トップへ » Konus Krone

Konus Krone

Q. I have a question concerning my 65 year old mother who has dentures. 5 years have passed and she is still not used to the dentures that she got through health insurance. I am looking into Konus Krone dentures for her. Her lower bridge has come out and she only wears her upper full dentures when she leaves the house. She says that she feels pain and that it is difficult to bite. I searched for a dentist specializing in dentures and asked his advice. He said that they could leave 4 teeth in her lower jaw and she could have Konus Krone dentures made.

1. Are Konus Krone dentures more comfortable to wear than dentures covered by insurance? What is the difference? (Are there many people who cannot get used to health insurance dentures who choose Konus Krone instead?)
2. Do they last? How do they compare to health insurance dentures in lifespan?
3. Her current dentist suggests that if we decide to spend the money, we could have upper dentures made through insurance and make use of her bottom teeth to have Konus Krone dentures made. Is it really OK to spend so much money on the bottom teeth and so little on the top ones?

A. First, it is actually quite common for people to have never heard of Konus Krone dentures, so let me explain about them a little bit. Konus Krone are dentures developed in Germany. This is one of the many types of the telescope system, which has a longer than 100 year history in Germany. Konus, of course, refers to the conical shape, and 'Krone' refers to the internal and external crowns used to hold the dentures in place (it is a double crown method).

The angle of the inner crown is 6 degrees (the Konus angle), and retentive force is produced by the wedging force of the inner and outer crowns. If you can imagine stacking paper cups, these dentures work very much in the same way. After putting these dentures on, the internal and external crowns fit into place and will not come apart. This angle can be adjusted to match the condition of the patient's teeth. As for removing them, there is an indentation in the dentures where you can slide your finger to lift and remove them.

These dentures do not fall off on their own during daily activities.
Fundamentally, Konus telescope cannot be used on teeth that lack nerves. This is because the retentive force is transferred directly to the supporting teeth, and if those teeth are nerveless and weak, there exists the danger of uprooting them completely. Also, there is the possibility of contraindication from left over teeth in the jaw. Therefore it is important to have a proper examination, diagnosis, and treatment method. If done correctly under the right circumstances, these are superior dentures that can last for many tens of years.

With that said, I'll answer your questions one by one.

1. Are Konus Krone dentures more comfortable to wear than dentures covered by insurance? What is the difference? (Are there many people who cannot get used to health insurance dentures who choose Konus Krone instead?)

The feel of Konus Krone dentures as compared to that of health insurance ones is completely different. Usually, when a patient only has 4 teeth remaining, Japanese health insurance only covers dentures with wire springs called clasps. The clasps stick to the teeth, but the dentures are not technically attached. This means that there is a lot of movement.
When dentures move around, it creates the awkward sensation of having a foreign object in the mouth. As opposed to this, Konus Krone dentures are attached firmly by the wedging force of the internal and external crowns and this means that there is no extra movement in the mouth. For this reason, many patients who cannot get used to health insurance dentures find relief with Konus Krone ones.

2. Do they last? How do they compare to health insurance dentures in lifespan?

When the teeth that support the clasps of insurance covered dentures fall out, it is necessary to have the dentures remade from scratch. In Japan, you are allowed to have these kinds of dentures remade over and over again if they do not fit or if they break, but with these German dentures there is no need to have them remade at all. They can be adjusted to fit the changing shape of the mouth. So it can be said that they are made for long-term use.

3. Her current dentist suggests that even were we to spend money, we could have upper dentures made through insurance and make use of her bottom teeth to have Konus Krone dentures made. Is it really OK to spend so much money on the bottom teeth and so little on the top ones?

It would be meaningless to go through all of the trouble to treat the bottom teeth but leave the top teeth with an implement that is not matched. The bottom and top teeth work as a pair. No matter how well the bottom teeth work, if the top teeth are not in synch, it will be impossible to eat and speak correctly.
They are also made out of completely different materials. The prosthetic teeth in Konus Krone dentures are made by Dr. Strack design. They are superior in function and beauty. Prosthetic teeth in dentures covered by insurance are made from a very soft plastic. If your mother gets insurance-covered dentures for her top teeth and Konus Krone dentures for her bottom teeth, it will be very difficult to get them to match since they will be made at different labs by different technicians.
I recommend that if you do choose to go that route, you should at least have the top dentures made with the same materials that the Konus Krone dentures are made with, and make sure that the dentist uses an articulator (a bite alignment device) to match the bite as accurately as possible.


トップへ » Konus Krone


コールバック予約

PAGE TOP