Prosthetics

What is a Maxillofacial Prosthodontist?

Maxillofacial Prosthodontist is a dentist who completed 3 years of additional advanced training in complex oral rehabilitation, and an additional year to obtain a fellowship in maxillofacial prosthodontics.

Maxillofacial Prosthodontics is a subspecialty of Prosthodontics. This involves the rehabilitation of patients’ teeth and lost soft and hard tissue structure due to defects or disabilities that were present at birth or developed due to disease, tumor or trauma. Prostheses are often needed to replace lost structures and to restore oral functions (swallowing, speech, and chewing) and esthetics. In other situations, prosthesis may also be used to position or shield structures during radiation therapy or to replace missing structures in the face. Maxillofacial Prosthodontists work as members of a rehabilitation team that include: other dental specialties, ENT’s, oral and plastic surgeons, radiation oncologists, speech pathologists, and anaplastologists. The main goal of maxillofacial prosthetic treatment is to improve patients’ quality of life.

Some examples of Maxillofacial Prosthesis include:

• Obturator Prosthesis, to replace missing structure in the upper jaw in order to improve eating swallowing and speech
• Palatal Lift Prosthesis, to lift the soft palate and improve speech
• Palatal Augmentation Prosthesis, to increase palatal thickness and improve function and speech
• Mandibular Resection Prosthesis, to replace missing structure from the lower jaw and improve function and speech
• Fluoride Trays, to protect patient’s teeth in cases with loss of saliva after radiation treatment
• Ocular Prosthesis, to replace the eye
• Orbital Prosthesis, to replace the eye and the surrounding structure
• Auricular Prosthesis, to replace the ear
• Nasal Prosthesis, to replace the nose