The functionally fixed restoration: a third modality of treatment.

Most dental practitioners as well as their patients prefer to have fixed rather than removable restorations. However, there are many clinical situations that prohibit the use of the fixed modality. These clinical cases can vary from simply not having the proper number of healthy teeth and/or implants to the esthetically challenging cases of high smile lines and severe loss of alveolar support. The approach of using a traditional removable prosthesis in these situations has always been met with severe compromises. The functionally fixed restoration is a third modality of treatment that can solve many of the problems of the removable restoration and at the same time provide the same comfort and success of the fixed prosthesis.