Prosthetic work is a form of rehabilitation of the oral cavity with multiple therapeutic options.
There are a multitude of methods by which prosthetics can treat edentulous gaps, dental malformations, major destructions or enhance aesthetics.
However, the therapeutic options eventually come to a common denominator, which is temporary dentures.
Temporary restorations are made of materials with a lower durability than those used in final restorations.
These have several roles which we will explain below:
Temporary prosthetics are intended to restore, at least partially, the functions lost with the installation of the edentulous restoration.
In order to minimize the shock that the patient experiences once he realizes that he no longer has teeth, temporary dentures have a particularly good effect on the psyche.
Dental treatments, especially complex ones, can last for months or years. This is why temporary dentures can compensate for the trauma that the patient may suffer in their daily activities.
Teeth that remain without antagonists (opposing tooth units) or neighbors (neighboring teeth) are susceptible to developing displacement. These movements can have adverse consequences on occlusal dynamics as well as altering the implantation axes of teeth. Altered occlusion can lead to problems culminating in TMJ pain and altered implant axes leading to mismatches between the final prosthetic work and the actual dental bridge.
Temporary prosthetics are important in maintaining tissue health. In order to avoid cementing final dentures onto unhealed tissues (bleeding, congested, painful gums), Temporary dentures are used. Only when the surrounding tissues are completely healed can permanent dentures be used. In this way, when the definitive prosthesis is made, the tissues will tolerate the work and the patient will not feel any discomfort.
Temporary prosthetics have other roles, one very important one being to protect the vital tooth.
It is not always the case that teeth that will be covered by prosthetic work will undergo endodontic treatment. Some may remain vital.
Therefore, after the removal of hard tissue, teeth may remain sensitive, and Temporary prosthetics help to reduce this.
By adapting the prosthetic work to the oral cavity, the patient can at least partially anticipate the final result.
Thus, some touch-ups can still be made, so that the final prosthesis is completely to the patient’s liking and comfort.
Temporary restorations avoid the need for final dentures and the patient is fully satisfied with the new smile.
After designing the treatment plan, the dentist will start extracting irrecoverable teeth and preparing the viable ones that can support the prosthetic work.
This preparation consists of endodontic treatment, grinding or restorations. The temporary dentures will only be placed after appropriate pre-prosthetic preparation.
In this way, the patient will maintain some functions such as partial masticatory, phonetic and aesthetic functions until the application of the definitive prosthetic work.
