Course Description

Treatment of edentulous patients or dentate patients, with terminal dentition to be transitioned to edentulism poses many challenges, including anatomic proximity to critical oral structures (maxillary sinus, nasal floor, mandibular canal), limited bone volume, inappropriate bone topography and soft tissue deficiency. A variety of surgical and prosthetic solutions need to be considered. The first question is whether remaining teeth have a reasonable prognosis and can be saved. If not, various replacement options can be considered. It is necessary to determine whether utilization of existing bone along with osseous resection to harmonize the bone crest is possible. This option is often utilized for immediate functional loading. In other cases, regenerative solutions, such as sinus augmentation and alveolar ridge augmentation, will be necessary. Prosthetic solutions, such as fixed and removable restorations have to be considered. This course explores the therapeutic options for fully edentulous patients, focusing on those with compromised bone.