Oral rehabilitation is the branch of dentistry concerned with replacing missing teeth and restoring mouth function, appearance and balance using dental prostheses.
Before rehabilitation, it is very important to arrive at a good diagnosis and establish the treatment plan. Consequently, this specialty is closely associated with other specialties such as periodontics, cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics and conservative dentistry.
Total: This consists of rehabilitating all of the teeth on a dental arch (lower, or mandibular, or upper, or maxillary). We can find 2 types of prosthesis:
- Fully supported with dental implants
- A combination of support by implants and the patient's own teeth.
Partial: This is used when the patient still has some of his or her own healthy teeth and only the missing teeth are restored.
The treatment time depends on many factors: the original state of the patient's oral and dental health, the number of teeth to be restored, presence of wear or abrasions, displaced or shifted teeth, etc.
On average, a simple rehabilitation may take 3 months, while complex rehabilitations will take between 16 and 18 months.