A Chair-side correction of a speech problem due to a complete denture

With an increasing elderly population there is an increased prevalence of edentulism and a need for complete dentures.^1,2 Traditionally, complete loss of teeth is restored with a conventional complete denture. Several problems are reported to be associated with the use of complete dentures.^3,4,5 These problems include discomfort, looseness of dentures, adaptation difficulty and phonetics. These complications are not uncommon and dental practitioners need to be able to diagnose and manage such complications. In this clinical tip, a 62-year-old male patient presented to the Dublin Dental University Hospital (DDUH) complaining of a loose upper complete denture and requesting a new one to be made. Clinical examination revealed a completely edentulous upper jaw and Kennedy Class I lower arch. The upper edentulous jaw was restored with a conventional complete denture while the lower jaw was not restored. Both arches had good alveolar ridges with a Class II skeletal relationship. The patient's denture stability and retention were poor and it was approximately 10 years old. After discussing treatment options with patient, the following treatment was carried out: upper complete denture and lower chrome cobalt removable partial denture using the RPI system. A new upper complete denture was made along with a lower chrome cobalt removable partial denture. On review, the patient reported difficulties in speech and making a whistle sound when pronouncing words with sibilants; in particular when he pronounced ‘flowers’, which was heard as ‘flowersh’.