Before
we begin, lets briefly go over the basics of dental anatomy.
Studying the anatomy of the teeth and mouth is probably the
single best thing you can
do
to set your work apart from everyone else's.
The center of the mouth is where the front teeth come together.
This is called the MIDLINE. The
sides of teeth facing the midline are referred to as the MESIAL
side. Sides facing away from the midline are called the DISTAL
side. The sides of teeth facing inward are the LINGUAL
and facing outward are BUCCAL
(towards the cheek) and LABIAL
(towards the lip). From the canines forward, these teeth are
called ANTERIORS. From the 1st
bicuspid (1st pre-molar) back are called POSTERIORS.
The
anterior teeth are incisors with an INCISAL
EDGE and are used for shearing through food. The posteriors
have an OCCLUSAL TABLE made up
of CUSP TIPS and RIDGES
and are used for stamping and grinding food. The spaces in
between the teeth where the tissue hugs the tooth is called
the INTERPROXIMAL. As you can
see in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, all the teeth tilt mesially toward
the midline. This is crucial to note when designing your appliance.
You may
prefer to use clay to sculpt the teeth with which is fine.
I like to use wax as it is what I am used to using, plus it
polishes up nicely which makes polishing the final acrylic
shell much easier. I use Maves ivory inlay wax for sculpting
the teeth and pink base plate wax for sculpting the gums.
As we are going to make a set of custom fang caps, we won't
be using the pink wax here.
After
spraying your casts with a medium coat of Crystal Clear, take
a pencil and plot out the design for the fang caps. Keep in
mind the mesial tilt angle of the cusp tip (FIG. 4). I like
to add a lingual clasp (FIG. 5) for stability in the mouth.
FIG.
6 and FIG. 7 illustrate the beginning of the wax buildup.
It's ok to build the wax along the gumline so that it covers
the tissue a bit. This will carved back while still in wax
or it can be ground back after it's been cast in acrylic.
FIGS.
8 and 9 show the buildup on the back of the teeth. Here
you can see the lingual clasp on the 1st bicuspid. This
is a great way to add stability to the caps plus, it makes
it easier to identify the left from the right. Many fang
crafters use a lingual bridge to attach the caps across
the back of the anterior teeth. In my experience, this just
adds to the problem of lisping.
In
FIG. 10 I have drawn guides to help illustrate the sides
and shape of the teeth. If you can train your eye to recognize
the sides of teeth as being specific planes, this will
take you a long way towards understanding dental anatomy.
After
the basic wax build up (FIG. 11). I had to go back and add
some length to the right cuspid (tooth on the left). FIG.
13 shows the instrument I use to contour the fang shapes.
FIGS.
12-14 shows how the wax is carved into a natural fang shape.
Pay attention to the interproximal areas between the teeth.
This will aid you in carving a tooth that will properly fit
the space. Think small. The tendency will be to make a cap
that is too big. If it looks big on the cast, it will look
huge in the mouth! The
fang shapes are carved and the lingual wings are detailed.
This
case came with a lower cast (which is ideal for making an appliance
that will allow the wearer to close his mouth comfortably).
The are in red if FIG. 16 is where the opposing left a mark.
This will part be carved down until the bite is almost closed.
A piece
of nylon from an old stocking is great for polishing the wax
fang caps (FIG. 17).
FIGS.
18-21 show the finished wax sculpt ready to go. Note the concave
shape on the buccal side on the canine in FIG. 19. this shape
is usually subtle. I have slightly exaggerated it to reflect
the exaggerated length of the fangs. FIG. 21 shows the emergence
angle of the fangs from the gumline. You want to match this
angle with those of the teeth behind the canines.
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