Surgical and prosthodontic reconstruction of the severely handicapped edentulous patient.
There is among some prosthodontists a negative attitude toward preprosthetic reconstructive surgery because of previous poor experience with reconstructive or preprosthetic surgical procedures. Such experiences may have resulted from the limitations of techniques previously used; and, therefore, the prosthodontist may resort to conventional prosthodontic techniques. There are, however, limits to what can be achieved with special impression techniques, tooth form and placement, and so forth. This article was written not only to present the rationale of current techniques but to encourage the prosthodontist to consider and present to the severely handicapped edentulous patient the choice of preprosthetic reconstructive surgery.
D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000473:pathology; D000540:Alveolar Ridge Augmentation; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous; D006801:Humans; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D013516:Oral Surgical Procedures, Preprosthetic / Q000379:methods*; D014727:Vestibuloplasty