The importance of occlusal balance in the control of complete dentures.

OBJECTIVE: The importance of occlusal balance to the control of complete dentures during function was assessed. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The complete dentures of five patients who were having difficulty controlling their prostheses were accurately duplicated. The artificial teeth were replaced with occlusally balanced teeth. No other changes were made. Patients were asked to report their experiences with the new dentures after 1 week, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks. RESULTS: By the end of 6 weeks, improvement in denture stability and eating comfort were reported by all patients. CONCLUSION: Improvements occurred when the occlusion was balanced, despite existing jaw relationship errors, fitting inaccuracies, and peripheral extension errors.