Factors affecting the strength of denture repairs.

Fracture of dentures is a common clinical finding in daily prosthodontic practice, resulting in great inconvenience to both patient and dentist. A satisfactory repair should be cost-effective, simple to perform, and quick; it should also match the original color and not cause distortion to the existing denture. Different repair materials, surface designs, and mechanical and chemical surface treatments have been recommended in order to obtain stronger repairs. This article reviews some of the available literature with regard to the most important factors that may influence the strength of denture repairs.

Approaches for intraoral repair of ceramic restorations.

Ceramic-based restorations are an important part of a dentist's armamentarium for durability and esthetics. Because of the brittle nature of ceramic materials, these restorations have the potential to fracture. Repairing ceramic-based restorations can increase the clinical longevity of failed restorations and offer the dentist and patient a cost-effective alternative to replacement. Newer porcelain repair systems show excellent adhesion durability of resin-based composites to the fractured ceramic and exposed metal surfaces. This article reviews the basic principles of ceramic repair and details the use of five intraoral porcelain repair systems.

A prospective study on the maintenance of implant prostheses in private practice.

This study examined the adjustments, repairs, time, and costs required to maintain 69 implant prostheses in private prosthodontic practice for an average of 22 months after placement. For the removable prosthesis design, the most common adjustment was contouring the prosthesis and the most common repair was retentive component replacement. Screw tightening or fracture repair were the most frequently needed modifications for fixed implant prostheses. Each removable implant prosthesis averaged four times as many postplacement adjustments and almost twice as many repairs as did each fixed implant prosthesis, and the mean length of each maintenance appointment was also longer for removable prostheses. Mean repair costs were approximately 60% higher for the removable design.

Problems with prostheses on implants: a retrospective study.

Prosthetic parameters for implant success have not been well defined but should include patient satisfaction and prosthesis maintenance, including adjustments and repairs. In addition, differences between fixed and removable implant-supported prostheses (ISPs) should be quantified. This study retrospectively evaluated both patient satisfaction and maintenance for 156 patients. Removable ISPs averaged almost three times as many adjustments per prosthesis (2.1 versus 0.8 per fixed ISP) and more than twice as many repairs (1.9 per removable ISP versus 0.9 per fixed ISP). The most common adjustments were to the contour of both types of prosthesis, and the most frequent repairs involved the retentive clips with removable ISPs and the gold screws with fixed ISPs. The incidence of repeat repairs was more than twice as high with removable prostheses compared with fixed prostheses. However, the repairs to opposing dentures most often needed were for conventional dentures opposing fixed ISPs. The vast majority of repairs were needed within the first year of service. Despite the high maintenance needed, patients were satisfied with both types of ISP, with the exception of limited satisfaction with cleansability, particularly with fixed restorations. The high incidence of early repairs, and the greater potential for a removable ISP requiring adjustment and repair, should be considered both when discussing options with the patient and when estimating treatment and maintenance costs before the commencement of implant therapy.