MOBILE PROSTHESIS

It is possible to use mobile prosthetics in some edentulous cases, when the restoration of teeth through a fixed solution is not practicable due to the lack of supports (teeth) or the impossibility to place implants (for clinical or economic reasons).

It is always extremely important to replace lost teeth in order to restore the mastication correctly and to maintain an occlusal balance, which are essential to prevent from temporomandibular joint and cervical disorders.

There are currently several removable dentures, from total prosthesis (traditional dentures) to many other options which are much more pleasant to wear. If there are some residual dental elements you can choose for example the “skeletonised denture”, with clamps or couplings. It is a removable partial denture which locks on the residue teeth and gives a very good stability in chewing and a good result from an aesthetic point of view.

Also in the case of complete absence of teeth, if it’s possible to place even just 2 or 4 implants, they will be used as support and anchorage for the so-called overdenture: a total prosthesis that clamps on the implants with a hugely superior stability thanks to the implant support rather than the mucous one.

In case of loss of a single tooth (or at least not several) it is possible to use mobile prosthetic solutions made with unilateral nylon with invisible clips, which are very easy to handle and with an excellent aesthetic and functional value.

In the design of a mobile prosthesis, especially if it is total, there are many factors that have to be considered and it is wrong to think that this solution is simple or easy to be carried out.
In fact, the continuous movements of the mouth and tongue together with the muscular forces make the implementation of a correct mobile prosthesis very complex and difficult. The problem of the stability of the denture is related to the conformation of the edentulous alveolar processes (the residual bone profile), the occlusal balance and the vertical height of the prosthesis.

The concept of tongue space is very important, i.e. the correct volume that the prosthesis needs to have compared to the tongue organ, in order not to interfere in any way with the various functions of the latter. Even the jaw has forward displacements during the protrusion and the laterality of the tongue; this explains how a dental prosthesis of any kind that limits the lingual movements can also lead to an altered behaviour in the individual.

The realization of the mobile prosthesis should consider very carefully the chewing ability of the molars and premolars and must apply the most modern techniques to facilitate the chewing process.