Complete Dentures

Clinical Records & What the Lab Needs

Complete denture fabrication follows a multi-appointment workflow involving the dentist and the lab. Each step requires specific clinical records.

Required Records

• "What impression, jaw relation, and esthetic records are needed for complete denture cases?" — Maxillary/mandibular preliminary and final impressions, wax rim jaw records, facebow transfer, old denture reference, shade photo, smile-line photo.
• "What model, size, color, and arrangement requirements for tooth selection?" — Patient facial type/arch form, old denture tooth mold, shade info (color/translucency), tooth length/width dimensions, anterior arrangement reference photo.
• "Do you offer wax try-in or digital try-in stage?" — Yes.

Digital vs. Traditional Workflow

Istar processes both traditional (physical impression) and digital (intraoral scan) workflows.

Digital denture workflow:

• Scan data replaces physical impressions
• Design file can be archived and reproduced anytime
• Turnaround 1–2 days shorter (no model fabrication/shipping)
• If original data is lost, remakes require new scan (vs. re-pour from retained model)

Traditional workflow:

• Physical model pour, trimming, articulation
• Model retained for future reference or reline
• Turnaround 1–2 days longer due to model fabrication and shipping

Manufacturing Workflow

Istar completes all production steps in-house. No outsourcing to third-party labs.

Process Steps

1. Case data receiving and evaluation — Case prescription, impressions/scans, shade, and jaw-relation records reviewed. Missing data flagged within 24 hours.
2. Master cast fabrication (traditional) or model generation from scan (digital) — Stone model poured and trimmed, or digital model prepared for design.
3. Custom tray fabrication (if preliminary impressions sent) — Acrylic tray formed on diagnostic cast, returned to clinic for border molding.
4. Jaw relation transfer — Wax rims mounted on articulator using facebow (if provided) and CR record.
5. Tooth selection and anterior setup — Teeth chosen based on prescription (mold, shade, size). Anterior teeth arranged per esthetic parameters (smile line, midline, incisal edge position).
6. Posterior tooth arrangement — Balanced occlusion established in excursive movements.
7. Wax try-in fabrication — Complete wax denture sent to clinic for approval.
8. Processing after try-in approval — Wax denture flasked, wax eliminated, acrylic resin packed and processed (heat-cure, injection-molding, or milled base).
9. Deflasking and finishing — Denture removed from flask, trimmed, polished.
10. Remounting and occlusal adjustment — Denture remounted on articulator using original jaw records, occlusion refined.
11. Quality inspection — Base thickness, internal voids, tooth position, occlusal contacts, polish quality checked (see Quality Control section).
12. Packaging and shipment — Denture packaged with case documents and shipped.

• "Are custom tray, wax rim, tooth setup, and final processing stages included?" — Yes.
• "How do tooth selection and arrangement follow prescription, photos, and old denture?" — Prescription is primary reference for tooth mold, shade, occlusal parameters. Clinical photos reference smile line, midline, tooth morphology. Old denture analyzed to retain favorable fullness and tooth size, while correcting occlusion/VDO/arrangement defects. Conflicts require clinical confirmation.
• "What can still be modified after wax try-in approval?" — Color, surface texture, minor morphology, and contact adjustments.

Materials & Construction Methods

Denture Base Materials

Istar offers three acrylic base-processing methods:

IMA material intent:

• "What base and tooth material options for acrylic complete dentures?" — Base: heat-cure/auto-cure acrylic, injection resin, or 3D-printed resin. Teeth: composite resin teeth, acrylic resin teeth, or porcelain teeth.
• "Injection-molded, heat-cured, or milled base?" — Heat-cure: traditional water-bath polymerization, low cost but prone to voids/warpage. Injection: pressure-formed, low shrinkage, superior fit. Milled: digital repeatability from pre-polymerized blank, but limited soft-tissue detail replication; complex soft-tissue cases may use hybrid workflow with injection/heat-cure final base.

Denture Teeth

• Composite resin teeth — High wear resistance, good esthetics, bondable to base
• Acrylic resin teeth — Traditional choice, moderate wear
• Porcelain teeth — Superior esthetics and hardness, but brittle and can cause opposing-tooth wear if patient has natural dentition

Material selection depends on:

• Patient functional demands (e.g., bruxism → composite resin)
• Esthetic priorities (e.g., high translucency → porcelain)
• Occlusal scheme (e.g., balanced occlusion vs. lingualized)
• Cost constraints

The ADA's denture care guidance emphasizes daily cleaning and avoiding overnight continuous wear — factors that affect base material longevity and should inform your post-delivery patient instructions.

