NEWS AND DENTAL EDUCATION

A lady came to our clinic complained that she wanted an immediate replacement of her front teeth that were just extracted a week ago due to gum problem. She said that she didn’t dare to go out of her house due to her disfigured appearance. She was sad and embarrassed

There reason why she lost her front teeth was due to deep-bite (her lower teeth were biting at the back of her upper front teeth) which result in stripping of the gum on the palate (traumatic occlusion). Eventually, this lead to periodontitis (gum disease) and loosening of her teeth. Sadly, she had to have her upper teeth removed.
After examination and assessment of her teeth, we came out with a few treatment plans:

1. Correction of the occlusion (biting) by means of orthodontic treatment followed by orthognathic surgery to correct her jaw misalignment — which will takes her 2-4 years
2. Dental implant to replace the missing front teeth — Required bone block to build back resorbed  alveolar ridge and the implant might not be lasting due to the occlusion problem
3. A dental bridge from her canine to the other canine (a 6 unit bridge)

After discussed with her, she decided to go for the third option – a dental bridge. She preferred the zicornia type of material for aesthetic reason.
For a mean time to allow gum healing, we prepare a ‘vacuum formed’ denture which she used to cover the missing teeth.

A temporary denture	She wear the denture while waiting for the gum to heal

Final outcome, a 6 unit zicornia bridge was cemented onto her teeth…

Final result	6 unit zicornia bridge

Possible problems/risks for a dental bridge:

1. Fracture bridge
2. Possibility of devitalizing the teeth during preparation of teeth ending up needed root canal treatment.

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