It takes a team of people to manufacture one set of dentures. From your denturist's office to the lab that makes the final product, dentures are the result of dozens of measurements,impressions, fittings and adjustments, not to mention all the personal choices of color shape and style.
Many combinations of materials are used in dentures today, including porcelain, acrylic, titanium, and medical-grade polymers. The process begins with the first office visit. After an initial oral exam, impressions are made of the patient's upper and lower ridges. These impressions are used to make a plaster of Paris cast for the new denture. This cast is then used to make a wax bite form which will be inserted in the patient's mouth and used to record the measurements of the patient's skull and bite structure. The patient will be asked to smile and the lip level will be marked in the wax. The result will be an overall record of the relationship between the patient's bite pattern and jaw.
Next, teeth will be selected for the new denture according to shape size and color. These teeth will be inserted into the wax denture form according to the information recorded on the wax bite mold. The wax denture is then further refined by hand sculpting. At the next visit, the patient will try on the wax denture form and decide how well the dentures fit and look. At this point changes can still be made and the wax denture can go back to the lab for adjustments if needed. Once the patient gives the go ahead, the wax denture mold is returned to the lab to be made into the final denture set.
Back at the lab, the wax denture and teeth are placed in a stone mold which secures the teeth in place and forms around the wax. It is then heated to melt the wax, which is then poured out, leaving just the teeth in the stone mold. The denture mold is then injected with special acrylic and allowed to cure. Once curing is complete, the denture mold is broken open and the denture is removed and checked to make sure it matches the initial bite recordings. The denture then receives any final trimming and polishing needed before it is returned to the patient for final fitting. The denture will be placed in th patient's mouth and given a final check for fit and comfort, and if all is well the patient goes home with a brand new smile.