Artificial Denture Teeth

Artificially-made replacements for either anterior or posterior teeth' crowns.

These replacements are usually retained to and supported by denture bases that replace

the lost natural soft tissues.

Requirements of artificial teeth

Constructed of non-toxic, non-irritant and odorless materials. Resemble the surrounding natural teeth in their shape, color and

translucency. Have high mechanical properties to resist the effect of masticatory

forces. Made of resilient material to minimize the stress transferred to the

underlying tissues. Have high wear resistance (high surface hardness) Permit easy adjustment with dental burs or finishing stones. Adhere to the denture base materials (i.e. provide chemical

attachment with the denture base). Own coefficients of thermal expansion matching to that of the

denture base material. Have low density to minimize the weight of the dentures especially

the upper one.

Types of Artificial Teeth

1. Metallic 2. Acrylic 3. Porcelain

Made of acrylic with;

1. White color2. Low mol. wt3. Low plasticizer

contentUsed only in certain cases of RPD

4. Composite Teeth

DifferencesAcrylic teethporcelain teeth

retention to acrylic denture bases

chemically retainedmechanically retained

Density (weight)Low density (light in wt.)High density (heavy in wt.)

Resiliency- Resilient - Preserve the alveolar bone and soft

tissue. - Could be used in case of diabetic

patient.

- Not resilient - Could transmit the force causing

alveolar bone resorption and soft tissue injury.

- Should not be used in case of diabetic patient

NoisyQuiteproduce noisy during eating

Wear resistance Low high

Color stabilityLow high

StainingEasy to be stainedDifficult to be stained

Adjustment and grinding

Can be adjusted, grind and repolishedCan not be grind easily and difficult to be glazed

Impact strengthhighlow (porcelain is brittle)

Coefficient of thermal expansion

Similar to that of acrylic denture baseDifferent from that of acrylic denture base

Strength in thin sectionStrong, enough to be used in cases of closed bite

brittle and can not be used in cases of closed bite

Differences among acrylic and porcelain teeth

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