Читать книгу Fundamentals of Fixed Prosthodontics - James C. Kessler - Страница 110

If a patient presents with a long-standing edentulous space into which there has been little or no drifting or elongation of the adjacent or opposing teeth, the question of replacement should be left to the patient’s wishes. If the patient perceives no functional, occlusal, or esthetic impairment, it would be a dubious service to place a prosthesis. This in no way contradicts the recommendation that a missing tooth routinely should be replaced. The teeth adjoining an edentulous space usually move, but they do not always move. When meeting the occasional patient who has beaten the odds, the dentist should recognize it for what it is, congratulate the patient for being fortunate, and tend to his or her other needs.