What are dentures and what types are there?

Dental prostheses are artificial elements designed to restore and replace one or more teeth. They are essential in modern dentistry and play a fundamental role in the day-to-day running of dental clinics, being necessary for numerous treatments.

Types of Dentures

There are different types of dentures made of different materials and with different functions. The following is a detailed classification:

Denture On Tooth

1. Crowns or Covers:

   • Materials: Zirconium, ceramic.
   • Function: Completely covers the tooth.
   • Use: Teeth badly damaged by fractures or caries.
   • Characteristics: Fixed elements that restore function, anatomy and aesthetics.

2. Inlays:

   • Materials: Composite, ceramic.
   • Function: Partial restoration of a tooth.
   • Use: Teeth not damaged enough to need a crown.
   • Features: Minimally invasive and conservative treatment.

3. Dental Bridges:

   • Function: Replaces missing teeth.
   • Use: Before the advent of dental implants.
   • Characteristics: Requires grinding of adjacent teeth as abutments.

4. Veneers:

   • Materials: Ceramic.
   • Function: Aesthetic, change the shape and colour of the teeth.
   • Use: Adhered to the visible surface of the tooth.

Implant Prosthetics

Dental implants are biocompatible titanium metal structures that are attached to the jawbone to replace one or multiple missing teeth. Depending on the number of implants and the teeth to be replaced, they are classified as follows:

1. Unit Crowns:
   • Function: Replaces a single missing tooth.
2. Bridges on Implants:
   • Function: Replaces 3 to 5 missing teeth.
   • Characteristics: Placement of 2 implants.
3. Overdentures:
   • Function: Rehabilitates an edentulous jaw.
   • Characteristics: Removable prostheses attached to 2 or 4 implants.
4. Hybrid Prostheses:
   • Function: Restores a complete dental arch.
   • Characteristics: Fixed prostheses on 6 or 8 implants.

Removable Prostheses

These prostheses are made of acrylic materials (resins) and are classified as follows:

1. Complete (Dentures):

   • Function: Replaces all the teeth of a jaw in totally edentulous patients.
   • Characteristics: Mucosal-supported prostheses.

2. Partial:

   • Function: Attachment by means of hooks to the remaining teeth.
   • Characteristics: Used in patients with some preserved teeth.

We could conclude that dental prostheses are essential for a variety of dental treatments. Coordination and harmony between the dentist and the dental technician are crucial to ensure the success of these treatments. Keeping informed about the types of prostheses available and their applications is fundamental to choose the most suitable option for each patient, ensuring not only an aesthetic smile, but also optimal dental function.