CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

Chapter 15
Denture Processing
FLASKING, WAX ELIMINATION,
PACKING AND CURING

I - Flasking:

Dental Flask: Is an instrument into which the contoured,

waxed-up denture base is converted into resin. This is done by
investing the waxed denture, eliminating the wax to form a
mould into which methyl-methacrylate resin is packed.

Purpose of flasking:

Flasking is made in order to produce a mould of the

waxed up denture for packing and processing of the acrylic
material.

A separating medium should be applied between the

acrylic resin and the flasking material. This procedure is
important to prevent contamination of the acrylic resin with
moisture during processing. The separating medium is either in
the form of tin foil or tin foil substitute.

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

Component parts of the dental flask: (Fig.1)

1- The base of the flask is in the form of a cup. It contains a

round knock-out plate. For the lower denture, the edge of the
base is higher posteriorly to accommodate the posterior
upward inclination of the mandible.

2- The middle part of the flask is in the form of a ring, it fits

accurately into the base through pins.

3- The top part of the flask "the Lid" which fits accurately into
the ring and contains escape holes.

Procedure for flasking using tin foil substitute:

(Fig.2)

- Seal the waxed denture base to the cast using base plate wax.

- Remove the waxed up denture from the articulator.

- Place the dentures and casts in the flask to check the height of
denture teeth in the flask, to ensure that the flask and the casts
are of compatible size.

- The waxed up dentures placed on their casts are soaked in

water at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Hence the
casts are thoroughly wet removing less water from the
investing stone mix.

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

- Paint the casts with separating medium to facilitate

deflasking, and the inside surface of the flask is lightly coated
with vaseline.

- Mix artificial stone and place it in the base part of the flask.
Settle the waxed denture and the cast into the mix, and center
the cast in the flask. The posterior portion of the cast should
at the same level with the edge of the flask, and the occlusal
plane approximately parallel to the base of the flask.

- Smooth the stone around the cast and block any undercut that
would prevent separation of the flask halves, such
undercuts occur commonly in the posterior lingual region of
mandibular dentures.

- Place the ring of the flask in position on the base part to

ensure that no stone remains on the rim preventing complete
seating and teeth do not protrude above the top of the flask.
After the stone sets, paint plaster separating medium on the
first stage stone. Take care not to place separating medium on
the waxed denture or teeth.

- A mix of artificial stone is poured into the flask while the ring
is in its position place the flask on a vibrator to ensure that the
stone reaches all crevices around the teeth. In the absence of a
vibrator the stone may be settled by tapping the flask on a
bench covered with a towel.

- Remove the stone with finger to expose the occlusal surface

of the teeth.

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

- The stone is allowed to set, then a plaster separating medium

is painted on the surface of the second stage stone.

- A mix of stone is poured so that the flask is over-filled to

produce the third stage stone.

- Place the lid on the flask firmly and tap it gently to ensure
that the flask has been completely filled.

- Allow the stone to set before the wax is eliminated.

Procedure for flasking using tin foil:

1. It is generally believed that contamination of the acrylic

resin with moisture during processing can best be prevented by
processing against tin foil. The waxed up denture is invested in
the base of the flask.

2. The foil of 0.003 inch thickness is cut and burnished to the

palatal area and to the lingual surface of the teeth.

3. Three strips of tin foil are burnished to the labial and

buccal surfaces extending them to the labial and buccal
surfaces of the teeth and beyond the boxing edge of the cast.

4. Only the incisal and occlusal surfaces are exposed. Any

tears in the foil must be patched by small pieces of foil.

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

II- Wax Elimination:

After the dentures have been flasked, the wax

must be eliminated to form a mould into which the
resin may be packed. This is done by placing the flask
in hot water which softens the wax. The flask is then
opened and the wax is flushed out.

Procedure for wax elimination: (Fig.3&4)

- The flask is placed in boiling water for approximately 5

minutes, then removed.

- With the blunt end of a plaster knife, separate the flask. It is

placed in the slot in the posterior portion of the flask, which is
then gently opened. Discard the softened wax, and plastic
denture base. Then check that no denture teeth have been
dislodged on opening the flask.

