Differential diagnosis. Fixed or removable prosthesis.

These clinical cases demonstrate that the choice for fixed or removable prostheses is a complex decision. The factors to be evaluated include the patient's past dental history of treatment and self-care, the patient's state of health, the patient's psychologic motivation and personality profile, her or his economic status, and, finally, the dentist's skill and available consultative services. Ultimately, the patient must become a cotherapist and be given the opportunity to participate in the diagnosis, treatment planning, and after care. The cases presented here also demonstrate the use of short-term, immediate, interim provisional, and long-term definitive prostheses that may be used for fixed or removable prostheses. These choices require the dentist to make exquisite judgments about the users of fixed or removable prosthesis, especially if a patient is phobic about wearing removable prostheses. Fortunately, the state of the art in implant prostheses has advanced so favorably that the choices are now between fixed, removable, or implant prostheses.