ABSTRACT
Burns can leave a patient with a severely debilitating disability even after treatment. The objectives of burn rehabilitation are to minimize the adverse effects caused by the injury while rehabilitating the patient's physical and psychological well-being, maximizing social integration. Long-term success of maxillofacial prostheses mainly depends on the retention. Extra oral implant retained prostheses have proved to be a predictable treatment option for maxillofacial rehabilitation. Replacement of a severely deformed external ear with burned tissues may be satisfactorily accomplished by a cosmetic prosthesis anchored by implants integrated in the skull. The use of such implants is now a well-recognized method for creating a stable result in maxillofacial rehabilitation. This case report describes a safe, simple and economical method for the rehabilitation of a patient with missing right auricle using an implant supported silicone prosthesis. The implant was placed in the mastoid region of the temporal bone. Reconstruction of the ear was done with auricular silicone prosthesis, retained using magnets incorporated in an autopolymerizing resin shim to decrease the weight of the prosthesis on a single implant. This method eliminates the need of tedious laboratory procedures and exact casting and fitting requirements of a metal substructure while minimizing the overall weight and cost of the prosthesis while maintaining adequate support, esthetics and retention of the prosthesis.
ABSTRACT
Conservative treatment of obstructive sleep apnea includes weight loss, changes in sleep posture, drug therapy, nasal continuous positive airway pressure and placement of an intraoral prosthesis. This article describes the success achieved in a case treated with conservative therapy, that is, intraoral prosthesis. A mandibular advancement prosthesis was fabricated for a 35-year-old male patient suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. The prosthesis was fabricated at a raised vertical dimension, with the central area open for the air passage. This advanced mandibular position enhanced the patency of the oropharynx. The prosthesis showed better results in the treatment. There was significant improvement in the apneic episodes and daytime sleepiness after wearing the prosthesis.
