Prosthodontic Services
Prosthodontic Dental Treatment
The aim of prosthodontic treatment is to restore compromised or to replace missing teeth. This can be achieved by using removable or fixed prosthodontics. This includes the use of full dentures, partial dentures and crowns and bridges.
What is removable prosthodontics?
Removable prosthodontics are known as dentures or as people call it “false teeth”. Depending on your needs, a full set of dentures or a removable denture will be used.
Full dentures are placed in the mouth when the patient presents with no teeth or when all the teeth in the upper and/or lower jaw is removed. This is a removable prosthesis for both the top and the lower jaw. This restores the patient’s function of eating and speaking, as well as aesthetics. The colour of the teeth can be chosen according to your own needs.
Partial dentures are a removable prosthesis placed in the mouth where 1 or more teeth are missing. This removable denture ‘clips’ around your existing teeth in the mouth to help keep them secure. This ensures placement of the teeth in the spaces where there are no teeth next to your existing teeth. This can either be acrylic or metal. The colour of the teeth can also be chosen according to your own needs.
What is fixed prosthodontics?
Fixed prosthodontics are restorations placed on compromised teeth as well as replacing missing teeth, but it cannot be removed as with dentures. This includes crowns (“caps”), bridges, implant-crowns and veneers.
Crowns and Bridges
Crowns and bridges are fixed prosthesis, which means that they are cemented in the mouth to the existing tooth. The dentist will cut and adjust the existing tooth in your mouth for the crown to fit on it. This is an excellent treatment option to restore teeth that has been severely damaged by decay, or that has lost their aesthetics or their function. This in turn also prevents further decay or damage with proper oral hygiene routines.
What is a Crown?
A crown is placed on the natural tooth structure which has been adjusted. Instead of having to extract the tooth, you have the option to keep it.
What is a Bridge?
A bridge is placed where a tooth has been lost, leaving a space or gap between 2 or more teeth. This bridge will replace the missing tooth, by placing it over the natural teeth adjacent to the space of the missing tooth.
Veneers
A veneer is usually placed on teeth in your smile line. In some cases, where aesthetics is a concern, a filling or teeth whitening is not the best treatment option for the front teeth that is seen when you smile.
In this case, we will opt to place a veneer on the affected teeth. A veneer is a thin layer of dental material that is placed over the natural tooth, still maintaining the natural look of the smile. It is a great treatment option for an aesthetic smile.
What is an Implant Crown?
An Implant crown is the final step of implant placement. Implants are titanium “screws” which the dentist place into the jaw bone. This procedure is performed gently in a sterile environment. This does not involve hammers and chisels as many people believe!!!
Three months after the implant(s) placement, it is expected that the implant has integrated successfully with the jaw bone, called osteointegration. The implant can then be exposed and used as an “artificial tooth root” to place a crown, bridge or even to allow full dentures to clip onto them for better retention.
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