Achieving an even thickness in heat-polymerized permanent acrylic resin denture bases for complete dentures

Permanent denture bases form the fitting surface of a denture and are constructed on a master cast, in heat-polymerized acrylic resin. These bases are strong and rigid and demonstrate both the fit and retention of the final prosthesis. General recommendations suggests a thickness of between 1.5 to 3 mm for these bases. The normal procedure for producing such a denture base is to manually adapt materials to the cast, in their plastic state, before processing. Such procedures are liable to distortion and variation in the thickness of the resultant denture base and may be unreliable. This article describes a method for achieving a consistent thickness in a heat-polymerized, permanent, acrylic resin denture base through the use of a vacuum-formed, thermoplastic blank as a template. The method is simple, and results in a denture base with a consistent even thickness.