COMPLETE DENTURES



15. SETTING TEETH
Follow the Rules

Usually students are not experienced enough to stray from the rules of setting teeth. Slight variations such as leaving out a first bicuspid are acceptable. In severe Class II's there is an occasional need for a maxillary third bicuspid or a third molar.

We endeavor to set the denture teeth so the occlusal forces are at right angles to the mandibular ridge crest. Therefore, do not set teeth on the ascending ramus because the resultant of the occlusal force will be a forward movement of the denture.

I like to set the six anteriors (maxillary and mandibular) first. Then I set the mandibular posteriors, followed by the maxillary posteriors. This is not a rule, just something that works for me.

Students like to set teeth in a soft wax so the teeth will be easier to set. Then they use a hard wax to keep the teeth in place. The trouble is the teeth do not stay in place. Instead of setting one tooth at a time you are constantly repositioning the teeth you already set.

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©1999 by Julius Rosen, D.D.S.