Recently a patient presented to our office with the complaint that the partials she recently had purchased at one of the large local clinics were not right. She stated that they hurt, did not fit right, and she was unable to eat with them. Upon examination I found the partials to be a “flextite” style partial. These are a relatively new introduction to the removable prosthesis armamentarium. My personal experience with flextite partials is that they are garbage. They are problematic because they are completely soft tissue borne, that means that they are not tooth supported and therefore all the functional forces placed on the partial are transmitted directly to your gums, this causes pain and tissue trauma.

My other concern with flextite partials is that they are not readily repairable, which means if a tooth needs to added to the flextite it must go back to a lab with an exorbitant fee. Lastly, flextite partials harbor bacteria, fungi, and plaque at a much higher level than cast partials.

Succinctly, technologic advancements in dentistry have allowed our office to provide a higher level of care than years past, however sometimes new is not better, and in the case of flextite partials, new is bad.

Should you or someone you love have questions about removable partials, please contact our office for a complimentary consultation.

Sincerely,
Dr. Dagostino