Learning Center

Unilaterals made easy


	Unilateral would have to be the most common appliances encountered by clinicians. If you're looking for a unilateral which is aesthetic, stable, retentive, quick and easy to make, then read on. Theoretically, one could design a removable partial denture to be stable, retentive, passive and functional, all at the same time, just by using standard rigid acrylic.
		Figures 1 & 2. Pencil survey to demonstrate the depth of undercut and flange and base outline on both labial and buccal surfaces.

	Figures 3-5. Note space between abutment and denture tooth. Leave enough space between tooth and ridge.



	Figures 6 and 7. Buccal and palatal wax-up.	Figure 8. Silicone key over wax-up.



		Figures 9 and 10. Remove key, boil out, separate and roughen tooth. Place tooth in key and stick with superglue. Place Versacryl on palatal and proximal surfaces.

	Clinical tooth reduction or contouring of the abutment teeth, design, surveying, blocking out and of course duplication would have to be performed with engineering-like precision. Very close tolerances indeed! On the other hand one could choose Ver-sacryl retention. Versacryl compresses to fit, giving us some leeway, and resulting in clinicians not having to worry about where to place clasps, (there are none). Clinicians tend to steer clear of Unilat-	erals due to the fear of the patient swallowing the appliance and clasps catching while passing through the gastro-intestinal tract (again there are no clasps). A Ver-sacryl retained partial denture does not come out accidently. Versacryl retained partial dentures only come out when the patient chooses to take it out, so swallowing a Versacryl-retained unilateral would hardly be an issue. Figures 1-14 on these two pages fully explain the this technique.
Figure 11: Put key onto model and pour Diamond D Self Cure and place into hydro flask for 10-minutes at 45-50°C. Note slot in key to pour acrylic through.



Figures 12-14. Processed unilateral. No duplicate necessary. Place in warm water 45-50°C for 30 seconds to remove from model. Relieve the gingival margins, trim and polish. Palatal and Buccal Views and Fitting Surface.

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