The bond between acrylic resin denture teeth and the denture base: recommendations for best practice

Failure of the bond between denture teeth and base acrylic resin has been shown to be a cause of denture failure leading to inconvenience and costly repair. The optimal combination of acrylic resin denture tooth, denture base material, laboratory protocol and processing method has not yet been established. Extensive research enables the following recommendations for best practice to be made. Adopt practices that maximise the strength of the bond: select appropriate denture teeth; select base acrylic resin from the same manufacturer as the denture teeth; remove the glaze from ridgelaps of the denture teeth; apply monomer to the ridgelaps of the denture teeth before packing the base acrylic resin dough; use the manufacturers' recommended liquid/powder ratio; follow the manufacturers' recommended curing cycle; allow the flask to cool slowly and rest before deflasking. Adopt practices that avoid factors detrimental to bond strength: remove all traces of wax from the ridge laps of the denture teeth; remove all traces of mould seal from the ridgelaps of the denture teeth. It is evident that a number of factors are involved which may assist or prevent formation of an adequate bond, suggesting that attention to detail by the dental technician may be the most critical factor.