What is a Prosthesis?

A prosthesis is an artificial substitute for a missing, disfigured or malformed part of the body. The desired goal of a prosthesis is to restore form and function It helps to protect exposed delicate tisses, covers exposed cavities, may provide support for glasses or hearing aids and most importantly it restores appearance. Each prosthesis is custom made for the individual patient and can help to restore self-confidence and facilitate the individuals return to most of their normal activities. However, because the prosthesis is not living tissue, there must be some obvious limitations; the prosthesis may not restore normal movement, does not blush or tan and must be removed for cleaning.

Example of an Auricular prosthesis

Example of a Finger prosthesis