[Prosthetic rehabilitation of cleft palate patients with fixed partial dentures]

Treatment of cleft palate patients demands a well coordinated work of medical and dental specialists. In spite of the surgical and orthodontic therapy a prosthetic rehabilitation is often necessary because of missing teeth, maxillary hypoplasia, malocclusion and palatal defects. The prosthetic phase begins immediately after the orthodontic treatment. In this way the fixed partial denture replaces the retention appliance and stabilizes the achieved status. The aim of the prosthetic treatment is to improve the function of the masticatory apparatus, speech and aesthetic appearance of the patient. An important task of the prostheses is to support and lift up the upper lip and the base of the nose. There are several factors, which make the treatment difficult, like underdeveloped and collapsed maxillary arch, retrognath position of the maxilla, missing alveolar ridge, defects of the bone and mucosa, scars and stiffness of the upper lip. The maintenance of the oral hygiene with the fixed restorations is often difficult because of the stiffness of the upper lip, therefore the design of the pontic is very important especially in the cases, when the missing processus alveolaris has to be replaced in order to improve the harmony of the face.