Prosthetic Dental Treatments

Prosthetic Dental Treatments

Prosthetic dental treatments are a branch of dentistry that deals with tooth loss, as well as shape and form abnormalities in the teeth. The diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation, and restoration of oral functions are the responsibilities of prosthetic dentistry.

With a holistic approach, Dentsite offers completely personalized services, placing equal importance on both aesthetics and functionality. Our clinic, which operates in all sub-branches of prosthetic dentistry, aims to enhance the quality of life for our patients.

What is Prosthetic Dental Treatment?

Prosthetic dental treatment refers to the procedures used to replace lost teeth due to trauma, decay, accidents, tooth extractions, or other similar causes. Defects caused by damage to oral tissues are treated using prostheses or other methods. In this way, problems such as position, shape, and structure abnormalities, as well as partial and total tooth loss, are corrected.

These procedures are generally applied to patients who have delayed treatment. Gum diseases, partial or total tooth loss are the most common reasons for these treatments.

Sometimes, prosthetic dental treatments are also applied for aesthetic reasons, even if the teeth have not lost their function. Examples of this include night guards (bruxism splints) and smile design.

In addition to this, prosthetic dental treatments resolve the following issues:

• Malocclusion problems,
• Color and level differences between teeth,
• Cracks, gaps, and fractures in the teeth,
• A downward or flat smile line,
• Gummy smile (excessive gum and upper palate visibility while smiling), etc.

What Are the Advantages of Prosthetic Dental Treatments?

Prosthetic dental procedures aim to restore missing or damaged teeth and surrounding tissues artificially. When teeth are severely damaged, treatments such as crowns are used to restore their appearance and functionality.

During crown placement, teeth are reduced in size, and a restoration resembling a cap is placed on them. Typically, a metal base is used, with porcelain applied on top.

Prosthetic dental treatments are durable and provide long-term use, restoring the patient's biting, chewing, speaking, and smiling functions to their original state. These treatments offer a flawless appearance, maximum comfort, and a short operation and recovery time, making them advantageous.

What Are the Applications of Prosthetic Dentistry?

In general, the scope of prosthetic dentistry includes the following:

• Porcelain veneer applications,
• Implants,
• Face-jaw prostheses,
• CAD/CAM supported applications,
• E-Max crown treatments,
• Smile design,
• Zirconia dental crowns,
• Prosthesis applications (full prostheses, implant-supported prostheses, removable partial dentures, fixed prostheses / crowns-bridges).

Prosthesis Applications:

Among the most common prosthetic dental treatments, prostheses are classified into partial, full, metal-supported / non-supported types. Prostheses can also be applied over implants or on tooth roots.

Removable Prostheses: Removable partial or full dentures are used when all teeth are lost. These are particularly common in elderly patients.

These prostheses consist of two parts. Commonly referred to as "palate prostheses," these older generation prostheses are removable.

If only a portion of the teeth is lost, implant-supported partial dentures are used to provide a solution.

Full Dentures: This application is used for patients who have no teeth left. They are made with support from the bone tissue in the upper and lower jaws. These prostheses are typically made from acrylic and are retained using vacuum force in the mouth.

Fixed Prostheses: Fixed prostheses are applied by bonding them to the jawbone. These cannot be removed by the patient. Fixed prostheses come in the form of crowns or bridges and can be supported by implants.

To design these prostheses, preliminary preparation of the tooth surface is necessary. Then, various models are made based on the measurements taken, and structures are designed to meet the patient’s needs and expectations, permanently fixed in place.

Partial (Clasp) Prostheses: These are also known as "removable partial dentures." The clasps, called crochets, are placed near the gum line to secure the prosthesis.

These prostheses fill in the gaps caused by missing teeth, improving the patient’s smile. They also help in restoring proper biting and chewing functions, corrects phonetic issues in speech, and allows clearer pronunciation of words.

Furthermore, partial prostheses restore the tissue support lost due to missing teeth. This helps support the cheeks and lips and eliminates issues like sagging and sinking of the face.

These prostheses have plastic teeth that fill in the gaps, with a pink-colored base resembling the gum tissue. They are joined together by a metal infrastructure, and the prosthesis is secured to the teeth using metal clasps. While they are functional, they may not offer the best aesthetic results, as the wire inside the prosthesis can be visible, resulting in an unappealing appearance.

For a more aesthetic solution, precision attachment prostheses are used, which are nearly invisible from the outside.

Bridges: These are preferred for replacing missing teeth in a gap between adjacent teeth. When multiple teeth are missing, the teeth closest to the gap are used as supports, and a bridge is constructed to fill the space.

