MOUTH

PREPARATION FOR
REMOVABLE
PARTIAL DENTURES
 Indications for RPD therapy Vs
Fixed prosthodontics
- Replacement of teeth and tissue (aesthetics are of
prime concern
- Long span edentulous space not suitable for fixed
Prosthodontics (Ante’s law)
- Absence of distal abutments
- Abutments with poor periodontal support
- The need for cross-arch stabilisation
- Patients who can not tolerate long dental
procedures
- Financial constraints and patients’ desires
- Age of the patients: Risk of pulp exposure in
patients <18 Y
- Immediate need to replace missing teeth
Conditions favoring RPD than
implants
- Unfavorable regional anatomy
- Uncontrolled systemic disease or high-dose
head and neck radiation
- Extreme surgical risk
- Financial incapability
 Conditions favouring
complete dentures over RPD
- Poor abutments
- Rampant caries
- Periodontal disease
- Poor alignment of abutments
- Individuals who will not allow you to prepare
their teeth for RPD clasp assemblies
 Stages of Co/Cr RPD
construction
Success of any prosthodontic treatment is
dependant on good collaboration between the
clinician and the laboratory. The prescription on
the laboratory card must be clear and
comprehensive.
 The first diagnostic
appointment
1- A thorough general examination and medical history.
2- Dental history, evaluation of oral hygiene and caries
susceptibility.
3- Taking radiographs.
4- Primary Impressions
· Selection of stock tray.
· Modification of the tray with impression compound or
autopolymerising acrylic as appropriate.
· Normally a high viscosity alginate should be used as this
will compensate for the lack of fit of the stock tray. A
thin layer of adhesive should be applied to the tray
before starting to mix the alginate.
- All casts at this stage should be poured in dental stone.
 The second diagnostic
appointment
- Occasionally, the second visit will be for tooth preparation
and master impressions if the preliminary casts were
mounted and a design determined. If preliminary casts
could not be mounted, the second visit will be devoted to
recording the jaw relationship prior to mounting casts on
the articulator and developing a design.
- For the purpose of jaw relationships, partially dentate
patients can be divided into two categories:-
· Patients without an occlusal stop to indicate the correct
intercuspal position or vertical dimension of occlusion. For
those steps of jaw relation records follow those preformed
for complete denture construction taking into consideration
any tooth interference.
. Patients with occlusal contact in the intercuspal position.
For those patients, upper and lower occlusal rims are
adjusted to maintain natural tooth contacts and
records are taken using any bite registration material.

