Dental prosthetics

Prosthodontics is known as the branch of dentistry that works towards replacing teeth, whether due to their absence, the loss of a tooth or teeth or because of a difficulty restoring the teeth due to a trauma or infection. Prosthodontics replaces the missing dental piece in the right shape, colour and with full function.

Depending on each patient and situation, the prosthetic might be fixed or removable.

Removable denture

The loss of one’s natural teeth can be caused by an array of issues, such as a trauma or lesion, deep tooth decay, fractures or other oral health issues.

Dental prosthesis are no more than teeth that substitute the natural teeth, restoring all the functionality of your teeth: in terms of chewing, aesthetics and phonetics.

The prosthesis are made with acrylic materials and resins as well as special plastics, and in some cases, light metals.

Nowadays we are able to recreate real-looking imitations.

There are many types of removable full dentures.

Upper and lower full dentures

If all the natural teeth need to be replaced it’s most common to use a complete set of dental prostheses, substituting the entire row of teeth with dental prostheses.

To fabricate these prostheses, an impression or mold is made of the mouth, including the upper and lower parts of the mouth. This process is carried out by our prosthodontics specialist, Dr. María Etxebarria. It’s a painless process and the only small discomfort that might be experienced is the time it takes for the mold material to harden, and the fact that the patient must wait with their mouth open, but only for a few minutes.

These molds are then sent to a dental prosthetics laboratory where a specialised technician ends up achieving a model from the mold that is an exact copy of the patient’s mouth. With these plaster molds, the prosthesis is created and a few more tests might be needed before finishing the final prosthesis.

Partial dentures

Another form of removable dentures are partial removable dentures, which are used when we need to replace one or more natural teeth. The process to create the denture is very similar to that of the complete dentures and is also intended to recover the patient’s ability to chew as well as the patient’s phonetics and aesthetics. But most of all, its purpose is to maintain the alignment of the remaining natural teeth, since these prostheses impede the shifting of the teeth thus helping the patient avoid all kinds of oral health problems.

Fixed dentures

Dentures that are fixed onto the teeth – caps, crowns and bridges

These prostheses can be for just one tooth, as is the case with single crowns, or they can be for the purpose of repositioning the teeth due to the absence of one or various teeth in the shape of a bridge.

When it comes to fixed dentures that cover the teeth, they are cemented onto the patient’s healthy teeth, obtaining a firm grip and firmness. The patient won’t even notice the difference between the prosthesis and the rest of their natural teeth.

To implant the fixed dentures, our specialist, Dr. Mariana Trincado, will cut and wear down the height and width of of the teeth on which the dentures will be attached and which are located between the area that’s missing teeth. The shaved down teeth are known as stumps, and this is done in order to ensure that the prosthesis fits perfectly on top of them and can be cemented to achieve a lasting bond.

The implanted teeth are fabricated in a laboratory by a prosthetist using artisanal techniques, using the impressions made at the clinic as a reference. The goal is to achieve a uniformly sized crown with the right colour to match the patient’s teeth, embedded seamlessly in their mouth.

This option does however have a disadvantage: healthy teeth must be worn down in order to securely fix the prosthesis.

To secure the prosthesis two materials are utilised:

Metal ceramic

100% ceramic

Dr. Trincado will advise you on the best option for you.

Fixed dentures on dental implants

For these prostheses titanium dental implants are used, serving as the root of the tooth and the dentures are fixed upon them via a crown or various dental pieces in the form of a bridge.