Application of a Bedtime Obturator Prosthesis for an Edentulous Patient with an Extensive Maxillary Defect

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Author Info

Mamoru Murakami Masahiro Nishimura Takaharu Shimizu Yasuhiro Nishi Yoshihisa Takenouchi

Corresponding Author

Mamoru Murakami
Denture Prosthodontics Restoration, Advanced Dentistry Center, Kagoshima University Hospital, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan

A B S T R A C T

One of the important objectives of prosthetic treatment is to preserve any remaining tissue. Prosthodontists generally instruct patients to remove their dentures at night, which allows the denture-supporting tissues to rest and provides an opportunity for cleaning the dentures. Removing the obturator prosthesis, however, results in open communication between the oral and nasal cavities, leading to psychological fear because of the disordered articulation. Additionally, latent pathogenic microorganisms can become highly colonized on obturator prostheses. To make it possible to remove the obturator without patient anxiety and ensure the opportunity for denture cleaning, we have advocated the application of a separate bedtime obturator that closes only the defect cavity. In this study, a newly designed, hollow bedtime obturator, which is retained by the undercut surrounding the defect and has a gingival clasp for removing it, was inserted in a 70-yearold edentulous patient with an extensive maxillary defect. Subjective and objective evaluations indicated that the bedtime obturator improved denture hygiene and nighttime quality of life of the patient. The concept of a separate bedtime obturator is a useful solution for the particular situation created by maxillectomy.

Article Info

Article Type

Clinical Report

Publication history

Received: Mon 12, Mar 2018
Accepted: Fri 23, Mar 2018
Published: Mon 02, Apr 2018

Copyright

© 2023 Mamoru Murakami. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.
DOI: 10.31487/j.DOCR.2018.10.003