Janine Multhaupt
Specialized Dental Assistant, Dental Prophylaxis Management Dusseldorf, Germany
A 72-year-old patient who was passing through presented at our dental office. He was a heavy smoker and complained that his lower telescopic denture and upper full denture no longer fitted as well as they used to. In addition, pressure points had developed. Immediately following removal of the restorations and clinical evaluation it was possible to form an initial hypothesis that could explain the symptoms. Both dentures were covered by a heavy layer of tartar and deposits.
The tartar took up space on the denture base and the secondary telescope so that the fit on the jaw and on the primary telescope was no longer sufficient.
In addition, the tartar was preventing proper occlusion as it had spread into the fissures of the upper molars.
In the lower jaw, the layer of tartar that was easily 3 mm thick was also interfering with the bite of convenience, as it had spread to the incisal surfaces here too. This explained both the deterioration in fit as well as the pressure points. Moreover, the bacterial load of the dentures had resulted in denture stomatitis that had additionally irritated the mucosa.
It quickly became apparent that the dentures urgently required professional cleaning before further measures such as removal of pressure points by grinding could be taken. In our dental office, we use the SYMPRO denture cleaning unit for professional denture cleaning.
In the unit, the cleaning cup is positioned at an optimal angle so that a superior cleaning performance can be achieved. In addition to the acidic cleaning liquid, specially alloyed and precisely shaped cleaning pins are added (approx. 75 g for each cleaning cup). These support chemical cleaning so that the cleaning process can be completed more quickly and thoroughly while still protecting the surfaces of the objects being cleaned. Our cleaning liquid is the ready-to-use help:ex plaque f solution that contains hydrochloric acid. We combine it with the pre-portioned help:ex plaque p powder with sulfamic acid and freshly mix it with water for every application to create a solution. The neutralizer that is included is particularly handy here for neutralizing the acid after use so that it can be disposed of in the drain without any additional precautionary measures.
Both dentures were placed for cleaning in the acidic acid in the SYMPRO unit, first for 15 - 20 minutes at level III and 2000 rpm. This is normally the standard cleaning time, however, given the unusually high amount of particularly stubborn stains in this case, it was just the first step. Once the crust had loosened and the bacterial biofilm contamination had been removed, it was possible to treat the dentures in the next cleaning step using help:ex discolor f. This special alkaline cleaner from Renfert removed the tobacco discoloration [Image 5 + Image 6] and also facilitated an esthetically pleasing result.
For this purpose, the dentures were placed for 20 minutes in the container reserved for this purpose outside of the SYMPRO denture cleaning unit. Finally, the dentures were once again placed in the acidic cleaning liquid in the SYMPRO unit so that the remaining tartar residue could also be removed. Once again, cleaning in the SYMPRO unit took 20 minutes. Although cleaning the dentures was very time-consuming, it took approx. 1 hour in total, we were able to deliver the perfect result for the patient thanks to the SYMPRO system. Tartar, deposits, and discoloration were removed completely from the dentures and so no longer posed a health risk for the patient.
It is also likely that this reduced the probability of any future reoccurrence of pressure points. Once cleaning had been completed and the dentures had been rinsed in water, they were returned to the patient who had been relaxing in the waiting area of our dental office. In order to treat the stomatitis, the patient was advised not to wear his dentures at night and prescribed a disinfectant mouth gel. In addition, the patient was encouraged to follow a strict oral hygiene routine at home and to clean his dentures. The patient was discharged and asked to come back for a follow-up. Unfortunately, he has still to return to our dental office.