The process begins with light abrasion of the neighboring teeth to take measurements. These measurements are then used to create customized bridges in the laboratory.

When a tooth is lost, the adjacent teeth start moving toward the gap, causing bone loss, gum problems, and chewing difficulties in those teeth. If the gap is not restored with a bridge or implant, it could lead to further tooth loss. Bridges are used to prevent this issue.

Crowns: Crowns are used for teeth with severe damage due to decay, cracks, or other reasons. This treatment involves reducing the size of the tooth and placing a covering on it. Crowns are also preferred for restoring large fillings.

Crowns are also used to prevent broken or weakened teeth from fracturing and to correct discolored or misshaped teeth.

Laminate Veneers: These are applied to the visible surfaces of the teeth using special adhesives. Typically, porcelain shells with a thickness of 0.5 mm are used to perform these applications.

These restorations are bonded to the front surfaces of the teeth using the bonding resin method. The veneer will not detach from the tooth; it can only be removed by cutting.

These veneers offer the advantage of providing maximum aesthetics with minimal preparation and are indistinguishable from natural teeth in appearance.

Porcelain Lamina: This technique is applied to the tooth surface without the need to thin the entire tooth. It addresses minor gaps, misalignments, surface imperfections, cracks, and color issues of the teeth.

These restorations, also known as "false nails," are bonded to the teeth using special adhesives.

E-Max Dental Crowns: E-max is a type of ceramic crown made from compressed glass particles. It provides a more aesthetic look than zirconia crowns, as it has a single layer that reflects light and gives a more natural appearance.

Although E-max crowns provide excellent aesthetics, zirconia crowns are still considered the best option for bridge treatments.

Implants: These artificial roots are used to replace missing teeth. Titanium screws are placed into the jawbone, and a prosthesis is applied on top. This way, the missing tooth is replaced with a synthetic tooth that has the same aesthetic and functional qualities.

Zirconia Dental Crowns: In this treatment, the inside of the tooth is made of zirconia, while the outer part is made of porcelain. These crowns are highly aesthetic due to their excellent light transmittance.

Zirconia crowns are very advantageous for their aesthetics, as they reflect the natural tooth color and provide a layered, appealing appearance. The gum tissue adheres well to zirconia crowns, ensuring no loosening or complications.

If your teeth do not respond to whitening procedures or are cracked or broken, zirconia crowns can be a good solution.

What is Zirconium Veneer?

Zirconium veneer is a porcelain dental crown with a zirconium dioxide base. Zirconium is combined with oxygen in special furnaces to create zirconia ceramic, which is then used as a dental veneer material.

When is Zirconium Veneer Applied?

Zirconium veneers can be applied in the following situations:

• Smile aesthetics: To enhance the aesthetic appearance of the teeth.
• Color changes that do not respond to whitening treatments.
• Mildly crooked, rotated, or spaced teeth (diastema) where orthodontics is not preferred.
• Tooth loss.
• Teeth with unsatisfactory fillings.
• Degradation of old fillings.
• Tooth decay.
• Teeth that require restoration due to excessive enamel loss.
• Broken teeth due to trauma.
• Aesthetic issues caused by gum recession.
• Implants for front teeth.
• Crowns or bridges for back teeth.

Advantages of Zirconium Veneer:

• Biocompatible, tissue-friendly material with no harm to the body.
• High durability and strength.
• Metal-free, making it safe for patients with metal allergies.
• Provides a natural tooth appearance.
• Resistant to oxidation, cracking, chipping, wear, and corrosion.
• Sensitive to temperature changes (hot and cold food and drinks).
• Treatment duration is relatively short, typically completed in 4-5 days.
• Unlike metal-supported crowns, no change in taste occurs in the mouth.
• Does not cause discoloration in the gums and helps reduce bad breath.
• The smooth and shiny surface prevents plaque accumulation.
• Can be applied over implants as zirconium does not negatively interact with titanium.

How is Zirconium Veneer Done?

The process begins by slightly reducing the size of the tooth. Accurate impressions are taken using specialized tools and either soft materials or digital methods.

Next, a zirconium base is created in a laboratory, matched to the best color for the patient's teeth. A porcelain overlay is applied to this base. Temporary crowns are placed until the zirconium veneers are ready to avoid sensitivity issues. The preparation of zirconium crowns takes approximately 3-5 days.

In the final stage, the veneer is securely bonded to the tooth using special transparent adhesives.

For all your prosthetic dental needs, you can choose Dentsite to achieve both the health and appearance you desire.