Missing teeth should be replaced as soon as possible to maintain arch integrity and thereby avoid both morphologic and functional derangements in the occlusion. Otherwise, changes occur that upset the masticatory system, such as extrusion of the teeth opposing the edentulous areas along with their alveolar housing, their supporting tissues and ultimately the maxillary sinus. Concurrently with extrusion, shifting of the interproximal contacts and migration of the adjacent teeth occur, thereby impairing function and causing disharmony. Good oral health cannot be achieved when changes in tooth position alter the coronal contour and occlusion interfering with mutual support, which encourages food impaction and retention, further leading to osseous defects.
Oro-nasal fistula is the most common complication following the surgical closure of the cleft palate. Retention is the paramount factor in the successful prosthodontic habilitation of cleft palate patients. Various precision attachments have provided us with the opportunity to make the prosthesis fixed removable type; giving a double advantage to the patient i.e. comfort through fixed type and easy maintenance through removal type. This case report describes a case of oro-nasal fistula habilitated with an obturator attached to Andrew's bridge, which had good retention and esthetics.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.