Around 11% of adults in the UK have a denture, including 7% who have one in the upper jaw only, 3% with dentures in the upper and lower, and just 1% with a lone lower arch restoration.[i] It’s still a popular solution for partial/complete edentulism – despite a rising popularity with dental implants, dentures are still more prevalent.i
As patients continue to look to dental professionals for support with dentures, it’s important to ensure they are given the best experiences possible. Balancing aesthetics, function, and comfort in a denture is not a simple task, but it isn’t impossible either.
Clinicians need to be aware of how they can use the treatment preparation process to assess, meet and exceed patient expectations.
Patient communication
The process of receiving and using dentures is often difficult. Patients can face challenges with the aesthetics of the restoration, its impact on phonetics, and the general acclimatisation to functions such as chewing, especially when receiving complete dentures.[ii] It’s important to understand and manage patient expectations so that difficulties don’t shock an individual, and patients know that they can often be rectified with time.
Edentulous patients may poorly judge their own oral health situation and expect new complete dentures to fit and function as naturally as their original dentition, even despite the presence of ridge resorption, collapsed muscles, and further complications.ii Upon experiencing difficulties such as foreign object sensation, nausea, or difficulty chewing and swallowing, expectations may not be met, and patients can be tempted to no longer wear the restoration.ii
Having conversations about a patient’s previous experience with dental restorations and their expectations for an upcoming treatment is key. This helps clinicians understand a patient’s mindset and clinical needs, better informing unique treatment approaches. Where someone getting their first partial dentures may need plenty of advice for optimal maintenance, comfort and confidence, an individual who has worn dentures routinely for years will already have some settled habits and expectations.[iii] Each scenario will require a different interpersonal approach. Through conversations at the start of the denture-fabrication journey, a clinician can help to shape expectations, and improve satisfaction upon wear.
The importance of try-ins
Denture creation is a lengthy endeavour. The workflow requires extensive communication between the clinician and dental technician, in order to fabricate a successful restoration. There have been propositions for a modified protocol which shortens the experience for the patient, most commonly by combining multiple clinical steps into singular visits and eliminating some conventional aspects, such as the aesthetic try-in step, entirely.[iv] However, it’s important to realise the value that these opportunities still have to the patient’s overall experience.
Aesthetic try-in sessions not only help to establish patient expectations, but offer an opportunity for clinicians to identify and correct issues such as a midline change, the rotation of teeth, and the relationship of incisal embrasures. The literature has stated that it’s a critical step for aesthetic and phonetic evaluation.[v]
Some modified workflows, especially those relying on computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) processes, encounter obstacles at this point. A monolithic analogue (monoblock) denture try-in may be produced through 3D printing, a stand-out feature of the modern digital workflow, but this limits the possibility for individualisation within an appointment.v Where limited changes can be made through adjustments, a patient’s satisfaction cannot be improved within the appointment itself; they may leave uncertain about the solution’s appearance or function, affecting their confidence in the overall treatment.
It’s for reasons such as this that adjustable wax denture try-in models are still so important. Clinicians can easily communicate changes to the patient in an appointment, repositioning teeth in the wax as necessary. This may still be utilised in a digitally-focused workflow, for example if the wax is placed upon a milled base.[vi] Any changes can then be passed onto the dental technician that is creating the final denture – these will then be able to improve patient satisfaction by ensuring the most aesthetic and functional restoration has been decided upon.
Material matters
Communication with the dental technician throughout the entire process is key, especially regarding the materials used in patient care. For high-quality wax denture try-in models that will fill patients with confidence, consider the new Aesthetic Wax available from Kemdent.
With four different colours to choose from (burgundy, ivory, plum, ruby) clinicians and technicians can work together on creating high-quality wax try-ins that help dental professionals find an optimal solution. With a range of colours, clinicians can ensure the wax try-in looks its best for each appointment.
The brilliance of a new denture solution is built out of the preparation put in by clinical teams, dental technicians and patients alike. Ensuring each individual is confident in their final restoration can improve patient satisfaction, which will put a smile on the face of every dentist too.
For more information about the leading solutions available from Kemdent, please visit www.kemdent.co.uk or call 01793 770 256
Alistair Mayoh: Marketing Director for Kemdent
[i] Office for Health Improvement & Disparities, (2024). Adult oral health survey 2021: self-reported health of teeth and gums. (Online) Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/adult-oral-health-survey-2021/adult-oral-health-survey-2021-self-reported-health-of-teeth-and-gums [Accessed May 2025]
[ii] Oweis, Y., Ereifej, N., Al-Asmar, A., & Nedal, A. (2022). Factors affecting patient satisfaction with complete dentures. International Journal of dentistry, 2022(1), 9565320.
[iii] Shaha, M., Varghese, R., & Atassi, M. (2021). Understanding the impact of removable partial dentures on patients’ lives and their attitudes to oral care. British Dental Journal, 1-6.
[iv] Zupancic Cepic, L., Gruber, R., Eder, J., Vaskovich, T., Schmid-Schwap, M., & Kundi, M. (2023). Digital versus conventional dentures: a prospective, randomized cross-over study on clinical efficiency and patient satisfaction. Journal of clinical medicine, 12(2), 434.
[v] Sadowsky, S. J. (2021). Complete-denture aesthetics revisited in the digital age. Journal of the California Dental Association, 49(6), 393-399.
[vi] Baba, N. Z. (2016). Materials and processes for CAD/CAM complete denture fabrication. Current Oral Health Reports, 3, 203-208.
