Clinical Considerations For The Use Of Cantilever Bridges
Abstract
Replacement of missing dentition is one of the common reasons to attend a dental practice for individuals who wish to restore their aesthetics and function. There are a variety of treatment modalities for the replacement of a single missing tooth that is a removable of partial denture, a fixed partial denture or an implant supported restoration. Each of these treatment options have their own advantages and disadvantages. Adequate clinical experience becomes a most important factor for treatment planning in fixed and removable prosthodontics. The cantilever fixed partial denture is defined as a restoration having one or more abutments at one end while the other end of the restoration remains unsupported. Anterior teeth replacement can be effectively done using a short-span cantilevered fixed partial denture. Studies report that conventional cantilevered fixed prostheses of various designs have a survival rate of 82% over a 10 year period and cantilevered resin-retained prosthesis show survival rates 83 92% during a 5 year period. While treatment planning for fixed cantilever bridges, there are aesthetic, design and occlusal considerations that should be kept in mind to achieve successful treatment outcome. These are discussed in this paper. Also included, is a clinical case report of a patient that had fixed cantilever prosthesis replacing the maxillary left central incisor with good aesthetic and functional results. Geriatric patients prefer the comfort of a cantilever fixed partial denture to a removable partial denture, since less maintenance is required at subsequent appointments. However, with the rapid advancement in implant dentistry, the use of cantilever fixed partial dentures may be decreasing. This article outlines the basic clinical considerations which may be applied during treatment for fixed cantilever bridges.
Key Words:
Cantilever bridges; clinical treatment planning; tooth replacement; fixed prosthodontics.
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