Processing Quality Control (Internal)

• "How to control resin mixing, polymerization, and cooling?" — Strict powder-liquid ratio per manufacturer spec, pack at dough stage to minimize monomer evaporation. Heat-cure: avoid direct boiling, use stepped water-bath cycle. Slow cool to room temperature with water bath after polymerization; no rapid cooling. Reduces voids, shrinkage, base warpage.
• "How to minimize base polymerization shrinkage and tooth movement?" — Control resin ratio, pack at dough stage, flask under full pressure. Use stepped slow water-bath polymerization, avoid direct boiling. Prefer injection method if available. Ensure stone model strength, secure artificial teeth. Slow cooling after polymerization; no rapid cooling. This reduces shrinkage and tooth displacement.

Quality Control & Inspection

Every complete denture undergoes multi-stage inspection before shipment.

Inspection Protocol

• "How to inspect denture occlusion, tooth arrangement, base, clasps, and polish?" — Occlusion: check centric, protrusive, lateral contacts; eliminate prematurities. Verify midline, arch curve, overjet/overbite. Base: check thickness/extension compliance, no rocking. Clasps: confirm fit to abutment, adequate retention elasticity, no occlusal interference. Polish: smooth, no scratches/burrs. Acceptance per confirmed prescription and design.
• "How to check base internal defects, voids, and thickness?" — Use vernier caliper to measure base thickness at all zones; avoid over-thin/over-thick areas and abrupt transitions. Inspect surface and internal voids/cracks/inclusions via visual magnification + transillumination. Thick palatal and transition zones are key check areas. Internal or multiple voids require remake.
• "How to polish denture without altering borders and tissue surface?" — Mask tissue surface and denture borders with protective material before polishing. Grinding tools handle polished surface only; grinding motion avoids border-to-tissue-surface cuts. Tissue surface: remove burrs only, no large-area polishing. Buffing wheel avoids free margin contact. After polishing, refit on model to verify borders not ground and tissue-surface adaptation not compromised.

Removable denture department: Istar's removable denture team (~55 staff) handles all stages from model evaluation to final QC.

Stage-gate inspections :

• "What are acceptance and rework criteria for each removable denture stage?" — Model inspection, wax setup inspection, tooth arrangement inspection, processed-denture final inspection: multiple checkpoints. Denture released only when all functions verified and product meets esthetic standard. Defects (voids, honeycomb, poor occlusion, poor fit) trigger immediate rework.

Try-In & Approval Milestones

Wax Try-In Checkpoint

The wax try-in is the primary approval milestone. The dentist evaluates:

• Esthetics (tooth shape, color, arrangement)
• Tooth position and midline
• Tooth morphology
• Occlusion (VDO, centric relation)
• Vertical dimension
• Phonetics
• Base stability
• Patient overall satisfaction
• "What should the dentist check during wax try-in?" — Esthetics, tooth position/midline, tooth morphology, occlusion, vertical dimension, phonetics, base stability, patient overall satisfaction.

Post-Try-In Modifications

After wax try-in approval, limited adjustments remain possible:

• Shade/color refinement
• Surface texture (e.g., stippling)
• Minor morphology tweaks
• Contact relationship fine-tuning

Major changes (tooth position, VDO, occlusal scheme) require a new try-in.

Turnaround Time & Capacity

Realistic Timelines

Turnaround depends on workflow type and whether a try-in stage is included.

Factors affecting turnaround:

• Incomplete clinical records (missing shade, CR record, facebow) → delay
• Design revisions after first try-in → additional 5–7 days
• Rush cases → discuss with case coordinator; limited rush slots available

Production Capacity

Istar's removable denture production capacity (from company profile):

• Normal season: approximately 4,000 cases/month
• Peak season: approximately 6,500 cases/month

Even during high-demand periods, Istar maintains production resources to support stable delivery schedules via backup workforce (~50 trained backup workers).

• "Digital vs. traditional denture workflow, reproducibility, and turnaround difference?" — Digital: scan-based, convenient/accurate, long-term scan data archival, strong reproducibility, turnaround 1–2 days shorter. Traditional: extra model pour/trimming/shipping, data loss requires re-impression, turnaround 1–2 days longer, slightly higher shipping cost.

