Prosthodontics

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Abstract Prosthodontics comprises most of the routine restorative treatments that practitioners perform on a daily basis. Much restorative work re¬sults from the impact of caries and periodontal disease. However, the prevalence of toothwear is dramatically increasing and can be expected to form a more prominent feature of the modern practitioner’s work¬load. There is a considerable theory base in prosthodontics, covering all aspects of fixed and removable treatments, both conventional and contemporary. Although the individual management of teeth can be tricky, a challenge many new practitioners struggle with is treatment planning on a patient level. Treatment planning is rarely black and white, with considerable variations in opinion among clinicians, even for more simple cases. The staging of treatment planning is fairly consistent across the profession (e.g. relief of pain first, then investigatory phase, etc.), but in complex cases, a second opinion may be warranted. Not only is treatment plan¬ning a difficult skill, but so is the execution. It takes practice to become adept at the variety of clinical skills in prosthodontics and the staging of treatment, but this makes for a rewarding and fascinating discipline. Modern dentistry has a much greater focus on minimal invasive treat-ment, relying on dentine bonding and adhesive dentistry to limit the need for aggressive preparations of teeth and protect the vitality of the pulp. Moreover, the progression in digital dentistry is exponential, with newer production methods and clinical techniques becoming increasingly accurate and ever more accessible. As such, the modern practitioner needs to have a good understanding of both conventional concepts and modern alternatives in order to be able to apply the material and tech¬nique of choice to achieve an optimal outcome. The questions in the chapter aim to cover a wide range of topics, testing conventional concepts in both fixed and removable prostho¬dontics, whilst touching on contemporary materials and production methods. It is hoped that the reader will be challenged and the more difficult questions will promote wider reading. Key topics include: ● Diagnosis and treatment planning ● Occlusion ● Toothwear ● Complete dentures ● Removable dentures (including denture design principles) ● Direct restorations ● Crown and bridge ● Implant restorations ● Laboratory processes ● Digital dentistry.