Conservative management of patients with gross morphological changes following complete loss of teeth: case reports

This paper reports on the conservative management of five Nigerian edentulous patients who presented with shallow palatal vault, grossly resorbed and uneven alveolar ridges, flabby ridge forms, shallow sulci and loss of vertical face height as a result of tooth loss. There was associated loss of stability, retention and support of their complete dentures. Though the literature is replete with various problems in such patients, conservative treatment was employed in all the five cases, to achieve acceptable outcome. The paper recommends this treatment option and highlights the prosthetic techniques utilised in managing the patients including the factors that contributed to successful conservative treatment. In addition, the problems encountered when embarking on such treatments are enumerated and appropriate solutions proferred.