Fixed dentures

All content is checked by medical journalists.

Fixed dentures - for example in the form of crowns or bridges - can help you to chew properly and speak clearly again and to keep the neighboring teeth in place. Read here when such a denture is still advisable and how it is made.

Why are dentures needed?

If teeth are missing or their substance is severely weakened, dentures may be necessary for various reasons:

to restore the chewing function
for optical reasons
to prevent neighboring teeth from tilting into the existing gap
to stabilize the damaged remaining teeth
to maintain the voice function

What is fixed dentures?

Fixed dentures are restorations that are firmly cemented in the patient's mouth and are therefore no longer removable. Most of the time, fixed dentures are crowns and bridges.

Crowns: Individual tooth defects that can no longer be built up with a filling can be provided with a crown. This grips the remaining tooth substance all around and thus protects and stabilizes it.
Bridge: Tooth gaps can be closed with a bridge. The neighboring teeth serve as bridge piers in this construction. You will be crowned; the missing teeth are replaced by a pontic, which is firmly connected to the adjacent abutment crowns.

Crowns and bridges correspond in their shape and - if they are veneered - also in their color to natural teeth.

When are fixed dentures a must?

Fixed dentures are appropriate when individual teeth are severely weakened in their substance or missing teeth are to be replaced by a bridge. Most patients find a fixed construction very pleasant, as it is firmly cemented in the mouth and is often hardly perceived as a foreign body after a short period of getting used to it.

However, it is not always possible to bypass a removable restoration. If, for example, too many adjacent teeth are missing, the bridge will be too long and will not function properly for static reasons - the load on the abutment teeth would be too great. The same applies to severely shortened rows of teeth. In these cases, the production of removable dentures is necessary.

How are fixed dentures made?

In order to be able to incorporate crowns and bridges, the dentist must first grind the teeth intended for crowning. The teeth are reduced in their substance to make room for the later construction. The grinding takes place under local anesthesia so that the patient does not experience any pain.

Then an impression is taken, with the help of which a plaster model is made in the laboratory. The crowns and bridges can then be fabricated on this model, which exactly reproduces the situation in the patient's mouth.

The dentist then checks that the dentures are seated in the mouth. With an optimal fit, the dentures can be firmly cemented in place.

What material are crowns and bridges made of?

As a rule, fixed dentures in the visible area of the oral cavity consist of a metal framework that is veneered with a tooth-colored dental ceramic compound. With regard to the choice of metal alloy and facing, there are various options that differ from one another in terms of both price and quality. Thanks to high-quality materials and dental precision work, the dentures can be designed in such a way that they can hardly be distinguished from natural teeth. In many cases, the appearance can even be improved compared to natural teeth.

In the non-visible area, a non-veneered dental prosthesis in the form of cast crowns or bridges is completely sufficient from a functional point of view.

In addition to conventional metal-ceramic technology, there are also other alternatives, for example the all-ceramic systems, in which metal is completely dispensed with. In individual cases it always makes sense to discuss the optimal solution with the treating dentist.

Are dentures avoidable?

For most people, one form or another of dentures will be incorporated in the course of their lives. The use of dentures is one of the normal and very often practiced measures to preserve the teeth and their function.

Dentures can only be avoided in one respect: a healthy and complete set of teeth does not need a replacement. Good oral care and a sensible diet help prevent such restorative interventions.

Tags: hair desire to have children digital health