Waxing & Carving

Dr. Inas Abdul Sattar Salman

The polished surfaces of dentures influence
retentive quality and esthetic values of the
dentures. The polished surfaces are developed by
contouring the wax. The wax surfaces around the
teeth are known as the "art portion" of the
polished surfaces. It should imitate the form of the
tissues around the natural teeth for esthetic
reasons. The form of the denture bases between
the teeth and the border should be shaped in such a
manner as to aid retention by the mechanical
directional forces of the muscles and tissues.
Waxing is defined as the contouring of the wax
base of the trial denture into the desired form.
Carving is defined as restoring the anatomic
forms of the lost tissues.
Benefits of properly contoured dentures:-
1. Improved esthetic for patients especially those
with a high smile line who display significant
amounts of gingiva.
2. Provides for appropriate support and contour
of the lip and cheek.
3. Improved tolerance and comfort.
4. Facilitates denture stability and control.
5. Prevents chronic biting of the lip or cheek.
There are three principle surfaces concerned in
functional stability of the dentures:
1. The basal or impression surface.
2. The leverage position and occlusal surface of
the teeth.
3. The location and form of the polished surface.
The polished surface is defined by:-
1. The width of the border
2. The buccolingual position of teeth:
3. The fullness given to wax to obtain convexity
and concavity both facially and lingually.
1. The width of the border
The borders of denture are rounded; the wax is
contoured so that the width of the borders as
recorded in the impression is preserved in the
denture.
The muscles of the cheek and tongue have
inclined plane action, which exerted a horizontal
force in the direction of the occlusal plane. This
action can act as either a placing or displacing
agent, depending on the shape of the polished
surface. The power of inclined plane forces on the
shape of polished surfaces as a mechanical aid, or
detriment in retention.
For instance, when the lingual and buccal borders
of a mandibular denture, are being shaped, they
can be made concave so the tongue and cheek will
grip and tend to seat the denture. In the opposite
case (in which the lingual and buccal surfaces are
made convex by waxing , the inclined plane forces
resulting from pressure of the tongue and cheeks
will tend to unseat the denture.
2. The buccolingual position of teeth:

The buccolingual position of the teeth is important

because the farther toward the cheek the teeth are the
greater the unseating inclined plane action becomes. A
buccal position of the teeth would necessitate shaping
the surface of the denture base in such a manner that
the muscle action of the cheeks would tend to unseat
the mandibular denture.
The buccal surface of mandibular dentures in first
premolar region should be shaped carefully so as
not to interfere with the action of modulus (is the
connecting of the facial muscles with the
orbicularis oris muscle). This connecting point of
muscles can displace the mandibular denture if the
polished surface inclines towards the cheek or if
the arch in the premolar region is too wide.
3. The fullness given to wax to obtain convexity
and concavity both facially and lingually.
Generally speaking, fullness on the buccal and labial
surfaces of the mandibular and maxillary dentures is
desirable; and the opposite is true on the palatal surface of
the maxillary denture, to provide all possible space for the
tongue. The excess bulk here can interfere with tongue
function and speech. The thickness of the palatal part will
vary with the loss of bone from the residual alveolar ridge,
but generally the palate is given a uniform thickness of
2.5mm. This will promote proper speech and reduce
incidence of gagging.


The lingual flange of the mandibular denture
should have the least possible amount of bulk,
except at the border (which must be thick). This
thickness is under the narrower portion of the
tongue, and it greatly enhances the seal by
contacting the mucolingual fold.
A small surplus can be allowed to compensate for
the loss of base material during finishing.
Requirements of the denture polished surfaces to maintain
the esthetics, retention and stability of the complete denture.
1. They should duplicate the covered soft tissues as accurately
as possible.
2. The borders both labial and buccal should full the vestibule.
3. Notches should be provided to accommodate the mucous
membrane attachments (frenum), both in size and direction.
4. The contour of the lingual flanges should be compatible
with the tongue.
5. The contour of the denture flanges should be compatible
with the drop of the cheeks and lips.
6. The palatal section of the maxillary denture should be nearly
a reproduction of the patient palate and rugae.
Procedure:
1.Contour the wax carefully to prevent teeth
movement.
2. An excess of base plate wax is added on the
buccal and labial surfaces of the mandibular and
maxillary trial dentures. The bulk of this is cut
back to the outer border of the cast, and then the
small end of a knife is held at a 45 degree angle to
the tooth surface to form the wax gingival margin.
It is well to have a surplus of wax along the
gingival line and then to retrim when a complete
view of the entire waxing is possible.
Triangle markings can be placed as a guide to the length and
position of the root indications, as long as it is kept in mind that
the root of the maxillary canine is the longest, the root of the
lateral incisor the shortest, and the central incisor root of a
length between these two. On the mandibular denture the root of
the canine is the longest, the root of the central incisor is the
shortest, and the lateral incisor root between these two. The wax
is now scraped out of spaces between these triangular areas,
after which the root indications will become manifest.
The sharp and rough indications are now rounded
with a large scraper and the spatula, they should
not be overemphasized. Avoid bulky wax-up
because the additional bulk of the acrylic resin
may contribute to porosity and dimensional
processing error.
The lingual surface of the mandibular denture may be made
slightly concave without extending the concavity under the
lingual surface of the teeth. A projection of the tooth beyond the
polished surface acts as an undercut into which the patient's
tongue will slip, thereby causing the denture to be unseated.
The palatal surface of the maxillary denture should be waxed to
a uniform thickness of 2.5mm. Thus, when the processed resin
is smoothed and polished, the palate will be as thin as possible
and yet sufficiently thick to provide adequate strength.
Lingual festooning restores part of the lingual surface of the
tooth that is not supplied in artificial teeth. Wax is added and
carved on the lingual side of the artificial teeth to imitate the
normal lingual contours of each tooth, to make these teeth more
natural in size and more compatible to the tongue.
 The interdental papilla must be flat or slightly
convex so as provide a more natural appearance
and to avoid food impaction.
Proper development of gingival contours
Proper development of
the maxillary cuspid
eminences helps
displace the corners of
the mouth and the lip
away from the biting
zone.
Maxillary cuspid eminence
Purpose: Lip support and contour.
3. Stippling of wax: stippling refers to the
orange peel like appearance of the attached
gingiva. This can be observed in the mouth after
drying the gums.
A denture with a stippled effect simulates
natural gingiva and prevents light being
reflected from the denture base. Stippling in the
wax is done by first lightly flaming the surface
of the wax; the wax base is then struck
repeatedly with a stiff tooth brush. The bristles,
being held in a vertical direction, produce many
small indentations in the wax. The wax base is
then flamed in a light and fleeting manner with a
Hanau torch to smooth out the gross roughness
caused by the toothbrush.
Benifite of stippling
• Esthetics – reflection of light
• Keeps food particles from traveling up to the
periphery of the denture
After the wax has been contoured, smooth it by
flaming and then polish it with wet cotton. A
piece of dental floss may be used to clean the
wax from between the anterior teeth.
When using resin artificial teeth, it is the
utmost importance to remove all wax from the
teeth, facially, inter proximally and lingually.
Otherwise, denture base material will adhere to
the teeth causing a poor esthetic result, and
making finishing procedures difficult.
• Final wax-up summary:
• No wax on teeth surfaces
• Wax has been carefully smoothed
• Note the natural anatomic contours
• Butt joint between wax and teeth
Thank You