A dental prosthesis is an intraoral (inside the

mouth A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...

)

prosthesis In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (Congenital, congenital disord ...

used to restore (reconstruct) intraoral defects such as missing

teeth A tooth (: teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tear ...

, missing parts of teeth, and missing soft or hard structures of the

jaw The jaws are a pair of opposable articulated structures at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term ''jaws'' is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth ...

and

palate The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly sep ...

Prosthodontics Prosthodontics, also known as dental prosthetics or prosthetic dentistry, is the area of dentistry that focuses on dental prostheses. It is one of 12 dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA), Royal College of Sur ...

is the dental specialty that focuses on dental prostheses. Such prostheses are used to rehabilitate

mastication Chewing or mastication is the process by which food is comminution, crushed and ground by the teeth. It is the first step in the process of digestion, allowing a greater surface area for digestive enzymes to break down the foods. During the mast ...

(chewing), improve aesthetics, and aid speech. A dental prosthesis may be held in place by connecting to teeth or

dental implant A dental implant (also known as an endosseous implant or fixture) is a prosthesis that interfaces with the bone of the jaw or skull to support a dental prosthesis such as a crown (dentistry), crown, bridge (dentistry), bridge, dentures, denture ...

s, by suction, or by being held passively by surrounding muscles. Like other types of prostheses, they can either be fixed permanently or removable;

fixed prosthodontics Fixed prosthodontics is the branch of prosthodontics that focuses on dental prosthesis, dental prostheses that are permanently affixed (fixed). Crown (dental restoration), Crowns, bridge (dentistry), bridges (fixed dentures), inlays, onlays, and V ...

and removable

dentures Dentures (also known as false teeth) are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, supported by the surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable ( removable partial denture or comp ...

are made in many variations. Permanently fixed dental prostheses use dental adhesive or screws, to attach to teeth or dental implants. Removal prostheses may use friction against parallel hard surfaces and undercuts of adjacent teeth or dental implants, suction using the mucous retention (with or without aid from denture adhesives), and by exploiting the surrounding muscles and anatomical contours of the jaw to passively hold in place.Dental Implants Chermside
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Examples

Some examples of dental prostheses include: *

partial denture A removable partial denture (RPD) is a denture for a partially edentulous patient who desires to have replacement teeth for functional or aesthetic reasons and who cannot have a bridge (a fixed partial denture) for any reason, such as a lack of r ...

palatal obturator {{no footnotes, date=February 2017 The Latham Device Post Latham Nasal Alveolar Molding Device Post Insertion A palatal obturator is a prosthesis that totally occludes an opening such as an oronasal fistula (in the roof of the mouth). They are ...

orthodontic appliance Orthodontics (also referred to as orthodontia) is a dentistry specialty that addresses the diagnosis, prevention, management, and correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws, as well as misaligned bite patterns. It may also address the modificati ...

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

pivot tooth The pivot tooth is a fixed dental Prosthodontics, prosthesis used to rebuild a Human tooth, tooth. It is a type of , but it is an independent supplement and usually consists of a pin or peg and a full Crown (dental restoration), crown permanently ...

References

Dentistry Prosthetics Prosthodontology {{biomed-engineering-stub

Examples

See also

References