The Ball Attachment

The Nobelpharma ball attachment is for over denture treatment on single abutments. The use of this attachment is for retention and stabilization. When used in overdentures it reduces shock, pressure and torque. It is simple to use, saves time, and is a very convenient treatment plan for the patient. The patient's existing denture can be used, or a new one fabricated. The ball attachment is screwed directly into the fixture. The attachment comes in three heights: 3 mm, 4 mm, and 5.5 mm. On top of the ball there is an internal hexagon used when installing the screw. The screw is made of pure titanium.

The diameter of the ball is 3.5 mm in this titanium ball attachment with abutment connector.

The plastic cap has a rubber a-ring which is incorporated in the denture. a-rings have a retention capacity of 500 gills each. They can be cold cured chairside or heat cured in the laboratory.

These ball attachment brass replicas have spacers and caps with 0rings. The plastic spacer fits on top of the brass replicas during the processing procedures. The spacer is used to create the necessary room on top of the ball, permitting minor denture movement during function.

One thickness of baseplate wax is put in the area of the ball attachments in the patient's denture. The denture is seated in the patient's mouth. Using slight pressure, the positions of the ball attachments are imprinted in the wax. When the areas have been located, they are hollowed out.

This procedure is repeated until the denture seats to the proper position.

This intraoral view shows the ball attachment.

This close-up of the ball attachment shows good tissue response and adaptation.

Acrylic is removed from the tissue side of the denture and a reline impression is taken. Brass replicas of the ball attachment are placed in the negative reproduction present in the impression. The master cast is poured and the denture and cast are mounted on a reline jig. The denture is then relined in the normal manner using Lucitone 199.

This master cast has brass ball attachment replicas. When heat curing the female during laboratory procedures, it is necessary to block out with stone from the cast-up and around the visible part of the brass replica to the underside of the attachment. This will prevent leakage of acrylic to the inside of the plastic caps and a-ring.

This is a view of the tissue side of the processed denture with female a-ring' attachment.