Rework & Warranty

Defect Criteria & Rework Protocol

The following defects trigger immediate rework at no charge (

• Voids / honeycomb — Internal or multiple surface bubbles in the base
• Poor occlusion — Premature contacts, lack of bilateral balance, occlusal interference
• Poor fit / non-adaptation — Base rocks on the cast, borders over/under-extended
• Tooth displacement — Teeth shifted during processing beyond acceptable tolerance
• Cracks or fractures — Structural defects in base or teeth

Rework process:

1. Send photos + case details + clinical feedback within 30 days of delivery
2. Case coordinator responds within 24 hours with disposition (rework / replacement / credit)
3. For rework requiring clinical coordination (e.g., re-bite registration), we may request a bite registration or new impression
4. Reworked unit shipped at no charge

Warranty coverage period: 30 days from delivery for manufacturing defects. Excludes normal wear, patient-side adjustment needs, or clinical changes requiring a new prescription.

It's worth noting that the ADA discourages direct-to-consumer denture labs that bypass the dentist's clinical role. Our workflow is designed to keep the dentist in the clinical loop — you make the diagnosis, treatment plan, and final fit adjustments; we manufacture to your prescription.

How to Start Working With Us

Initial Submission

Send us the following to receive a first quote and confirm workflow fit:

• Case prescription (arch count, tooth mold, shade, occlusal scheme)
• Impression (physical model or digital scan)
• Jaw relation records (wax rim or CR record)
• Shade photo and smile-line photo (if available)
• Target turnaround and any clinical constraints

What Happens Next

1. Case review — Within 24 hours, case coordinator confirms completeness and flags any missing data
2. Quote — Line-item pricing returned within 1 business day
3. Confirmation — You approve the quote and confirm the workflow (traditional or digital, try-in required or waived)
4. Production begins — Status updates at each stage (cast, setup, try-in ready, processing)

Ongoing Partnership

• Multi-doctor systems — We can maintain separate design notes per dentist within your clinic/group
• Factory visits — Shenzhen and Huizhou facilities open for clinic/lab visits, production-line tours, or video inspection
• Case coordination — Dedicated case coordination team (~40 staff) manages communication and tracking

Contact: Send your case details or schedule a call to discuss workflow alignment.

FAQ

What is the difference between complete dentures and partial dentures?

Complete dentures replace all teeth in an arch (edentulous). Partial dentures replace one or more teeth with natural teeth remaining. Complete dentures rely more on suction and full-arch ridge contact for retention.

Do you handle implant overdentures?

Yes. We handle Locator/bar and other attachment integration. Specify the attachment system and model in your prescription. Attachment selection should match your implant platform's system and size requirements.

What is the difference between heat-cured, injection-molded, and milled bases?

Heat-cured is the traditional water-bath method—low cost, established technique. Injection-molded uses pressure, reducing shrinkage and improving adaptation. Milled machines a pre-polymerized blank from digital design—excellent repeatability but limited soft-tissue detail replication. For complex soft-tissue anatomy, a hybrid workflow (milled setup + injection final base) is often optimal.

How long does fabrication take?

With a try-in stage: 15–22 business days from final impression receipt. Without try-in (digital direct): 10–14 days. Design revisions or rush requests affect timelines—discuss with your case coordinator.

What happens if the denture doesn't fit or occlude correctly?

Send photos and clinical feedback within 30 days. Manufacturing defects (voids, poor occlusion, poor adaptation, cracks) trigger free rework. Patient-side adjustment needs or changes requiring a new prescription are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Can you replicate an existing denture?

Yes. Provide an impression or scan of the existing denture plus a bite registration (wax rim) to capture current VDO and occlusion. We replicate form, tooth position, and occlusal relationship.

What materials do you use?

Base: heat-cure, injection-molded, or 3D-printed PMMA resin. Teeth: composite resin, acrylic resin, or porcelain. We match material to your clinical requirements and functional demands.

Do you offer flexible (Valplast-type) dentures?

Yes, for appropriate indications. Flexible dentures suit patients with metal allergy or those seeking discreet esthetics. They are not suitable for cases with: heavy occlusal force, extensive base coverage needs, or deep undercuts (flexible material deforms, is difficult to reline or repair).

Can you add teeth to or repair an existing denture?

Yes. Provide upper/lower models, the old denture, and a wax rim. We use matching resin material, roughen and clean the old denture, control heating temperature to avoid damage, then perform a bond strength test after joining.

Summary

Istar Dental Lab manufactures complete dentures through a direct, in-house workflow spanning custom tray fabrication, master casts, jaw relation transfer, tooth arrangement, wax try-in, processing (heat-cure / injection / milled), multi-stage QC, and international delivery.

Key facts:

• Established 2012, Shenzhen + Huizhou facilities
• ~460 employees including ~55 in the removable denture department
• 4,000–6,500 cases/month removable denture capacity
• Traditional + digital workflows
• Full QC: model → wax setup → tooth arrangement → processed final
• Free rework on manufacturing defects within 30 days