Biofunctional Prosthetics System for complete dentures is a new technique, first developed by the renowned dental company Ivoclar Vivadent. It is producing excellent results.
Natural positioning of complete dentures
The essence of the Biofunctional Prosthetics System is placing the dentures where they should be naturally which invariably is where the original teeth were before loss of bone. Photos taken before the teeth were lost are often helpful in confirming the position of the teeth.
These are the four principal differences in having dentures made with this technique:
The fit
The impression is not taken in one material, but is built up in layers in order to ensure the correct extension of the dentures. By building up the impression in this way, the impression is not only very accurate but is functional, ie. the strong oral and facial muscles show up in the impression and help to get the best possible fit.
Lower face height
Many denture wearers complain that their face has collapsed and their lips and cheeks are not properly built out. We attach a devise to a mock-up lower denture that allows us to change the height in quarter milimetre increments. We continue to adjust this until we achieve the best aesthetic result, with the face built out fully.
The bite
Typically patients are asked to bite together and new dentures are made to this bite. For the best results, they should be made compatible to the jaw joint (temporo-mandibular joint) in its relaxed position. The best way to achieve this is to make an intra-oral gothic arch tracing and a facebow record. The dentures are then set up on an articulator which mimics the movements of the jaws. This allows the teeth to slide over each other correctly which greatly improves chewing.
Appearance
The teeth used are made up of several gradations of colour to give a much more natural appearance than typical denture teeth. The appearance is further made more natural by setting up the teeth at slight angles to each other, moving away from the symmetrical appearance associated with dentures. By placing the teeth where they should be naturally the face tends to be built up again (non-surgical facelift) moving away from the collapsed facial support often seen with dentures. Considerable time is spent with patients moving the teeth in wax until both the dentist and the patient are perfectly happy with the appearance.
