The wax-up of a denture involves contouring the wax around the teeth to simulate natural gingiva, create proper festooning and provide an aesthetic appearance. In processing, the wax denture is converted into acrylic by flasking, wax elimination, packing with heat-cure resin, curing and deflasking. Finishing includes removal of excess resin and smoothing without altering borders, while polishing provides a glossy external surface, leaving the tissue surface smooth but not highly polished.