Prosthetic Dentistry
Prosthetic dental treatment is the department of dentistry that aims to restore lost teeth and surrounding oral tissues to the patient. Loss of teeth and surrounding tissues will cause aesthetic, functional, phonetic and moral losses. Therefore, these losses should be compensated by making prostheses. Dental prostheses can be basically classified as fixed prostheses, removable prostheses and implant prostheses.
Fixed dentures are dentures made by taking support from existing teeth and fixed by sticking to these teeth. Since they cannot be removed by the patient, they are called fixed prostheses. Porcelains with or without metal infrastructure are used in the construction of fixed prostheses. Crowns made on single teeth or bridges made by reducing adjacent teeth to complete missing teeth are types of fixed prosthesis.
Removable dentures are dentures made by taking support from the teeth as well as the remaining gums and bones in the area of the lost teeth. They are usually performed when the number and placement of the remaining teeth do not allow for fixed dentures.
They are larger in volume than fixed prostheses, as they have parts that spread to these areas to support the edentulous cavities. They can be easily removed and put on by the patient. In cases where teeth are partially lost, dentures attached to existing teeth by means of hooks (crochet) or precision retainers (anker) are called removable partial dentures. In cases where teeth are completely lost, full (total) dentures are made that sit on the gingiva and bone in edentulous areas.
Implants are titanium screws in the form of tooth root that are placed in the jawbone to replace lost teeth. A tooth lost by using implants can be restored in its closest natural state without touching the adjacent teeth. The prosthesis of the patient who has to use a removable prosthesis can be converted to a fixed prosthesis. Or, implants can be used to reduce the movements of full dentures in the mouth and increase their retention. Implants can provide many alternative solutions to remove limitations in terms of prosthetic construction.
