Photo : Frauke Müller |
more patients in rural areas and institutions . Clinical situations can be documented and sent to the diagnostic or support center . The workflows are much faster and reduce waiting time . With intraoral scanners , chair-time is much easier for patients who are afraid of impression-taking , gagging , and vomiting .
And ultimately , we can provide the patient with a cost-efficient denture that is very similar to high-end prosthetics . 3-D printed dentures are versatile , accessible and comparable to milled , completely removable prostheses .³ In a double-blind , randomized , crossover study , we asked patients which dentures they preferred to keep , 3-D printed or milled , with both options available free of charge . The milled denture needed more adjustment in terms of clinical chairside time . Also , professionals could see the differences and say the printed denture was not as pretty . But it was quite amazing how patients liked both dentures similarly .
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We can save the printed denture file on a computer and reprint it again when the denture is lost in the nursing home – something that happens quite often . Also , the price is attractive . Based on data from Switzerland , the printing cost is one-third of what a dental technician would charge , so the patient saves money by using CAD / CAM techniques . And in the near future when the price falls further , traditional relining technology will be more expensive than milling a new denture .
Esthetics are important at any age .
We did a hypothetical study , where we asked a young and an elderly cohort : “ If you had a denture , would you like it to look like the teeth you have now , or would you take the opportunity to have bright white flawless teeth ?” ⁴ The results were amazingly similar . Two-thirds of each group wanted to have a natural appearance consistent with their age ,
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and one-third said they would choose white teeth aligned like a string of pearls . And aesthetics is where patients should always have the last word !
Elderly patients are full of stories .
Every moment with elderly patients is special and unforgettable . I remember one of my patients with an implantsupported denture that he could not insert easily since his stroke . After adjustments I placed the denture easily . He looked at me and said , “ Wow , if you keep up this good work , one day you are going to be somebody !
References
1 Srinivasan M , et al .: Clin Oral Implants Res . 2017 ;
28 ( 8 ): 920-30 . ( clinical study )
2 Sjögren P , et al .: J Am Geriatr Soc . 2008 ;
56 ( 11 ): 2124-30 . ( clinical study )
3 Srinivasan M , et al .: J Dent . 2021 ; 9:103842 .
( clinical study )
4 Hartmann R , Müller F . Gerodontology . 2004 ;
21 ( 1 ): 10-6 . ( clinical study )
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