- If an occlusal stop is present, you must determine

whether the associated intercuspal position is
acceptable. If there is horizontal (antero-posterior or
lateral) deviation of the mandible after the initial
occlusal contact, it may be necessary to correct the
deflective occlusal contact by tooth modification,
extraction or (rarely) orthodontic treatment. If there is
loss of vertical dimension of occlusion (OVD), the
appropriate increase will have to be determined by
adjusting occlusal rims in relation to the rest vertical
dimension (RVD).
- Facebow transfer is recommended, followed by
mounting the casts on the articulator.
- A definitive oral examination is then performed
including:
. Evaluation of carious lesions and existing restorations.
. Evaluation of pulpal tissues.
. Evaluation of sensitivity to percussion.
. Evaluation of tooth mobility.
. Evaluation of periodontium.
. Evaluation of oral mucosa (pathologic changes..)
. Evaluation of hard tissues abnormalities (Tori,
exostoses, undercuts).
. Evaluation of soft tissue abnormalities (freni, gingivae)
. Evaluation of quantity and quality of saliva
. Evaluation of space for mandibular major connector.
. Evaluation of radiographic survey.
When the second appointment is ended, the following are
usually performed:
- Radiographic assessment of potential abutment teeth.
. Root length, size and form
. Crown/root ratio
. Lamina dura
. Periodontal ligament space
- Evaluation of mounted diagnostic casts:
. Interarch distance
. Occlusal planes
. Jaw relationship
- Diagnostic wax up (Especially if multiple crowns and
bridges are planned).
- Medical or dental consultation is obtained.
- Development of treatment plan.
 Mouth preparation must be
accomplished before the impression
procedures that will produce the master
cast on which the denture will be
constructed
 Tooth preparation and master
impression
- Tooth preparation is undertaken to obtain:
1- Guiding planes.
2- Rest seats
3- Changing unfavourable survey lines
4- Enhance retentive undercuts
- Wax stops should be placed on the fitting surface of the
individual trays before modifying the peripheral
extension if necessary. Any over-extension of the tray
should be corrected and any under-extension should be
corrected with the addition of self curing acrylic resin.
When mandibular free-end saddle areas are present,
border moulding of the tray in the retro-mylohyoid
areas should be undertaken routinely. A thin layer of
adhesive is applied to the whole of the inner surfaces of
the tray. A low viscosity alginate is used to record the
impression. In some cases silicone based or rubber
based materials may be used.
- If the impression is satisfactory a cast should be
poured in either dental stone (for acrylic dentures) or
improved dental stone (for cobalt chromium dentures)
as soon as possible. All individual trays must be
retained until treatment is completed.
 Framework construction
- The cast is retripodised to maintain the zero tilt,
and the alternative chosen tilt and the design is
drawn on the cast as received from the dentist.
- Undercut are blocked out.
- Cast is duplicated to produce the refractory cast.
- Framework is waxed up.
- Framework is sprued.
- Refractory cast is invested.
- Wax is burnout or eliminated
- Framework is cast
- Cast framework is recovered
- Framework is finished and polished and
occlusion is adjusted
 Metal framework try in
- Metal framework is tried in
- Altered cast impression technique is undertaken
(Class I, II).
- Bite registration is performed.
- Determination of shade and form of artificial
teeth.
- Upper and lower casts are mounted on the
articulator.
- Artificial teeth are set.
 Wax try in and fitting of
the dentures
- Wax try in of the dentures is performed.
- If satisfactory, dentures are waxed up, invested,
wax is eliminated, acrylic resin is packed and
cured, deflasking, finishing and polishing of the
dentures are performed.
- Processed dentures are fitted.
- Review.
Mouth Preparation
for
RPD Treatment
 Removable partial dentures should
evolve out of a thorough and systematic
diagnosis, planning and careful
preparation of the hard and soft
structures of the mouth.
 Carefully planned and executed mouth preparation
contributes to the objectives of:
1- Preservation of the remaining structures.
2- Replacement of the missing tissues.
Mouth preparation procedures may include:

1- Relief of pain and infection

2- Oral surgical preparation
3- Conditioning of abused and irritated tissues
4- Periodontal preparation
5- Orthodontic preparation
6- Conservative preparation
7- Correction of occlusal plane discrepancies and
correction of malalignment
8- Provision of interim prostheses and repair of existing
prostheses
Relief of pain and infection
This involves all procedures undertaken to
eliminate discomfort as soon as possible.
- Endodontic treatment.
- Surgical treatment.
- Treatment of carious lesions that might cause
pain.
- Gingival treatment to decrease the chances for
periodontal abscesses.
- Prophylactic antibionics and oral hygiene
instructions.
Oral surgical
preparation
Surgical removal
of impacted teeth
Removal of cysts by
apicoectomy
Removal of interfering
tori
Hemisection for removal of
hopeless roots
Extraction of hopeless teeth
Surgical preparation might also involve:
- Elimination of bony exostoses that might
complicate treatment.
- Implant placement
- Ridge augmentation
- Vestibular extension.
All surgical treatment should be performed early
during the treatment to allow time for healing.
 CONDITIONING OF
ABUSED AND
IRRITATED TISSUES
PERIODONTAL
PREPARATION
 This may include procedures such as:

1- Removal of plaque and calculus

2- Elimination of plaque retentive areas (poor
margins of crowns and overhanging fillings)
3- Root planing
4- Periodontal surgery
5- Splinting of mobile teeth
Periodontal surgical intervention for elimination of pockets
and granulation tissues together with root planning
 Treatment of periodontal damage caused by poorly
designed RPD causing stripping of gingival tissues away
from abutment teeth
 Orthodontic
treatment of mal-
aligned teeth
CONSERVATIVE
TREATMENT
It is important that teeth which serve as
abutments for a partial denture should
be carefully evaluated.
 Root canal treatment and
crowning of heavily restored teeth
The buccal cusp of the right mandibular second premolar
has recently fractured and been restored with a large pin-
amalgam restoration. As an abutment there is a risk of
fracture from the load by the denture components.
A full veneer crown is necessary. The completed crown
incorporates a seat for an occlusal rest that will provide
support for the partial denture.
 Full veneer crowns may be used to reduce the
degree of undercut on the buccal aspect of upper
molars and to provide a better contour for
clasping.
Crowns are required for correction of lingually
tilted molars that may prevent the insertion of a
rigid lingual connector.
Correction of occlusal
discrepancies and
mal-alignments
. Minor supereruption of unopposed teeth can be
corrected by recontouring, moderate cases with cast
restorations and severe cases by extraction. Surgical
reduction of maxillary tuberosities might be needed.
. Tipped teeth can be re-aligned orthodontically.
If this is not possible, enameloplasty, crowns, or
extraction according to severity.
. Severe discrepancies might need invasive maxillo-
mandibular surgeries.
 Temporary
adjustment of current
prostheses
- Temporary relining of existing prostheses might be
carried out to relieve mucosal trauma caused by ill-
fitting prostheses

