Luxene 37 Dentures

Circa 1937 | Object # 1031.0004

Vulcanite had become the standard dental plate material for dentures, but it left much room for improvement. When synthetic plastics were developed in the 1920s, dental supply companies saw an opportunity.  

In 1927, the Dental Manufacturing Company Limited, London, started using Walkerite, a phenol–formaldehyde product. In 1933, the Bakelite Corporation introduced a new material for dentures called Luxene. 

Vinyl dentures started to be sold in 1932, but the best replacement for vulcanite only appeared in 1936, with the commercialization of Vernonite, a polymethyl methacrylate denture that rapidly dominated the market. 

In 1938, a survey of dental plate materials used by dentists showed that 71% used vulcanite, 20% phenol–formaldehyde, 8% cellulose derivates and 1% vinyl resins. In 1947, another survey concluded that 95% of all dentures were made of PMMA.