Prosthetic rehabilitation in a partially edentulous patient with lost vertical dimension: A case report

Abstract

The stomatognathic system is a complicated structure, and patients usually adapt to their existing vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO). Therefore, prosthetic rehabilitation of decreased VDO should be considered only when dictated by esthetic or functional requirements. Successful rehabilitation of these patients may present us with a huge challenge of a lack of restorative space. Careful and comprehensive treatment planning is required for each individual patient. The important aspect is to find the most comfortable position for the patient. In this case a bite raising splint was used after the decision of increasing VD by anatomical landmark, facial and physiologic measurement. Once the compatibility of the new VD had been confirmed, interim fixed restoration and the permanent reconstruction was initiated. In this case report, a satisfactory clinical result was achieved by restoring the VD with an improvement in esthetics and function.