Titanium is thin, lightweight and the most biocompatible metal available for dental castings. It is comfortable to wear.
The patient used a plastic partial denture, but the denture was not fitted at all.
The patient can now chew food well. The titanium behind the lower front teeth is so thin that it is comfortable to wear.
A metal-based denture is one in which a portion of the denture body is made of a substantial metal casting rather than all plastic (acrylic resin). This procedure is usually done on the lower denture.
There are two types of metal-based dentures.
Standard metal-based denture:
The metal base portion of the denture is in direct contact with underlying supporting tissues. The base is fabricated from a special medical grade alloy that is hypoallergenic and very biocompatible with tissues. Generally, tissues in contact with this type of material are very healthy in appearance.
Modified metal-based denture:
The metal base portion of the denture is not in direct contact with underlying supporting tissues. A soft or hard plastic liner may be interposed between the metal and supporting tissues.
A soft liner is generally preferred to hard plastic since it is more comfortable to wear; however, the soft liner usually should be replaced on an annual basis.
