A dental prosthesis is an artificial element destined to restore the anatomy of one or several teeth, also restoring the relation between the maxillas, at the same time as returning the vertical dimension, replacing both the natural teeth and the periodontal structures.

The person in charge of designing, preparing and manufacturing these apparatus or artificial elements is the dental prosthetist, who carries out his/her work in a dental laboratory, receiving the indications of the dentist who works in the clinic.

Fixed prostheses are prostheses which are completely dento-supported, taking their support solely from the teeth.

The dentist shapes the teeth that will be used for support, the so-called pillar teeth and located at each extreme of the edentulous area (without teeth), in which fixed prostheses will be carefully cemented and adjusted. To do so in the clinic, the dentist takes impressions and records of the bite which will subsequently be sent to the laboratory where the prosthetist casts the impressions in plaster and upon the resulting models creates the structure of the fixed prostheses in wax. These wax-ups are included within special cladding resistant to high temperatures and then are cast in metal with different alloys. The last step may be assembling the ceramic upon the metal structures, depending on the type of fixed prosthesis to be used, as there is also the possibility of creating crowns or bridges in pure porcelain (without metal) or upon a base of white material called alumina or zirconium.

The dental prosthetist will need to use an articulator which simulates the temporomandibular joint of the patient, antagonist models which reproduce the dental arcade of the patient, etc., to achieve the correct, functional occlusion.

It is then tested several times in the mouth, and after achieving the three essential objectives for a prosthesis, the dentist will cement the end result into the mouth, and it can thereafter not be removed by the patient.