Silicone dental prostheses

Silicone was invented in the mid-20th century, but only gained wide application in dentistry in the last few decades. Silicone prostheses became an alternative to outdated clasp prostheses and even acrylic ones. Soft and flexible silicone allows creating comfortable dental prostheses.

Medical silicone consists of:

• Silicone base: has high flexibility and elasticity.
• Pigments: necessary to achieve a specific color close to the color of the patient’s own teeth.
• Additives: used for stabilization and increasing the strength of prostheses.

Silicone dental prostheses have found wide application in dentistry and, in particular, are often offered by doctors at various clinics in Kyiv. The popularity of this type of prosthetics is due to the wide variety of applications of silicone prostheses and their convenience for patients.

Silicone dental prostheses are divided into:

• full prostheses;
• partial prostheses.

A silicone dental prosthesis can be made for both the upper and lower jaw. A full silicone prosthesis for the upper jaw can be with or without a palatal part. A prosthesis without a palate is fixed by vacuum that forms between the mucosa and the prosthesis.

But in some cases, such fixation proves insufficient for comfortable wearing of the prosthesis, and then the doctor may suggest using a prosthesis with a palate. The palatal part of the prosthesis can be made from silicone or another material.

Partial silicone dental prostheses require constant hygiene and care since the constructions are removable. Despite the softness and flexibility of the material, wearing removable prostheses still causes patients a lot of discomfort, not to mention the aesthetic aspect.

Silicone dental prostheses should be used to replace one or several lost teeth in cases where implantation is impossible. We recommend our patients to consider silicone dental prostheses as a temporary measure. Only prosthetics on implants will allow you to get artificial teeth that will feel like your own, look even better than your own, and will not require such thorough care as when using removable prostheses.

Silicone dental prosthetics by default involves the use of removable constructions that sometimes require additional fixation in the patient’s mouth.

A silicone dental prosthesis can be fixed by:

• Vacuum support

The basic method that resembles “suction.” A kind of vacuum forms between the prosthesis and the mucosa, holding the prosthesis in place. This fixation method is possible with edentulism (complete absence of teeth) and with partial tooth loss.

• Cling effect

Some types of dental silicones are able to adhere to the mucous membrane.

• Special denture adhesive

Adhesives are widely used as a means of additional fixation of prostheses, including silicone ones. They are most often needed with edentulism.

• Clasps

Partial silicone dental prostheses can be attached using special hooks, clasps, and locks to the patient’s remaining natural teeth or to implants.

The use of silicone prostheses specifically may be due to a number of medical indications:

1. Allergy to acrylic and metal

Allergy to acrylic and metals used in dentistry is possible, though it affects a small percentage of patients. Usually, the allergy causes irritation, redness of the mucosa, and sometimes dermatitis. In such cases, replacing the prosthesis with a silicone one is indicated.

2. Increased sensitivity and diseases of the mucous membrane

Patients with increased gum sensitivity usually prefer silicone prostheses due to the softness and flexibility of the material. Silicone dental prostheses may also be prescribed for patients with mucosal diseases (gingivitis, mild periodontal diseases).

3. General diseases

Silicone-based dental prostheses are indicated for people with cardiovascular diseases, upper respiratory tract diseases (including bronchial asthma), and diabetes mellitus.

4. Temporary prosthetics

Silicone dental prostheses are excellent for temporary prosthetics. They are comfortable, do not provoke rapidly developing ischemia, and do not require prolonged adaptation. Therefore, they are well suited for use during the healing period of implant abutments.

• Softness
• Flexibility
• Lightness

• Low strength;
• Insufficient wear resistance;
• Less precise fit;
• Ability of the material to absorb pigments and change color

A silicone dental prosthesis cannot be used if:

1. The patient has an allergy to silicone.
2. Periodontosis of the 3rd or 4th degree is observed (with bone destruction).
3. There are signs of alveolar ridge atrophy.

Comparing silicone dental prostheses, it should be noted that their use is less harmful to the mucosa and bone. The low weight of the construction allows minimizing pressure on the mucosa and, as a result, thinning of the bones of both jaws. However, despite a significant number of advantages, there are also a number of disadvantages both in aesthetics and functionality. The specialists of “Dr. Osadchiy’s Dental Clinic” insist on their position: silicone dental prosthetics is not a panacea, but an excellent temporary measure. Light removable constructions can be used during prosthetics on implants.

Hygiene rules when using removable dental prostheses, regardless of the material and construction features, remain unchanged:

• daily cleaning and rinsing.

To remove food residue and prevent bacterial growth, silicone prostheses should be cleaned after every meal;

• use of cleaning solutions.

Once a day, the prosthesis should be placed in a special cleaning and disinfecting solution;

• storage in a special solution.

Removable prostheses are taken out at night and stored in a special solution. This will help prevent drying out and deformation.

Special considerations:

• abrasive cleaning materials and brushes should not be used;
• the prosthesis should not be rinsed in very hot water.

Manufacturing silicone prostheses requires creating more complex models, and high-quality dental silicone is a rather expensive material. Therefore, the price of silicone dental prostheses in most clinics in Kyiv is slightly higher than for similar acrylic prostheses.

A silicone partial prosthesis for one tooth (microprosthesis) in the capital’s clinics costs about 5,000 hryvnias, while the price of a silicone removable dental prosthesis for one jaw reaches 10–14 thousand hryvnias. The total cost of installing silicone dental prostheses will be significantly higher: preliminary treatment and sanitation will need to be performed.