Lec:17 prosthodontic Dr.

Osama
Processing of the denture (flasking)
Flasking of the denture:

Flasking is the process of investing the cast with waxed denture in a flask to make a
two sectional mold used to form the acrylic resin denture base.

The flask:

The flask is a metal case or tube used in investing procedures or can defined as a
sectional metal case in which a sectional mold is made of artificial stone or plaster
of Paris for the purpose of compressing and processing dentures or other resinous
restorations.

The flask consists of:

1. Lower half that contains the cast

Flasking technique:

1. Compression technique (open-pack method).

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 2. Injection molding technique:
It is a complicated procedure required special flask and equipment. In this
technique the wax pattern is sprued and the material injected into the mold.
This process allows injection of further material during polymerization to
compensate for the polymerization shrinkage.

The procedure of processing the denture in compression technique:

1. Sealing of the upper and lower trial dentures all over the border until the
margin of the cast while the casts on the articulator.
2. Soak the cast and the mounting plaster in water a few minute to separate the
cast from the mounting plaster save the plaster mounting, as it will be used to
reposition the cast on the articulator after the dentures are processed.
3. Make sure that there is enough space between the incisal and occlusal surface
of the teeth and the top of the upper ring about 3-6 mm, if there is no space
then the cast must be reduced in thickness
4. Adapt a layer of tinfoil to the base of the cast slightly overlapping the edges
to insure clean removal from the investment, apply separating medium to the
cast and flask.
5. Invest the lower half of the flask first.
a. Use a mixture of plaster or stone and place in the base of the flask.
b. Center the cast in the lower half of the flask and pushed to place until the
bottom of the cast touches the base of the flask. Note that posterior portion of
the cast is leveled with the edge of the flask.
c. Remove any undercuts in the plaster. Undercuts will prevent the separation of
the upper ring from the lower portions of the flask.
d. The plaster smoothed even with the base of the cast and allows the plaster to
set.

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e. After the final setting of plaster has occurred, it will be coated with separating
medium.
6. Investing the upper half of the flask.
a. Reposition the ring (upper portion) of the flask.
b. Mixing of stone or plaster done, pouring of the plaster to flow and reach all
surfaces of teeth without any air bubbles by putting the flask on the vibrator,
the plaster or stone much reach the incisal edges and occlusal surfaces of the
teeth.
c. Separating medium painted on the second layer of the plaster after setting and
smoothing of plaster.
d. A third mixing of stone done and pouring it until the flask is filled with stone
and the flask is covered and some stone enter through the holes in the cover
and around the edges, it is essential to have metal to metal contact.
e. The stone left to set completely for about 45 minutes.
7. Wax elimination
After the complete set of the gypsum, the flask is ready for the next step which
wax elimination
a. Place the flask on a ladle and lower it into boiling water for 5 minutes. This
will soften the waxed denture base, which can easily remove from the mold
when the flask opened.
b. After five min., remove the flask from the boiling water and gently open
it, insert a wax knife between the lower and upper half and gently separate
them.
c. Remove the semisolid pieces of the waxed denture base. All the teeth
should remain in the top half of the flask. Using more hot (boiling) water
to flush out all the remaining wax.

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 d. Wax solvent can be used with stiff brush to remove any remaining wax on
teeth.
e. As soon as possible flush the mold with clean hot water to which a
detergent has been added. The detergent will be, flush out the wax residue
from area that cannot reached with the wax solvent. Immediately flush the
mold with hot water to remove all traces of the detergent solution.
f. It is essential to remove all wax residue. Acrylic resin will not adhere to a
surface coated with wax.
g. Stand the flask on its side and allow it to drain, dried, and cooled.
8. Packing and curing:
a. Separating medium used on plaster or stone, care should be taken not to
painting the teeth with separating medium.
b. The flask is left to dry and another coat is painted on the flask and left to
dry.
c. Hot or heat cure acrylic is used polymer/monomer mixed according to
manufacture instruction. Usually 10CC of monomer and 30CC of polymer
will be enough to pack an average sized denture, after mixing of the
material on clean jar and reach dough stage, its ready for packing.
d. Packing the material in the upper half of the flask, being sure to press it
well into the area around the teeth. Use enough material to insure over-
packing on the first closure using nylon sheet. At least two trial closures
done and before the final closure, a thin layer separating medium applied
on the cast and the nylon pressure by bench hydraulic press of about 100kg
per cm2. Then the flask is put in spring clamp. Then the two halves of the
flask are closed and the clamp is closed tightly, it is essential to have metal
to metal contact.

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 9. Curing:
It is the process of polymerization of acrylic resin by heat, the amount of heat
must be controlled while processing acrylic resin.
Types of curing cycle:
A. Slow curing cycle: the flask is heat to 70C for 7 hours then 100 C for 3
hours (the total 10 hours), or heated to 75 C for 6 hours then 100 C for 1
hour.
B. Rapid curing cycle: the flask is heated to 140 C for 10 minutes with 40 PSI
pressure.

The best curing cycle is the slow curing cycle because most of the conversion of
monomer to polymer occurs during the period at 70 C and the rapid cycle method
may induce greater dimensional changes in the dentures than slow cure method.

10. Deflasking: it is the removal of the mold from the flask and separate the mold
from the denture and the cast. The flask removed from the mold using a flask
ejector.