Complete Denture trial placement

Trial placement - functional and esthetic evaluation

The trial placement appointment is crucial for successful edentulous patient care. 

The tooth arrangement (set-up) provides a tangible orientation index of the teeth’s spatial positions in relation to each edentulous arch. This clinical visualization addresses both dentist- and patient-mediated esthetic and technical considerations. It employs the laboratory-prepared provisional teeth setup on an articulator, thereby simulating jaw and teeth contact movement relationships and movement.

The trial placement appointment represents the first time that dentist and patient can see what has been created in the laboratory; and a decision will then be one of acceptance, modification or change. This is the first occasion where the patient can see what the dentures will look like and the patient should be actively engaged and offered the chance to request changes. Mutual satisfaction with the provisional waxed-up result should be reached before additional clinical steps are taken (e.g. processing the dentures). A patient who has reservations and is not able to express them will likely be dissatisfied with the finished dentures. It is important to not just focus on the tooth arrangement, but also pay close attention to the contour of the wax-up.  If the wax-up is too bulky and will compromise patient comfort or speech or mastication, it is better to remove the bulk before processing. If the wax-up is insufficient, then wax should be added before processing. Once it is approved, the trial arrangement and wax-up is accordingly processed.