Valplast


patient_care_312×166.jpgThe most recent advance in dental materials has been the application of nylon-like materials to the fabrication of dental appliances. This material, Valplast, generally replaces the metal, and the pink acrylic denture material used to build the framework for standard removable partial dentures. ValPlast is similar to the material used to build those fluorescent orange traffic cones you sometimes see on highways. It is nearly unbreakable, is colored pink like the gums, can be built quite thin, and can form not only the denture base, but the clasps as well. Since the clasps are built to curl around the necks of the teeth, they are practically indistinguishable from the gums that normally surround the teeth.

According to Valplast:

“Metal-based RPD design is complex because it has to adapt rigid materials to a flexible environment. This leaves room for error particularly under conditions where ideal designs and clinical preparations are challenged.

In contrast, the material in flexible partials is perfectly suited to the variety of natural conditions in the mouth. It simplifies the design and enables the RPD itself to balance the simultaneous requirements of retention, support and stability.

Flexibility removes many of the unwanted aspects of metal partials. There are fewer steps in the treatment process because preparation of natural teeth is unnecessary. Without the metal frame, the fabrication and try-in processes have also been simplified. In addition, the choice of a Valplast partial avoids the placement of metal in your patient’s mouth, which allows you to satisfy the patient’s interest in metal-free dentistry.”

Patients like Valplast a lot better than their old metal framework removable partial dentures. Far more comfortable and much better aesthetics.

For additional discussions on flexible partial dentures, please click here. 

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