You probably know that restoring decayed and missing teeth can take a long time. For a while, patients also have to put up with missing teeth or an unaesthetic (ground-down teeth) and less functional condition. In such cases, temporary prosthetics helps.
Temporary dental prosthetics has a wide range of uses. The most common is covering the time the dental technician needs to make the permanent structure. As is well known, prostheses such as bridges and crowns are made in dental laboratories from impressions the treating doctor took of the prepared teeth. The size and complexity of the structure, and fitting it, often take a long time. The patient has to go around either without teeth or with ground-down teeth. Our readers have probably experienced this discomfort too.
You will agree that this is certainly not attractive, and function suffers too – problems with chewing and speaking appear. In such cases, the best solution is temporary prosthetics. First of all, this structure restores aesthetics, especially in the front teeth area. A temporary prosthesis also protects the prepared teeth from saliva and food debris, while allowing these teeth to take part in chewing. Another purpose of the prosthesis is getting used to the future structure. An equally important purpose is shaping the gum, which creates the effect of a natural tooth in the area of the missing tooth.
Types of temporary prostheses
Temporary prostheses can be either removable or fixed. The first group includes prostheses made of hypoallergenic plastic, with nylon “wings” on the sides for fixing to neighboring teeth.
Fixed prostheses include bridges and crowns that are placed over the prepared teeth while the permanent prostheses are being made.
Contraindications for temporary prosthetics
It should be noted that there are cases when the patient has to put up with temporary discomfort and an unaesthetic smile, because there are a number of contraindications. When it comes to implantation, there are times when there is a risk to implant integration (healing), and a temporary crown should be avoided. The presence of inflammation in the prosthetic area and poor oral hygiene are also contraindications.
