ANATOMIC TEETH vs DENTURE TEETH – WHICH ONE DO YOU USE FOR FULL DENTURE?

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The current situation is Designer often use anatomy teeth, instead of denture teeth while designing full denture. Why?

🦷 1. Main reason: Aesthetic and shape preference

  • Anatomic teeth libraries (like PhysioSet, Bonartic, or Genios) are designed for natural dentition cases — so they look more lifelike, with defined cusps and natural morphology.

  • Many designers feel these teeth look more aesthetic and give a more “real” smile compared to the denture teeth libraries, which can sometimes look too generic or flat.

  • Especially when designing digital try-in or monolithic printed dentures, customers often want a more natural, high-definition look.

⚙️2. Familiarity and habit

  • Most designers are trained on crown & bridge or hybrid cases, not removable prosthetics.

  • They are already used to working with anatomic teeth libraries, so they simply stay with what they know.

  • Some designers don’t even realize there is a separate “denture teeth” library available in Exocad.

🧩 3. Ease of occlusion setup

  • Anatomic teeth often have clear cusp-fossa relationships, which helps when adjusting occlusion manually.

  • Denture teeth libraries are sometimes made with balanced occlusion schemes, which can be more difficult to align properly unless you’re experienced in full denture setup.

🪛 4. Workflow compatibility

  • Some CAM or milling/printing workflows are better optimized for normal tooth shapes.

  • Anatomic teeth may require less adaptation when merging with base or gingiva because designers often sculpt and adjust them manually.

⚠️ 5. But there are disadvantages

If you use normal anatomic teeth for full denture:

  • They might not follow the compensating curve or lingualized occlusion needed for functional dentures.

  • The cusps can be too sharp, leading to occlusal interferences or instability.

  • You may need to do extra adjustment during setup or occlusion refinement.

  • For milling denture teeth separately, the bonding surface might not fit properly with the denture base.

✅ 6. When to use denture teeth library

Use denture teeth libraries when:

  • You’re doing functional complete denture setups (especially with balanced occlusion).

  • The client/lab wants prefabricated denture tooth replacement (compatible with brands like Ivoclar or Dentsply).

  • You need a more predictable occlusal scheme for printing/milling accuracy.