The technician by virtue of his profession plays an important role in fabricating silicone tongue prosthesis for a total glossectomy patient. The technician, with his skills and specialized knowledge in handling material, plays a valuable role as a member of the oncology team. A patient with total glossectomy can be rehabilitated by silicone tongue prosthesis as an aid to improve his speech and swallowing. This paper describes the technical steps involved in fabricating a silicone tongue prosthesis for an edentulous total glossectomy patient.
The insertion and removal of an obturator in large maxillary defects with or without trismus is difficult. Fabrication of a two-piece obturator in such cases overcomes this problem. This article describes rehabilitation of large maxillary defects with two piece maxillary obturator of three types. All these obturators have a maxillary plate and a bulb component, which are approximated together by various techniques namely, silicone cover, embedded magnets, and press studs. Prosthetic rehabilitation of large maxillary defects with two-piece obturators offers the possibility of adequate oral rehabilitation by fabricating light weight prosthesis, which is easy to use. The bulb covers the undercut areas of the defect enhancing the facial contour and retention. It facilitates easy examination of underlying tissues, recreation of the anatomic barrier between the oral and nasal cavities and restoration of the function and esthetics. Thus, it adds to the quality of life.
Intraoral defects secondary to resection of mandible leading to mandibular discontinuity are very complicated to treat as the muscles exert forces on the residual portion of the mandible. Primarily this leads to disfigurement of the face. These forces also make mastication difficult due to imbalance. Ultimately it leads to poor quality of life for the patient. Apart from that the clinical outcome and prognosis of prosthetic rehabilitation of such patients is very poor. The composite fibular flap is the preferred donor site for reconstruction of most complex orofacial-mandibular defects. The addition of a skin island allows for absolute tension-free intraoral closure that enhances tongue mobility. After reconstruction with free fibula graft, planning for prosthodontic rehabilitation by various methods can be carried out. Treatment strategy is dependent on the intraoral situation and patient's acceptance. This article reports various treatment considerations for implant retained prosthetic rehabilitation in a patient who had undergone mandibular reconstruction with free fibula flap.
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.