Presentations 2020: Restorative

382 - A case series to demonstrate the development of a novel technique to copy an implant bar retained denture

R Newton N Porte G Jones J Owens
Presented by: Richard Newton
Morriston Hospital

The copy denture technique is well known and has been used for many years. It is advantageous as it can directly replicate successful aspects of the original prosthesis. However, to our knowledge there is no defined technique for copying implant retained dentures. This could be useful as these patients can have complex needs and medical histories which may make future conventional impressions difficult, adaption to a new prosthesis challenging, or high patient demands to mimic their current set. This report details the development of a copy technique for prostheses retained with an implant supported bar within our unit. The first patient required a new bar due to the failure of an implant fixture after many years. However, she wanted identical aesthetics to her old denture. We took conventional copy impressions and used the copy as a special tray for a pick up impression of the current bar. This meant the created cast was verified by the in situ bar, reducing the number of appointments required, and allowing creation of a new bar to fit the copy denture. The second patient had successfully worn his denture for many years but the clips were becoming loose and needed to be replaced; so we felt a copy with new clips could be advantageous. The denture was taken to the lab and impressions taken in lab putty with a harder putty used to take the impression of the fit surface and clips. Teeth were built up within the impression using composite, clips were placed on the hard putty impression of the bar, the models interdigitated, and a pourable denture base material added through two sprues to create an exact copy of the current denture. This technique has similar advantages to the conventional copy technique with the added benefit of reducing the time the patient has to spend without their denture, the number of appointments, and the clinical time required. In future we will continue to look for suitable cases to develop this method further and assess its repeatability.
Consent Statement: Written informed consent for publication of their clinical details and/or clinical images was obtained from the patient/parent/guardian. A copy of the consent form is available for review by the the meeting organisers..

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