- Clean boiling water, to which detergent has been added, is

flowed over the surface of the teeth, cast, and stone to
eliminate all traces of wax.
- With a brush, and soap or detergent solution thoroughly scrub
the mould to reach into all mould recesses. This is followed
with a clean boiling water flush, to remove any trace of the
detergent.

- Place the flask aside to cool.

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

Painting the tin foil substitute: (Fig.5)

Tin-foil substitute (sodium alginate) is applied to all

stone surfaces of the cast, and the flasking stone after the flasks
have cooled to prevent the resin from adhering to the stone. A
large brush may be used to paint the casts and the flasking
stone while a small brush is used to carry tin foil substitute
around the teeth. Avoid covering the teeth otherwise, a small
void will be present around the teeth in the completed denture.
The void will stain in the mouth and result in a black line
around the teeth.

After the stone in the flask has been painted, place it

aside and allow it to dry. Now the mould is ready for packing
the denture resin.

III- Packing the acrylic resin:

Packing of the resin material into the mould may be

accomplished by two methods:

A] The Injection method:

In this procedure a sprue arrangement with a suitable

flask must be used after the waxing up of the denture. This
method employs a plunger and spring tension type
arrangement: thereby the acrylic resin is constantly fed into the
mould during the processing of the denture material. Some
modifications of this technique are available by the
manufacturers of certain resin materials.

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

B] The open flask method:

This procedure is more commonly used since it only

requires the use of ordinary office equipment.

Procedure of the open flask method: (Fig.6)

1. Proportion the monomer and polymer following the

manufacturer's instruction. Place the monomer in a clean
mixing jar and then sprinkle the polymer into it to ensure that
each particle of the polymer is wet with the monomer. The
mixture is then spatulated with a stainless steel spatula.

2. Cover the mixing jar to prevent evaporation of the

monomer, resulting in a grainy mix. Place the jar aside until
the resin reaches the dough stage.

3. Remove the resin from the jar, form it in a roll and adapt it
to the mould in the flask.

4. Place a piece of wet cellophane over the resin. Place the

flask halves in their position and close it. This allows the flask
to be re-opened for inspection, adding or removing resin
without adherence of the cast to the tissue surface of the
uncured resin.

5. Place the assembled flask in a bench press and press

slowly. This permits the flow of acrylic resin into minute areas
of the mold.

515
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

6. Open the flask and cut away excess resin extending

around the edges of the flask, so that no resin is beyond the
border of the denture.

7. Trial packing is repeated until no more excess resin is

apparent on opening the flask, all the fine details are present on
the surface of the resin representing an exact negative replica
of the cast, and the resin shows a dense shiny surface.

8. Repaint the cast portion of the flask with tin-foil substitute

and allow it to dry.

9. Assemble the flask and close it until metal to metal

contact between the flask rims is achieved.
10. Place the flask in a processing clamp and turn the
hexagonal handle to close the clamp tightly.

IV- Curing the Denture:

There are two curing cycles:

a- Long curing cycle: flasks are placed in water at 106OF
(70OC) for nine hours.
b- Short curing cycle: flasks are placed in water at 106OF
(70OC) for two hours, then maintained at 212 OF (100OC) for
one hour.

The Hanau Model 2 curing unit: (Fig.7)

This unit is almost universally used in the dental

laboratory service. It provides a positive means of controlling
the rate of heating.

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

The large volume of water in the unit acts as a heat sink to

dissipate the extra heat generated by the chemical reaction
between the monomer and polymer. The temperature in the
flask must stay below 212" F to prevent boiling of the
monomer with resultant porosity.

After curing, the flasks are removed from the water and
allowed to bench cool before they are removed from the clamp.
The denture is then ready for deflasking, finishing and
polishing.

V- Deflasking:

After the dentures are cured, the flasks must cool to

room temperature before they are removed from the processing
press. They must cool slowly as rapid cooling induces
dimensional changes in the denture base. When they have
cooled they are removed by loosening the clamp screw.

The objective of deflasking procedure is to remove the

denture from the investment material without breaking the
denture or dislodging the denture from the cast for laboratory
remounting.

Procedure:
1. Remove the lid of the flask using plaster knife.

2. The flask is then placed in a flask ejector to separate the

flask from the stone enclosed denture. (Fig. 8)

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

3. An alternate method for removing the flask is by using a

hammer to strike the knock-out plate on the bottom of the
flask. The base part of the flask is removed followed by the top
part.