- Occlusal adjustments can be made on present

dentures (e.g to raise the OVD) as an adaptive
measure before construction of new RPD
Denture Relining
A diagnostic alginate impression
taken in the old denture to assess the
fit of the denture and identify
pressure points that require
adjustment before adding the reline
material.
If the denture is to be relined at the
chairside any areas of underextension
should first be corrected by border
moulding with a direct application of a
chairside cold-curing resin. This resin
may not have a very strong bond to the
acrylic denture base and should form a
butt joint (2) to prevent pealing of the
new resin.
During direct relining with a temporary
material it is easy to fail to seat the
denture correctly, especially with
maxillary dentures altering both
vertical and horizontal occlusal
relationships. It will also result in
thickening of the connector leading to
problems of patient tolerance . These
changes are likely to make the denture
unwearable.
In a maxillary denture, the escape
channel for any excess reline material
is long and tortuous and therefore the
choice of a low-viscosity material is
important. In the mandible, and in
individual saddles, the escape channel
is much shorter and so a higher
viscosity material may be used.
Alternatively, escape of the excess
lining material from a maxillary
denture can be helped by drilling holes
into the palatal connector and
sometimes the flanges.

If a hard reline material is used it is

important to appreciate that it may
flow into undercut areas around the
teeth and that consequently the timing
of removal of the denture from the
mouth is critical. Failure to remove
the denture before curing is complete
will result in the denture being locked
into place.
Any excess material must be removed
from the polished surfaces and teeth
and the borders are trimmed and
polished.

The patient should be given specific

instructions on how to clean the
lining.
Loss of occlusal contact results from a
combination of occlusal wear and sinking of
the denture following alveolar resorption.
Correction of the occlusion is desirable
before constructing replacement dentures to
correct mandibular posture and avoid
mucosal inflammation resulting from this
deterioration.
Contact can be reestablished by the addition
of acrylic resin to the posterior teeth. The
fluid resin is allowed to reach the dough
stage before the denture is inserted into the
mouth. Petroleum jelly is applied to any
opposing denture teeth and the mandible is
gently guided along the retruded arc of
closure until even occlusal contact is made
at the appropriate vertical dimension. The
denture is then removed from the mouth
and the resin allowed to cure before refining
the occlusion by selective grinding.
 Provision of interim
prostheses
An interim prosthesis may be constructed before
the definitive denture for the following reasons.
• Space maintenance and aesthetics.
• Improving patient tolerance.
• Preparation for advanced restorative treatment.
• Modifying jaw relationships.
The missing teeth may be replaced by an immediate
appliance made of acrylic as a temporary measure
The loss of an anterior tooth may
require rapid replacement with an
interim denture, both for social
reasons and to prevent reduction of
the space by drifting and tilting of the
adjacent teeth.
The provision of a thin acrylic training
base, which in the maxilla may be of
horseshoe design, is useful in
overcoming pronounced retching reflex.
The patient wears the base for
increasing periods each day until
tolerance is good enough to indicate
that conventional treatment can
proceed. The palatal extension can be
increased in stages to allow progressive
adaptation to palatal coverage which is
as close as possible to the optimum.
Preparation for advanced prostehses
Modifying jaw relationships
Planning of restorations for severely
worn teeth is complicated by the
uncertainty as to whether or not the
increase in occlusal vertical
dimension will be tolerated. An
interim prosthesis is constructed to
an occlusal height that appears
appropriate. It may then be
progressively adjusted over several
appointments. This allows a period
in which the patient can gradually
adapt to progressive, modest
increases in occlusal height and
finally confirms a height on which
future treatment planning can be
An interim denture can be
helpful in patients exhibiting
gingival trauma as a result of a
deep incisal overbite. A simple
appliance with a palatal table
can provide instant relief while
a decision is being taken on the
definitive solution whether it
be orthodontic, restorative,
periodontal or surgical. In the
young patient the palatal table
may also improve the situation
by allowing further eruption of
the posterior teeth and causing
some intrusion of the
mandibular anterior teeth.