A hollow definitive obturator fabrication technique for management of partial maxillectomy

Maxillary obturator prosthesis is the most frequent treatment option for management of partial or total maxillectomy. Heavy weight of the obturators is often a dislocating factor. Hollowing the prosthesis to reduce its weight is the well established fact. The alternate technique to hollow-out the prosthesis has been described in this article which is a variation of previously described processing techniques. A pre-shaped wax-bolus was incorporated inside the flasks during packing of the heat-polymerized acrylic resin to automatically create the hollow space. The processing technique described is a single step flasking procedure to construct a closed-hollow-obturator prosthesis as a single unit. To best understand the technique, this article describes management of a patient who had undergone partial maxillectomy secondary to squamous cell carcinoma rehabilitated with a hollow-obturator prosthesis.

Guide flange prosthesis for early management of reconstructed hemimandibulectomy: a case report

Surgical resection of the mandible due to presence of benign or malignant tumor is the most common cause of the mandibular deviation. Depending upon the location and extent of the tumor in the mandible, various surgical treatment modalities like marginal, segmental, hemi, subtotal, or total mandibulectomy can be performed. The clinicians must wait for extensive period of time for completion of healing and acceptance of the osseous graft before considering the definitive prosthesis. During this initial healing period prosthodontic intervention is required for preventing the mandibular deviation. This case report describes early prosthodontic management of a patient who has undergone a reconstructed hemi-mandibulectomy with modified mandibular guide flange prosthesis. The prosthesis helps patient moving the mandible normally without deviation during functions like speech and mastication.