Cosmetic Dentistry - Dentures

Dentures represent the most ancient form of cosmetic dentistry. Popularly known as "false teeth," they are generally associated with old age, but the fact is that almost anyone who has lost their natural teeth through neglect, disease or accident can benefit from dentures. Patients whose tooth loss is due to accident injury may be fitted for partial dentures, sometimes simply called "partials."

It is known that the Etruscans - a people whose culture in present-day northern Italy predates the Romans (who ultimately assimilated them) - were among the earliest to use dentures. In those times, dentures were most often made from the healthy teeth of dead people, or carved from animal teeth. The earliest recorded use of dentures in northern and western Europe dates from the 1400s, although it is likely that they had been around for some time prior to that. Most often, these were carved from ivory or bone obtained from walrus tusks, although sometimes they came from cadavers - or the poor who in desperation, sold their healthy teeth to the wealthy. Porcelain dentures finally came along about the time of the American Revolution; the first legal patent for this form of cosmetic dentistry was granted by a British court in 1791.

Porcelain dentures had a distinct advantage over ivory, natural bone and wood; it was completely rot-resistant. Other materials used in the manufacture of dentures included a type of hard rubber known as vulcanite as well as resin and plastic.

Today, acrylic resin is the preferred material for dentures. Fitting a patient for dentures has traditionally been a considerable challenge for the cosmetic dentistry practitioner, although recent advances in computer imaging have changed this to a certain extent. It is also often a challenge for the patient; wearing dentures requires some major adjustments, as one is wearing what is essentially an artificial appliance in one's mouth. The recent development of plateless dentures has addressed some of these issues, however.