Obturator prosthesis for hemimaxillectomy patients

Rehabilitation of hemimaxillectomy patients can be challenging. The most common problem with prosthetic treatment in such patients is in getting adequate retention, stability, and support. The size and location of the defect usually influences the amount of impairment and difficulty in prosthetic rehabilitation. The obturator prosthesis is commonly used as an effective means for rehabilitating hemimaxillectomy cases. In cases of large maxillary defects, movement of the obturator prosthesis is inevitable and requires a form of indirect retention to limit the rotation of the prosthesis. The goal of prosthodontics is rehabilitation of missing oral and extraoral structures along with restoration of the normal functions of mastication, speech, swallowing, appearance, and so on. Malignancies are common in the oral region, which are treated through surgical intervention. Surgical intervention creates communication between the oral cavity, nasal cavity, and maxillary sinus. In such cases, it is very difficult for the patient to perform various normal functions like mastication, swallowing, speaking, and so on. Prosthodontic rehabilitation with obturator prosthesis restores the missing structures and acts as a barrier between the communication among the various cavities.