A removable prosthetic device that overlays and may be supported by retained tooth roots or implants is called?

A removable prosthetic device that overlays and may be supported by retained tooth roots or implants is called?

• A. Maryland bridge
• B. Overdenture
• C. Molar
• D. Occlusion

Answer: (B)

Removable prosthetic devices that overlay the mucosa and may be supported by retained natural tooth roots or dental implants are overdentures. An overdenture sits over the gums and uses the remaining roots or implants as attachments, which provides better stability, retention, and proprioception compared with a conventional denture. Keeping the roots or placing implants helps anchor the denture and can help preserve supporting bone around those abutments. The other options don’t fit: a Maryland bridge is a fixed partial denture bonded to adjacent teeth with wings and is not removable or root/implant-supported in the same manner; a molar is simply a tooth type, not a prosthesis; and occlusion refers to how teeth contact each other, not a removable device.

Removable prosthetic devices that overlay the mucosa and may be supported by retained natural tooth roots or dental implants are overdentures. An overdenture sits over the gums and uses the remaining roots or implants as attachments, which provides better stability, retention, and proprioception compared with a conventional denture. Keeping the roots or placing implants helps anchor the denture and can help preserve supporting bone around those abutments.

The other options don’t fit: a Maryland bridge is a fixed partial denture bonded to adjacent teeth with wings and is not removable or root/implant-supported in the same manner; a molar is simply a tooth type, not a prosthesis; and occlusion refers to how teeth contact each other, not a removable device.