• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.329-336
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• 2009

In the case of congenital malformation, acquired trauma, or maxillectomy by neoplasm, the defect in maxilla is combined with nasal cavity, maxillary sinus and oral cavity. This results in abnormal function in pronunciation, mastication, and swallowing. In this situation, the purposes of prosthodontics are also applied. The purposes of obturator for acquired maxillary deficiency patients are restoring pronunciation, mastication, and swallowing, and make patients comfortable and esthetic satisfaction. Reducing weight of the obturator makes edentulous ridge heathy and functional. It also improves patients' comfort. Hollow obturator also reduces unnecessary stress because improves physiologic function, as it weights less than 6.55-33.06% compare to usual one. This case presents the double-processing method for maxillary obturator in the patient treated hemi-maxillectomy due to malignancy neoplasm. We report this case because the patient acquired functional and esthetic satisfaction from double-processing obturator.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.356-363
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• 2019

A patient who went through maxillectomy can have soft palate defects including oronasal fistulas and suffer from dysphagia and dysarthria due to velopharyngeal insufficiency. This defect causes the food to enter nasal cavity and creates hypernasal sound which debilitates a quality of life. An obturator can rehabilitate the substantial oral tissue defects. The maxillary obturator separates the nasopharynx from the oropharynx during speech and deglutition by closing of the defect. For edentulous obturator patient, it is difficult to obtain proper retention due to reduced peripheral sealing. Therefore, the contours of the defects must be used to maximize the retention, stability, and support. Hollow type obturator can improve physiologic function by reducing weight than the traditional obturator. This case report describes a patient with hemi-maxillectomy who recovers mastication, speech, deglutition, and appearance with a maxillary obturator using physiological border molding of the velopharyngeal area and double-processing method.