Prosthodontics & Occlusion · patient case question

What is the best treatment?

Patient case: Financial constraints with 90% non-restorable teeth

Scenario: A patient with FINANCIAL PROBLEMS and 90% of his teeth NON-RESTORABLE.

  1. Partial dentures, retaining the restorable teeth
  2. Implant-supported fixed prostheses
  3. Extract all teeth and defer prosthetic treatment
  4. Extract all teeth and fabricate complete dentures
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Partial dentures, retaining the restorable teeth

  • A. Keyed per the source. The recaller noted the case specified that SOME teeth WERE restorable and did not need to be removed. Retaining sound abutments preserves alveolar bone, proprioception, support and retention, and a removable partial denture is markedly less expensive than implants — a decisive factor for a patient with financial constraints.
  • B. Implants are the most expensive option and are directly excluded by the stated financial constraints.
  • C. Rendering a patient edentulous with no prosthetic plan fails the standard of care.
  • D. Extracting ALL teeth including restorable ones violates the principle of conserving healthy tooth structure. It is the defensible choice only when the remaining teeth genuinely have a hopeless prognosis — which is the reading if '90% non-restorable' is taken at face value.

Note: ⚠️ CONTESTED. If 90% of teeth are truly non-restorable, complete dentures is the more standard answer; the recaller chose partial dentures based on case detail (some teeth restorable) not fully captured in the recall. Read the actual patient box carefully on exam day — the number of RETAINABLE abutments decides this item.

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