Dental prosthetics are appliances that are specially made to replace damaged or missing teeth. Dental prosthetics include implants, crowns, bridges, and dentures (Roland, 2021)

Implants are devices that are screwed into the jawbone with a crown that is created and attached to the screw.

How to care for implants:

1. Brush 2x a day with a soft bristled toothbrush

2. Floss every day or use another interdental aid to clean in between teeth (see the Oral Hygiene Aids page of this website for more information)

3. Use a therapeutic mouth rinse daily

4. Avoid hard and sticky food that can damage implants (Forest Park Dental)

Crowns are devices that go over a damaged tooth that has been shaved down. After the damaged tooth is shaved down, a replication of the tooth, which is called a crown, is placed on top.

How to care for crowns:

1. Brush 2x a day with a soft bristled toothbrush and a fluoridated toothpaste

2. Floss every day or use another interdental aid to clean in between teeth (see the Oral Hygiene Aids page of this website for more information)

3. Use a therapeutic mouth rinse daily

4. Avoid hard and sticky food

Bridges are devices that include false teeth called pontics. Bridges are cemented in place in areas where teeth are missing to fill in the gaps.

How to care for bridges:

1. Brush 2x a day with a soft bristled toothbrush

2. Floss daily or use another interdental aid to clean in between teeth (see the Oral Hygiene Aids page of this website for more information)

3. Use a fluoridated toothpaste 

4. Use a antimicrobial mouth rinse (Colgate, 2023)

Dentures are devices that are created to replace an entire arch of teeth or a few teeth. These appliances can be adhered to the gum with adhesive or snapped onto implants that were placed within the jawbone. There are many kinds of dentures including:

• Complete dentures

• Removable partial dentures

• Fixed partial dentures

• Implant-retained dentures

• Flippers 

How to care for removable dentures:

1.  Rinse dentures after eating

2. After removing dentures, brush remaining teeth and gums, tongue, inside of the cheeks, and the roof of your mouth with a soft bristled toothbrush and ensure that all adhesive is removed. 

3. Brush dentures once a day by soaking with a denture cleaner and using the solution to brush the dentures 

4. Rinse the dentures with water before wearing after cleaning (Zhou, 2024)

Dental prosthetics are important for many reasons. Dental prosthetics can help to improve the appearance of smiles which can greatly affect quality of life for patients who have missing or damaged teeth. Aside from cosmetic reasons, prosthetics that replace teeth are crucial to bone health and to preserve the rest of the teeth in the dentition. Just like the rest of the bones in our body, the bone of our maxilla and mandible require constant stimulation and the exertion of force from chewing and biting to maintain its integrity. Without this constant stimulation by means of teeth or prosthetics that replace missing teeth, bone loss will occur. Bone loss can increase the likelihood of further tooth loss. Gaps in between teeth that are not filled in with a prosthetic device can also cause remaining teeth to shift which will affect biting and chewing (Dental Partners of Boston, 2020).

People with dental implants should continue with routine cleaning appointments at least every 6 months or as directed by a dentist and dental hygienist. Patients should also ensure they get their dental prosthesis checked by a dentist at least every 6 months to ensure the prosthetic device fits well to avoid irritation to the gums that can cause denture stomatitis.