Prosthodontics is the dental speciality pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of the oral function, comfort, appearance and health of patients with clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth and/or oral and maxillofacial tissues using biocompatible substitutes.
The sub specialities include –
1)Â Fixed Prosthodontics
2)Â Removable Prosthodontics
3)Â Maxillofacial Prosthodontics
4)Â Implant Prosthodontics.
Fixed prosthodontics is concerned with restoration of missing teeth with crowns, bridges and veneers. Removable prosthodontics is concerned with prosthesis which replaces the lost soft tissues and teeth. It includes both complete dentures and partial dentures made of acrylic or a combination of acrylic and metal.
Maxillofacial prosthodontics is concerned with the rehabilitation of patients with congenital or acquired defects in the mouth or face. These prostheses may include obturators, speech bulbs, palatal lifts, palatal augmentation devices and facial prosthesis like eyes, ear, nose, fingers and hand. The complex oral rehabilitation is carried out in a multi-disciplinary team approach consisting of maxillofacial surgeons, ENT surgeons, Plastic surgeons, Neurosurgeons, Speech and language pathologists and clinical oncologists.
Implantology deals with replacement of lost teeth with dental implants which is surgical component that interfaces with the bone of the jaw or skull to support a dental prosthesis such as a crown, bridge, denture, facial prosthesis or to act as an orthodontic anchor.