• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.207-212
• /
• 1988

Maxillary defects are a result of necessary cancer surgery, congenital anomaly or trauma. Ideally the patient with the aquired maxillary defect should be provided with an obturator prosthesis that is comfortable, restores adequate speech, deglutition, and mastication, and is acceptable cosmetically. This is a case report of open type hollow obturator delivered in the partial maxillectomy treated patient. The satisfied result obtained as follows: The open type hollow obturator has the advantage of easy fabrication, lightness, easy cleaning and restores adquate speech.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
• /
• v.54 no.1
• /
• pp.35-40
• /
• 2016

The maxillary defects lead to anatomical and functional deformity of the maxillofacial region. As far as functions are concerned, such defects can produce difficulty in speech, mastication, and deglutition. Obturator prostheses play a very important role in functional recovery for post-maxillectomy patients. To achieve rigidity of the obturator, appropriate retention should be given, and the weight of the prosthesis be reduced. There are two types of hollow bulb obturator: open and closed. A closed type has many advantages. Nevertheless, some problems, including complexity of fabrication and water leakage into the bulb, have the closed hollow obturator not be widely used. The one-step polymerization technique described in this case overcomes the shortcomings by easily constructing a small hollow bulb with two thermoplastic resin sheets.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.337-342
• /
• 2011

Congenital or traumatic loss on the oral and maxillary area or the loss of jaws due to the surgical excision of a tumor causes functional problems, such as masticatory and swallowing disorders, phonetic problems and psychological disorders in patients. In most cases, a prosthetic restoration is needed to resolve these problems and restore the damaged tissue and function. When loss occurs on the maxilla, foods and liquids leak into the nasal cavity, and a nasal sound can be heard due to air leakage into the removed area. In these cases, the palatal obturator can be used to improve the esthetic and functional aspects because it restores the removed area of the maxilla and closes the opened route between the oral cavity and maxillary sinus or nasal cavity. In this case report, a palatal obturator was applied to patients who had a hemimaxillectomy due to the occurrence of squamous cell carcinoma on the right maxillary area. Therefore, fundamental functions, such as phonetic and swallowing functions were restored, and the esthetic aspects of the facial profile were improved.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
• /
• v.54 no.2
• /
• pp.167-171
• /
• 2016

Patients undergone partial maxillectomy experience post-operative masticatory, phonetic, and swallowing difficulties. They also encounter social and psychological challenges due to changes in their facial appearances. Thus, functional and esthetic recovery through maxillofacial prosthesis becomes significant for these patients. The objective of an appropriate obturator is to restore palate and improve phonetic and swallowing ability by separating the oral cavity, nasal cavity, maxillary sinus, and nasopharynx. In this case report, an obturator was fabricated for a patient who had partial resection from the maxillary posterior region to the pharynx due to squamous cell carcinoma. The purpose of this case study is to describe the results because the patient was successfully improved both functionally and esthetically.