Prosthodontics & Dentures

Prosthodontics is the dental specialty dedicated to rebuilding damaged teeth, replacing missing teeth, and restoring a comfortable, balanced bite. Whether you are missing a single back molar, need a conservative ceramic onlay for a fractured cusp, or want a lightweight, natural-looking removable partial or full denture, COSDENT Smile Design provides specialist prosthodontic planning at our Siam and Rama 9 clinics in Bangkok.

Every prosthetic restoration must work in harmony with your jaw joints (TMJ), speech, lip support, and remaining natural teeth. This guide explains the full spectrum of fixed and removable prosthodontic options at COSDENT, how multi-step fittings work, and how to plan your visits in Bangkok.

Table of contents

• What does prosthodontic care include?

• Fixed prosthodontics: Inlays, Onlays, Crowns & Bridges

• Removable dentures: Acrylic, Cast Metal Framework & Flexible Dentures

• Comparing tooth replacement options side by side

• Step-by-step denture and prosthodontic workflow at COSDENT

• Adapting to a new denture and daily maintenance

• Timeline, pricing and travel planning in Bangkok

• Frequently asked questions

What does prosthodontic care include?

When teeth are lost or heavily worn down, the remaining teeth bear extra chewing load and can tilt or drift, gradually altering your bite height (vertical dimension). A prosthodontist evaluates your entire chewing system rather than just one tooth at a time, designing restorations that falls into two main categories: fixed restorations (cemented or screw-retained in the mouth) and removable prostheses (custom dentures that can be taken out for cleaning).

Fixed prosthodontics: Inlays, Onlays, Crowns & Bridges

• Ceramic Inlays and Onlays: When a back molar has a cavity or fractured cusp that is too large for a direct composite filling, but still has healthy surrounding enamel walls that do not require a full 360-degree crown, a lab-crafted ceramic or zirconia inlay or onlay bonds precisely into the tooth like a puzzle piece, conserving natural tooth structure.

• Single Dental Crowns: Full-coverage ceramic, zirconia, or porcelain-fused-to-metal caps that encase and protect a cracked or root-canal-treated tooth. Read our dedicated Dental Crown guide and our veneers vs crowns comparison.

• Fixed Dental Bridges: Replaces 1 or 2 missing teeth by crowning the healthy anchor teeth (abutments) on either side of the gap with a solid joined restoration containing the replacement tooth (pontic) in the middle.

• Implant-Supported Restorations: Fixed crowns, bridges, or full-arch prostheses anchored onto dental implants without preparing adjacent natural teeth.

Removable dentures: Acrylic, Cast Metal Framework & Flexible Dentures

When multiple teeth are missing across an arch, or when bone volume, medical health, or budget makes fixed implants unsuitable, custom removable dentures restore your smile, chewing ability, and facial lip support:

1. Cast Metal Framework Partial Denture (Vitallium / Cobalt-Chrome)

Built around a thin, rigid, custom-cast metal framework that rests precisely on prepared seats on your natural teeth, combined with gum-shaded acrylic and lifelike denture teeth. Because the metal palate or lingual bar is very thin and strong, it feels less bulky to the tongue and distributes biting forces safely onto the supporting teeth rather than crushing the gums.

2. Flexible Partial Denture (Valplast® / Thermoplastic Nylon)

Crafted from athin, biocompatible, translucent pink nylon resin without metal clasps. The flexible clasps blend into your natural gum colour around the necks of adjacent teeth, popular for replacing 1 to 3 missing teeth in the visible smile zone or as a comfortable interim prosthesis.

3. Conventional Acrylic Partial & Complete (Full) Dentures

Full dentures replace all upper or lower teeth using high-impact gum-tinted acrylic resin shaped to seal against the oral mucosa, while acrylic partial dentures often serve as transitional ("immediate") dentures placed right after tooth extractions while gums and bone heal.

Comparing tooth replacement options side by side

Step-by-step denture and prosthodontic workflow at COSDENT

Creating a well-fitting denture or complex bridge is not a rushed single-day assembly, it involves careful clinical and laboratory try-in stages so your bite, speech, and tooth shade look and feel natural:

1. Prosthodontic assessment & pre-treatment care: Evaluating remaining teeth, gum health, ridge shape, and X-rays. Any required fillings, scaling, or extractions are completed first.

2. Primary & master impressions / 3D scans: Capturing accurate anatomical models of your dental arches and soft-tissue borders.

3. Bite registration & framework try-in: Recording how your upper and lower jaws meet at a comfortable vertical height, and verifying the fit of any cast metal framework.

4. Wax tooth try-in (Aesthetic & phonetic preview): Before the denture is processed in final acrylic, the replacement teeth are set in wax so you can see them in your mouth, check lip support, test "f", "v", and "s" speech sounds, and approve the tooth shade and shape.

5. Delivery & post-fitting review: Fitting the finished prosthesis and scheduling a follow-up check a few days later to polish any minor pressure spots after you have chewed with it.

Adapting to a new denture and daily maintenance

• First 1 to 2 weeks: New removable dentures naturally stimulate extra saliva flow for a few days and require practice chewing soft foods cut into small pieces on both sides of the mouth simultaneously.

• Remove dentures overnight: Take removable partial or full dentures out while sleeping so your gum tissues can rest, breathe, and recover from daytime pressure.

• Clean over a folded towel or basin of water: Brush dentures daily with a soft denture brush and non-abrasive denture cleanser (never regular gritty toothpaste or boiling water), and store them submerged in clean water or soaking solution when not worn so the acrylic does not dry out and warp.

Timeline, pricing and travel planning in Bangkok

If you are visiting Bangkok from overseas for a removable partial/full denture or multi-unit bridge, please allow 10 to 14 days in the city so all try-in stages and at least one post-fitting comfort adjustment can be completed before your flight home. Check our pricing page or contact our team with recent dental photos or X-rays for a tailored schedule.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a dental crown, an onlay, and a veneer?

A veneer covers only the front visible face of an anterior tooth for aesthetic improvement. An onlay covers the chewing cusps of a back tooth while preserving healthy side walls. A crown covers the entire 360-degree outer surface of a heavily damaged or root-filled tooth.

How soon after tooth extractions can a denture be fitted?

An immediate acrylic denture can be made in advance and placed on the same day teeth are extracted so you are never without teeth. However, because bone and gums shrink noticeably during the first 3 to 6 months after extractions, an immediate denture will require relining or replacement with a definitive denture once healing stabilizes.

Why does my old denture feel loose after several years?

Even when a denture itself has not changed, the jawbone ridge underneath a removable denture gradually resorbs over the years. Our prosthodontist can assess whether your existing denture can be relined for a snug fit, remade, or stabilized with dental implants.

How do I book a prosthodontic consultation at COSDENT?

Contact COSDENT Smile Design to arrange an examination with our prosthodontic specialists at our Siam or Rama 9 clinic in Bangkok.

Prosthetic design, material selection, number of try-in visits and exact fees are confirmed after an in-person clinical and radiographic evaluation.