4. Place a knife blade at the junction between the stone cap

and the rest of the stone enclosing the denture to separate the
stone cap and expose the cusp tips and incisal edges of the
denture teeth.

5. Using a saw, make three saw cuts in the investing stone,

one opposite the central incisor teeth and one at each
distobuccal corner of the flasked denture.

6. Separate the stone sections gently, then remove stone

from palate or tongue area using a knife. Do not remove the
dentures from the casts, special care must be taken to ensure
that the casts are not broken. (Fig. 8)
7. Use a tooth brush to clean out the index grooves on the
base of the cast, to facilitate accurate repositioning of the casts
on the mounting stone for the correction of any processing
errors. (Fig.9) If any nodules of acrylic resin material are on/or
near the incisal or occlusal surfaces of the teeth, they must be
removed by burs or stones.

N.B. The denture base and the teeth are inspected for any
faults. A well cured material of a good color is desired.

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

VI- Finishing and polishing: (Fig. 10)

Finishing of denture consists of perfecting the final

form of the denture by removing:

a. Any flash of acrylic resin at the denture border.

b. Any flash and stone remaining around the teeth.
c. Any nodule of acrylic resin on the surface of the denture
base.

The flash is the acrylic resin that was forced out between
the halves of the flask by the pressure applied during packing
procedure.

Care must be taken to preserve the border and contour of

the denture during finishing process.

If the impression was correctly boxed and the trial

denture base was correctly waxed-up, the outline of the denture
can be determined easily and little finishing will be necessary.

Precautions must be taken to minimize reduction of the

bulk, thus avoiding excessive heating of the processed denture
base which will cause unnecessary denture base warpage.

The technician should neither smooth the borders, nor

remove any roughness on the tissue surface of the denture.

Polishing of the denture consists of making a denture

smooth and glossy without changing its contour.

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

Polishing of the denture consists of making the denture

surface which is contact with lips, cheek and tongue (polished
surfaces) smooth and glossy to avoid abrasion of the delicate
mucosa. Using a series of progressively finer abrasives, a
special wheel and brush should be used with each of the
polishing agents.

The fine scratches left by the pumice should be removed

with a rag wheel and Tripoli.

Finally, very light pressure must be used for polishing

the denture with wet whitening and a rag wheel.

The completed denture should have high gloss,

compatible contour, and a natural appearance. It is easier to
keep a glossy surface clean.

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

Fig.1 Components of dental flask

Fig. 2 Procedure for flasking

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

Fig.3 wax elimination

Fig.4 Flask after wax elimination Fig.5 Painting separating medium

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

Fig.6 Packing of acrylic resin

Fig. 7 Hanau model H2 curing unit

511
CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

Fig.8 Deflasking

Fig. 9 Procedure for laboratory remounting

Fig. 10 Finishing and polishing of the denture

511
 CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

Common laboratory Errors

Error Cause
1. Porosity a. Insufficient dough
b. Packed at sticky stage.
c. Rapid rise in temperature.
d. Lack of metal to metal contact.
2. Incomplete a. Incorrect time and temperature of curing.
cure b. Organic solvents in contact with the acrylic
resin.
3. Bleaching a. An undercure.
of acrylic b. Incorporation of the tin foil substitute with
resin the acrylic resin on its surface.
c. Incorporation of wet cellophane into the
resin.
d. Contamination with same organic solvents.

2. Crazing a. Contaminated with organic solvent, tin foil

substitute, water or dust.
b. Rapid rise in temperature
c. Rapid cooling
3. Sandy a. Dry mix.
appearance b. Evaporation of monomer
c. Delayed curing.
4. Denture Stone not properly spatulated
base with Air bubbles within the stone
nodules

515
 CHAPTER 15 Denture processing

5. Cracked a. Improper flasking or deflasking.

or fractured b. Rapid curing or cooling
teeth c. Too much monomer.

6. Tooth a. Plaster was used instead of stone.

movement b. Not enough time for plaster setting.
c. Late packing of already mixed acrylic
resin.
d. Over packing of acrylic.
e. Rapid pressure
g. Teeth not retained within the stone.

511