Prosthodontics
In an ideal world, your own teeth remain with you for the entire lifetime. However, this perfect scenario is not always possible to realise. Nowadays, damaged teeth or complete loss of teeth are by and large not considered a social limitation: Modern dentistry is now able to restore aesthetic appeal and functionality with total dental prostheses and thus ensure quality of life. Generally, dental prosthodontics differentiates between fixed and removable dental prostheses.
Fixed dental prostheses come closest to the natural dental situation and can therefore restore the normal chewing and speech function almost completely. The prosthesis is fitted onto the existing teeth; in doing so, the chewing force is transferred from an adjacent tooth. Fixed dental prostheses include bridges, crowns and veneers.
In case of removable dental prostheses, differentiation is made between partial and total or full dental prostheses. Usually, removable dental prostheses offer the advantage that they can be extended when one’s own tooth needs to be removed. Furthermore, one’s own remaining teeth need to be ground only a little or almost not at all.
Crowns
Crowns
If the tooth destruction by very deep caries has reached an advanced stage, or because of damages there is the risk that the tooth will break apart, then it is often not possible to reconstruct the tooth with a filling and keep it stable for long. The shape and aesthetic appeal of a tooth can be restored with the help of a crown.
This includes capping parts of the tooth or the entire area protruding in the oral cavity, and thus restoring the stability of the tooth. This helps in achieving an approximate natural visible appearance and adequate stability.
There are many types of dental crowns. Partial crowns, veneer crowns or all-ceramic crowns are put in depending on the initial situation and requirement. Sometimes completely different materials such as precious metals (e.g. gold) and ceramics are used.
Bridges
Bridges
Fixed dental prostheses that allow replacement of one or more missing teeth are called bridges. Basically, tooth gaps of any size can be closed using bridges. These are anchored to the adjacent crowned teeth. As compared to implants, placing bridges requires no surgical procedure.
Onlays
Onlays
A onlay is a filling therapy for taking care of damaged, weakened occlusal (chewing) area and tooth walls. It is used when dental cusp and occlusal areas have to be incorporated into the prosthetic treatment, as the damage is too much to put an inlay.
Onlays involve tooth fillings made of metal, ceramic or composite. These are custom-made in dental laboratories and fixed in the tooth using special luting agents. These have to be prepared or ground beforehand by the dentist using a specific technique. An onlay could be an alternative to a dental implant with the advantage that it allows for preservation of healthy parts of the dental substance.
Inlays
Inlays
An inlay allows treatment of damages on the inner side of the tooth and, simultaneously, helps keep the tooth alive. The tooth is first prepared, the carious tooth material is removed. A dental impression is created and sent to the laboratory. The finished inlay is adhered or, if possible, clamped to the damaged tooth. Thus, it ensures that a tight seal is formed on the tooth surface and the tooth is stabilised.
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