Aesthetics in Complete Dentures: a Literature Review

The concept of esthetics has fascinated mankind for centuries. ?Esthetics?, or ?to be esthetic?, was defined, redefined, philosophized, & conceptualized. The interpretation of what is ?esthetic? is as broad an issue as one can envision. Esthetics may refer to physical attractiveness, material or tangible design, spiritual harmony, or philosophic attitude. In part, because of the wide range of interpretation of esthetics, much is written on all its aspects. Dentistry is certainly no exception. A successful denture may be defined as one in which the three cardinal factors of mechanics, esthetics, & phonetics are so completely & perfectly harmonized, that the patient can not only chew his food properly, but also experiences equal satisfaction from the contribution of the denture to his facial expressions & speech. It is frequently found that even with mechanically satisfactory denture the patient will complain of not being able to chew well. Perhaps, with only a slight improvement in esthetics, the patient will no longer complain of the inefficiency of dentures. The goal of a successful denture today is to attain a healthy beauty by harmonizing morphology & function.