Occlusal reconstruction of a collapsed bite by orthodontic treatment, pre-prosthetic surgery and implant supported prostheses. A case report.

The loss of mandibular molars can result in a 'collapsed bite' owing to tilting of teeth adjacent to the gap and overeruption of maxillary molar segments. The lost interarch and interdental space must be regained before prosthetic reconstruction. This case report documents the treatment of a patient by orthodontic, surgical and prosthetic means. The teeth were orthodontically aligned to meet predetermined surgical and prosthetic requirements. The surgical phase comprised a posterior segmental maxillary osteotomy and one-stage placement of three large-diameter implants in the mandible. Finally, the occlusion was restored with mandibular implant-supported prostheses.