Loss of molars can cause many problems of both aesthetic nature and deterioration of the gastrointestinal tract. Artificial teeth are not luxury at all, but a necessary component for people who want to maintain their health. What can modern dentistry offer for restoration of the dentition? What types of dentures do doctors offer?
Options for prosthetics
In the last century, a sign of prosperity for many was the installation of gold crowns and teeth. As a cheaper option for prosthetics, metal alloy products were used. As you know, there was not much aesthetics in such prosthetics, but many had to install such solid structures even on their front teeth. This was because porcelain or ceramic prostheses were virtually inaccessible to the ordinary consumer, and plastic was considered to be short-lived. Now, such options are used to save teeth that are invisible when smiling, in order to save.
Today, if a professional takes up the matter, artificial teeth are completely indistinguishable from natural ones. For each patient, the doctor can choose the best option that suits both the quality, appearance, and price.
Depending on the number of damaged or lost teeth, the doctor offers 2 fundamentally different types of prosthetics:
- Dental crowns, which are fixed on their own teeth or mounted on an implant or pin.
- Artificial teeth, installed in place of missing teeth in the form of bridges or other structures.
It must be understood that only a professional can evaluate which prosthetics option is suitable for the patient. It is good if the damage is small and a crown can be used . An artificial tooth or a bridge of several elements will take longer. Depending on the financial capabilities of the patient, the doctor will select the material from which the denture will be made.
Material for prosthetics. Plastic
Crowns and removable or permanent dentures made of plastic can be considered the most budgetary option for restoring the dentition. This type of prosthetics has a number of advantages and disadvantages. Benefits include:
- low price;
- speed of manufacture;
- esthetics of prostheses;
- ease of construction.
The main disadvantages of the material:
- short design life;
- the likelihood of cracks;
- the risk of allergies to artificial polymers ;
- the accumulation of microorganisms and food particles in the porous structure of the prosthesis;
- color change;
- a large degree of turning of the teeth under the crown.
Artificial teeth made of plastic are often used as a temporary option for prosthetics. They are worn during the manufacture of a more complex structure from other materials.
Metal plastic
This is a more complicated product to manufacture. With this prosthetics, the metal crown is covered with a layer of color-matched plastic. The combination of materials enhances strength and prolongs the life of prostheses, and in addition, it looks quite organic.
Metal plastic is often used for prosthetics with pin crowns. This allows you to maintain a healthy root with the loss of the upper part of the tooth.
The service life of metal-plastic structures is slightly higher than that of plastic crowns and prostheses. The integrity of the material and the appearance of the product lasts up to five years.
China
Posing porcelain is one of the most popular types of fixed prosthetics. These designs are made of pressed ceramics. One of the advantages of the product is the absence of metal impurities. Prosthetics can even be carried out for allergy sufferers who react poorly to polymers and metal alloys.
The manufacturing technology of porcelain dentures involves extruded molding of the workpiece and high-temperature firing of the finished product. The result is a very solid construction that will last for many years. The front porcelain teeth look completely natural, giving the person self-confidence. Chewing lateral premolars and molars withstand heavy loads without damage.
In the case of dental porcelain products, artificial teeth are as close as possible to the structure of natural enamel. This allows you to create the perfect smile. Porcelain crowns do not darken, there are no spots left on them, it is visually impossible to distinguish them from natural teeth.
The disadvantage of porcelain prosthetics is that bridge structures cannot be made. An additional disadvantage is the high cost.
Cermets
For bridge prosthetics, cermet is considered the best material. This is a more complex construction of a metal frame coated with a layer of dental porcelain. Such a product is mounted on supports, and is able to withstand heavy loads. Thus, it is possible to restore the dentition by filling in the empty spaces.
The maximum strength of the product is achieved by layering porcelain on the metal base of the prosthesis. In this case, each layer is fired in a high-temperature furnace.
The disadvantage of such prosthetics is that the abutment teeth are depulped and grinded. And the advantages, in addition to the above qualities, include the low invasiveness of the prosthesis for the gums, the possibility of minor repairs without removing the product.
Implant prosthetics
For several centuries, dentists have perfected artificial dentures. The peak of progress today is implant prosthetics. This work is ternary:
- An artificial root of titanium, that is, an implant, is implanted in the patient's jaw.
- An abutment is attached to the implant, i.e. the upper part of the structure, which is connected to the artificial root by a conical or hexagonal joint.
- The crown part of the tooth made of cermet or ceramic is fixed to the abutment.
This type of prosthetics allows not to spoil the teeth adjacent to the construction by grinding. The load on the jaw when installing the implant is distributed as physiologically as possible. In fact, artificial teeth on implants behave like living ones, and in addition to this, there is no competition for aesthetics like esthetics today.