Flangeless Denture Technique for Management of Prominent Labial Undercuts in Completely Edentulous Patients - A Case Report

Sep 30, 2026

Completely edentulous patients with a labially inclined premaxilla and deep labial undercuts often face major challenges during prosthetic rehabilitation, especially from excessive lip fullness produced by conventional denture flanges. Surgical solutions such as alveoloplasty can correct the anatomy, but many patients decline because of medical risks or personal preference. This case report presents a noninvasive flangeless denture approach for a 54-year-old woman with chewing difficulty and prominent labial undercuts. A flangeless maxillary denture combined with a conventional mandibular denture used blocking out, custom tray border molding, and final impressions with light-body polyvinyl siloxane. The design included a labial window and retention wings to reduce lip fullness while maintaining stability. After insertion, the patient reported satisfactory comfort, function, and esthetics with adequate retention, achieved without surgery, demonstrating a simple, cost-effective and patient-acceptable alternative.

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CategoryHealthcare

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Case Report

Case Report Flangeless Denture Technique for Management of Prominent Labial Undercuts in Completely Edentulous Patients: A Case Report Mukesh Soni1, Vidushi Jayaswal2, Alka Gupta3, Mukesh Sisodiya2, Apurva Kurhade2, Shivani Gupta4 1Associate Professor, Department of Prosthodonticsand Crown & Bridge Government College of Dentistry, Indore Madhya Pradesh, India, 2Post Graduate Student, Department of Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge Government College of Dentistry, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India, 3Professor & Head, Department of Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge, Government College of Dentistry, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India, 4Post Graduate Student, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College of Dental Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka, India Submitted: 12‑Jul‑2025 Revised: 01‑Aug‑2025 Accepted: 03‑Aug‑2025 Published: 17‑Dec‑2025 Abstract Completely edentulous patients with a labially inclined premaxilla and deep labial undercuts often present significant challenges during prosthetic rehabilitation, particularly due to excessive lip fullness created by conventional denture flanges. While surgical correction such as alveoloplasty may address the anatomical limitation, many patients decline such procedures due to medical concerns or personal preference. This report describes a noninvasive alternative using aflangeless denture design. A 54‑year‑old woman presented with chewing difficulty and prominent labial undercuts. Clinical evaluation revealed a U‑shaped maxillary ridge with a pronounced premaxilla, leading to compromised denture esthetics and comfort. Given the patient’s reluctance to undergo surgery, a flangeless maxillary denture combined with a conventional mandibular denture was planned. The clinical procedure involved blocking out the undercut, fabricating a custom tray, performing border molding, and making the final impression with light‑body polyvinyl siloxane. The maxillary denture incorporated a labial window and two retention wings to minimize lip fullness while maintaining stability. Following insertion, the patient reported satisfactory comfort, function, and esthetics, with effective management of the labial undercut and adequate prosthesis retention achieved without surgical intervention. This case demonstrates that the flangeless denture technique is a simple, noninvasive, and cost‑effective approach for addressing prominent labial undercuts in edentulous patients, offering improved functional and esthetic outcomes along with greater patient acceptance. Keywords: Conservative treatment, denture, edentulous, flangeless, labial undercut Introduction P rosthodontists encounter various types of dentulous ridges and contours. Each patient may have a different ridge morphology, ranging from heavily resorbed to massive. Because of the distinct resorption patterns in the maxilla and mandible, an extremely prominent bone in the anterior region is more common in the maxilla. The most common conditions that affect the esthetics and fabrication of complete dentures area labially proclined maxilla with the presence of an associated undercut.[1] Such a condition, which exists in edentulous patients, can be corrected surgically before the construction of dentures, enabling the patient to function more successfully following prosthetic restoration.[2] | Access this article online | | | --- | --- | | Quick Response Code:
| Website: [https://journals.lww.com/jpbs](https://journals.lww.com/jpbs) | | | DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_1215_25 | Using reconstructive/pre‑prosthetic surgery is not always practical due to low patient motivation. Pre‑prosthetic surgery has the drawback of potentially reducing the establishment of denture support. Another limitation of surgery is systemic disorders, including cardiac conditions, hypertension, and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus.[3] Arranging the teeth in a denture can be challenging due to limited space, often r

FAQs

Why do labial undercuts and a labially inclined premaxilla complicate complete denture rehabilitation?

They often cause significant prosthetic challenges, particularly excessive lip fullness with conventional denture flanges, leading to compromised esthetics and comfort.

What noninvasive treatment alternative is described for patients reluctant to undergo surgery?

A flangeless denture technique, using a flangeless maxillary denture combined with a conventional mandibular denture, to manage prominent labial undercuts.

How was the flangeless maxillary denture designed to improve comfort and retention?

It blocked out the undercut, used border molding and final impressions with light-body polyvinyl siloxane, and incorporated a labial window plus two retention wings to minimize lip fullness while maintaining stability.

Sep 30, 2026

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