A Brief History of Acrylic Dentures

Anciently, the Etruscans made dentures out of human or animal teeth.Even though these materials deteriorated quite fast, the dentures were easy to produce at the time and remained popular until the mid 1800s when other options became available.

Early Dental Prosthesis

The first United States President, George Washington, is probably one of the most famous early denture users. Over the years, many myths have generated that George Washington had false teeth made out of wood, however, Washington's dentures were not made of wood. Indeed, Washington sported some of the highest quality false teeth of the time, consisting of a denture plate made of carved hippopotamus ivory into which human teeth (along with parts of both horse and donkey teeth) were fitted.

During the 1800s, before the invention of acrylic resins for dental use, the only methods available for individuals with tooth decay and missing teeth was to use teeth from the dead corpse’s of soldiers, ivory,metal, and teeth from animals.

The Invention of Acrylic Dentures

In the 20th century, acrylic resin and other plastics became materials of choice for dentures. Although the first synthetic resin, which was called bakelite, was invented in 1907, it was not until 1934 that Neo-hecolite was created. This was the very first acrylic resin to become available to dentistry. The following year saw the introduction of a powder-liquid acrylic prototype, similar to what is used today.
Dental acrylic resin not only revolutionized denture construction, but crown and bridge procedures as well. Acrylic is today’s most widely used material for fabricating denture bases, denture teeth and temporary crowns and bridgework. Today’s denture teeth are made from acrylic, composite or porcelain and come in a plethora of sizes, shapes and colors.

Acrylic Dentures Today

With the ongoing progression of civilization, there has been continued refinement of the materials available for dental procedures. As time passed and civilization advanced with the development of biological, chemical and physical sciences, there occurred a slow but steady increase in both the quantity and quality of useful materials available for dental prostheses. The material used in dental prosthesis (or dentures) must be biologically compatible in order to develop a product that is functionally effective and gives a realistic appearance.

The means of replacing missing teeth with artificial materials continues to account for a large part of the application of material sciences. Acrylic denture base materials have been a matter of research in the field of dental materials for many years. For instance, in order to have a strong building, you need a sound foundation, which also applies for fabricating long lasting, esthetically and biologically acceptable dentures, you need an excellent denture base. These acrylic materials are available for almost any dental prosthesis desired today.

Site Bio

Pioneer Solutions Americas is a partner of Pioneer Chemicals, who has been manufacturing solid acrylic resins since 1993, where they originated in Shanghai and have since expanded globally. They are one of the largest and most successful providers of acrylic resin solutions in the Eastern hemisphere. For the past 5 years, Pioneer Solutions Americas Inc. has been expanding and successfully operates out of San Dimas in Southern California. Their mission is to assist their partners around the world with the highest level of service and quality in their resin products, providing a wide array of dental acrylic resin and polymeric materials for coatings, inks, plastics, adhesives, and many other specialty applications.