What is Prosthetic Dentistry?
It is a branch of dentistry that meets the needs of the person in terms of both health and appearance by making prosthetics to replace missing teeth in the mouth. Dental prostheses generally consist of 2 (two) parts. These;
1.movable prostheses
2. are fixed prostheses.
Removable dentures can be summarized as total dentures (in case of complete edentulism), modern dentures (with hooks or precision connections – without hooks in case of partial edentulism).
In addition, there are removable prostheses supported by implants instead of existing solid teeth.
Porcelain crowns, bridges and zirconium teeth are widely used in fixed prostheses. As with removable dentures, implant-supported fixed dentures can be made in addition to or as an alternative to natural tooth support.
In this branch, which aims to compensate for the loss of function and aesthetics following the loss of teeth and soft tissues, it is aimed to produce special solutions for each patient using different types and types of materials.
Although dental veneers and palate implants are commonly used terms among the public, all artificial teeth in the mouth are within the scope of prosthetic dental treatment.
Total, Partial Removable Prostheses
If there are no teeth left in the mouth to be used as a support, force transmission, support and retention are provided by the prosthesis sitting on the tissue surface. Completely tissue-supported prosthetic applications are called total prosthesis.
Clasps in removable partial dentures may cause aesthetic discomfort, especially in the front teeth. Additionally, the force applied with a clasp to teeth with inadequate gum health may cause tooth loss. In these cases, the force on a single tooth can be distributed by connecting the teeth to each other with crowns. Metal clasps can cause damage and wear to the healthy teeth they surround. Precision retainer dentures are a type of combined dentures in which toothless spaces are supported with removable prostheses, and the shape, color and position disorders of the existing teeth in the mouth are corrected with fixed prostheses. The teeth to be used as abutments are prepared. While fixed crowns are being made, ready-made materials called precision retainers are placed on the parts close to the toothless area. Thus, instead of the unaesthetic clasp placed on the crown, a retention system that is not visible in the mouth and does not impair the aesthetics is provided.
When there are extremely crooked, crooked and elongated teeth that will create incompatibility with the part to be prosthetic, rather than losing these teeth, their length can be shortened and interlocking crowns called telescope crowns or precision retainers can be applied on them. Such approaches in which the abutment tooth remains in the prosthesis and a removable prosthetic structure is applied on it are Overdenture prostheses. Keeping the tooth root in the mouth will prevent bone resorption and preserve the intra-oral perception feature.
Fixed Prostheses
They are types of prostheses created by gluing the structures prepared on models obtained from the measurements taken after the preparation of the tooth, in a way that they adapt to the mouth and remain fixed on the tooth. Metal alloys, full ceramic materials and zirconium are frequently used in the infrastructure of ceramic materials in prosthesis.
Crown
Crowns are used for material losses and aesthetic problems that concern a single tooth. On the model, which is sent to the technician by taking measurements from the tooth, the technician first prepares the substructure that will ensure durability, and then the porcelain superstructure that will provide aesthetics.
Bridge
In cases where more than one tooth is missing, the structures that remain in the mouth permanently and compensate for the gaps by using the teeth closest to the missing area as supports are called Bridges. However, the teeth to be used as abutments must be healthy and at a sufficient distance to withstand the force on them.
Maryland Bridges (Adhesive Bridges)
Maryland Bridges may also be an option for missing single front teeth. These are applications performed by providing superficial retention with wings that will only come to the back of the teeth, without cutting the teeth on both sides of the missing area.
Laminate Crown
In the front teeth, color changes, position, structure and shape deformities or existing gaps between the teeth can cause aesthetic problems. Laminate Crown is a prosthetic approach made by applying a minimal preparation only on the front surface of the tooth, within the boundaries of the enamel. Thanks to the development of filling technology and bonding mechanisms in recent years, laminate applications are also made with filling materials.
Telescope Crown
When there are extremely crooked, crooked and elongated teeth that will create incompatibility with the part to be prosthesised, rather than losing these teeth, their length can be shortened and interlocking crowns called telescope crowns can be applied on them.
Inlay – Onlay Fillings
Onlay-Inlay is a large filling approach prepared in the laboratory to compensate for the loss of material in the tooth when there is excessive material loss. If the material loss is low and the tubercles have not disappeared, inlay is applied. If the material loss is high and this loss includes the tubercles, onlay is applied.
Implant Supported Prostheses
It undertakes the function of restoring the function, aesthetic and phonetic functions of teeth lost for various reasons with implant-supported prostheses. Dental implants are tissue-friendly artificial roots made of titanium in the form of screws placed in the jawbone to ensure the function and aesthetics of missing teeth. Dental implants are generally used frequently for single tooth deficiencies, multiple tooth deficiencies, complete edentulism and for orthodontic anchorage (support).
- Implant-supported removable dentures
- Implant-supported fixed dentures
