Magnets to Stabilize Dentures

Abstract

Despite the progress made in prosthodontics, much remains to be done before both dentist and patient are wholly satisfied. Most dentists are constantly investigating new, different and presumably better methods of constructing dentures. And far too many patients gravitate constantly from dental office to dental office in an effort to obtain more satisfactory service. Probably the time will never arrive when all dental prosthetic problems will be solved completely, but in the meantime, the best minds in the profession will be turned toward its solution. Embedding small but powerful magnets in the molar region of dentures is another method de­ vised to overcome prosthesis instability, a problem which Joshua Greenwood at­ tempted to solve with spiral springs. In providing a full upper or lower denture, a dentist is expected to fabricate a structure which is to be placed on a foundation that is neither rigid nor uni­ formly yielding. He must place that den­ ture so exactly that it will mesh precisely with an opposing denture. Moreover, it must be stabilized in the presence of, and despite the interference of, the movable tissue that is continually trying to dis­ lodge it. Not only must the base be firm, it must be seated comfortably on the tissue; the patient must never be con­ scious of this foreign object in his or her mouth. Discomfort to the patient gen­ erally is accompanied by atrophy or pressure which causes the underlying ridge to change more rapidly than it would normally. The difficulty of this problem is indi­ cated by the radical methods some men are adopting to serve the edentulous pa­ tient. Without attempting to evaluate the merits of the procedure, implant dentures must be considered a radical procedure. Men are resorting to it only after the conventional technics fail to produce den­ tures that patients can wear confidently and comfortably. The use of magnetized dentures may be termed a radical pro­ cedure, but it is a procedure that can be evaluated, and its worth can be proved without difficulty to the patient or the dentist.