September 19th, 2009 by admin

DEFINITION
PROSTHETIC TEETH are the
artificial substitutes for the missing natural
teeth.
FUNCTIONS
The functions of prosthetic teeth are
to:
1. Restore the esthetic, phonetic
and masticatory functions of
the missing natural teeth.
2. Transmit forces to the
denture base through which
they may be distributed by
the prosthesis to all teeth and
tissues contacted by rigid
parts of the denture.
3. Maintain the integrity of the
arch by supplying missing
proximal contacts.
4. Maintain the position of
opposing teeth by supplying
missing incisal and occlusal
contacts.
DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS
The desirable characteristics specific for
prosthetic teeth are:
1. Have the color(shade),
translucency, size, shape, and
characterization similar to the
natural teeth they replace.
2. Be easily shaped with
conventional dental burs.
3. Be easily characterized with
conventional dental stains.
4. Have a hardness and abrasion
resistance similar to the
opposing enamel or dental
material.
5. Chemically bond to the
denture base material or RPD
alloy to which they are
attached.
6. Be resistant to staining by
oral fluids and
microorganisms
7. Be chemically inert.
8. Be odorless and tasteless and
not pick up odors or tastes
from oral fluids.
9. Have a surface which is
dense to avoid harboring oral
fluids and microorganisms.
10. Be capable of being cleaned
by customary oral hygiene
technics and materials.
11. Be of low initial cost and
inexpensively repaired or
replaced.
12. Be capable of being repaired
and replaced by customary
dental technics and materials.
13. Be strong enough to resist the
forces which will be applied.
14. Not soften or warp in hot
water or conventional denture
cleansing solutions.
TYPES
There are seven types of prosthetic
teeth: (1) denture teeth, (2) tube teeth, (3)
processed plastic teeth, (4) facings, (5)
custom-made facings, (6) metal reinforced
denture teeth, and (7) metal pontics