Creating durable and esthetic gingival anatomy on a polyoxymethylene overdenture by using a chairside procedure.

BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW: Snap-On Smile (DenMat) appliances are tooth-borne overdentures used for a variety of temporary esthetic applications. However, their benefit can be limited in patients with high smile lines and altered gingival architecture because the teeth look too large.

CASE DESCRIPTION: In this report, the author shows the chairside application of a silicone denture reline material used to recreate gingival anatomy on an overdenture fabricated from crystallized acetyl resin, the material used in a Snap-On Smile appliance. The author shows the gingival application's durability of greater than 2 years in a 78-year-old patient with multiple missing teeth and a severe mandibular ridge deformity. The author tested several commonly available denture reline materials and their bonding agents, which are known to bond to acrylic resin but have not been shown to bond to crystallized acetyl resin. The author observed no candida colonization during the 2-year reporting period.

CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The author presents a simple and durable chairside technique to reproduce gingival tissue esthetically on Snap-On Smile appliances.