Removable partial denture abutment restoration: a case report illustrating a new direct technique

The destruction of the crown underlying a partial denture can render useless an otherwise acceptable prosthesis unless some means can be found for building up the tooth under the prosthesis. The aim of this article is to introduce a technique in which light-curing glass-ionomer resin cement is utilized for the direct restoration of removable partial denture abutments. The cavity preparation is completed in the customary manner. The cement is applied en masse and covered with a suitable translucent separating sheet. The denture is reinserted and the restoration is light cured from the perimeter of the abutment. The denture is removed, and, with the aid of a suitable disclosing medium, the restoration is trimmed carefully to avoid reducing the intimate adaptation between the restoration and the removable partial denture. The technique is offered with full acknowledgement that it is a compromised treatment option.