1. What is good in this mouth and what is bad?
2. Can you do anything at this vertical dimension of occlusion (or do you need to open the patient up)?

Question 10

What is the solution when dealing with a problem tooth wear case?

Answer 10

1. Get rid of the impossible.
2. Provide simple overdenture treatment.

Question 11

Name a precision attachment system.

Answer 11

Zest anker component.

Question 11

Male or female part of zest anker system goes into root/ tooth?

Answer 11

Female component in root treated tooth.

Question 12

Male or female part of zest anker system goes into denture?

Answer 12

Male component in the fit surface of the denture.
- Fibre glass component (ball and socket - balls wear out yet can buy replacements and place them into denture with self-cure acrylic).

Question 13

Advantage of Zest anker system?

Answer 13

Don’t require much height hence dont need a large OVD.

Question 14

How to replace a worn male component of the Zest anker system?

Answer 14

1. Buy a new component and put into the female component in the mouth.
2. Drill a hole in the denture, seat the denture and put cold cure in the hole around the precision attachment.
3. Wait until it sets.
4. Remove the denture after set and will see that the male attachment is attached to the denture.
5. Remove flash and polish.

Question 15

Care of overdentures (4).

Answer 15

1. Good oral hygiene.
2. Fluoride toothpaste application to roots.
3. Regular examinations and radiographs (ex. periodontal probing, caries). .
4. Denture hygiene.

Question 16

Two ways to apply fluoride toothpaste onto the tooth abutments of overdentures?

Answer 16

1. Put fluoride toothpaste in the denture after cleaning the denture in the areas of the roots and re place in the mouth.
2. Apply toothpaste to the roots and place denture back on.