Removable prosthesis and quality of life

We are not normally conscious of our teeth, although we realize that they enable us to enjoy our food and to speak clearly, and that they make a contribution for better or for worse to our appearance. Patients commonly seek treatment when an edentulous space is visible or when they have difficulty in eating. There are however other indications for treatment which may lead the dentist to prescribe dentures. Successful dental prosthesis should represent the lost tissues in approximately the same amounts and in the same positions from which the tissues were lost. Although the provision of partial denture may represent the completion of course of dental treatment, the planning of the prosthetic restoration should commence with the patients first visit. There is, of course a great deal of satisfaction to be gained from restoring a mouth in the ideal manner. However, the more patients who have elaborate and time consuming programmes of treatment provided the fewer of the population will receive care. Because of the limitations in dental manpower and the high cost involved the treatment prescribed may often have to be a compromise. This however, should never result in one losing sight of the essential principles of partial denture design which must always be upheld.