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False teeth is an incredibly efficient way to alter a persons appearance
because it is both quick and quite cheap compared with foam latex and wigs.
The basic technique is very similar to the one used by dental technicians
making "real" false teeth. But when you are doing it for the stage you must
make some alterations so the actors speech won't be disturbed.
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You start off with casting the actors teeth with the aid of
an impression plate filled with alginate. Alginate is a soft dental casting
material that stays soft after it has solidified.
NEVER make a teeth cast with plaster!
You will damage the actors teeth.
I usually let the actor put the plate in by himself and then let him bend
over a washbasin to drool. After about 3 minutes the alginate has set and
you can carefully remove the cast. Sometimes it sticks a little, but that
usually depends on a vacuum between the teeth and the cast. Wiggle it a
little and it will eventually come loose. |
Now
it is time to make a duplicate of the teeth in plaster and that is done by
filling the cast with a special dental plaster. It sets much harder than
ordinary plaster. I often use a plaster that is called Moldano and instead
of water I use a special hardener that makes the plaster teeth hard like
porcelain.
When the plaster has set you remove the alginate and fix all the little
defects the cast may have. For this I use a scalpel and a plaster rasp.
Remember to compare your plaster teeth with the actors teeth, so you don't
cut away too much. |
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Now it is time to decide how the new teeth should look. This
is done by sculpting the new look in wax or clay.
On a normal set of teeth you just have to cover the front eight teeth for
the dental piece to stay in place without any sort of glue.
When you are happy with your sculpture you must make a new mould of it.
The easiest way to do this is with alginate in a small bowl.
When the alginate has set and you have removed the plaster teeth it is time
to clean them and apply a special release film.
When this has dried you are ready to fill your mould with dental acrylics. |
Here I am filling the mould with an acrylic that dentists
usually use for temporary repairs but for us the hardness and price is quite
good.
You fill the mould by taking small amounts of powder into each tooth and
then carefully flooding it with the solvent.
This smells very bad and is poisonous so you should not do this if you do
not have proper ventilation.
You should mix at least two or three colours to make the colour natural and
blend together with the actors own teeth.
When you have filled all the teeth, push the plaster teeth down (not too
hard) into the liquid acrylic.
This ensures that only the part where the clay was becomes filled with
acrylic and results in a thin set of teeth that will fit perfectly onto the
actor.
The drying time is about 15-20 minutes in a pressure pot and about 30
minutes in room temperature.
When all is dry it is time to make the gums. |
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Now I have filed the teeth coloured gum down so I can
replace it with red acrylic.
When you have sanded it down completely you once again brush the plaster
teeth with release agent and put the appliance back on.
Now you simply drop powder and solvent to form a proper gum of the right
thickness and shape.
After this your new teeth are almost ready. The only thing that we have left
now is to polish the surface with a sanding tool and toothpaste.
I usually make some discolouring and enhance the edges of the teeth with
grease paint too.
The actor must now try his new teeth and I have to make adjustments so that
they won't hurt his gums or teeth.
It is very important to make sure that the false set of teeth don't sit too
tightly as this can cause the real teeth damage. |
