LIGHTWEIGHT BY DESIGN: A SIMPLIFIED HOLLOW BULB INTERIM OBTURATOR FOR MAXILLARY REHABILITATION - A CASE REPORT

A lightweight closed hollow bulb interim obturator was fabricated for a 74-year-old male following hemi-maxillectomy for squamous cell carcinoma. A customized ice spacer, shaped according to the defect morphology, was used during heat polymerization to create the hollow bulb without requiring spacer retrieval or an access opening. The resulting obturator demonstrated satisfactory retention, stability, and structural integrity, with clinically observed improvement in speech, mastication, and deglutition, along with satisfactory patient comfort. As this was a single case, objective quantitative assessment of prosthesis weight and functional outcomes was not performed.The customized ice spacer technique is a simple, economical, and practical alternative for fabricating lightweight closed hollow bulb interim obturators during postoperative maxillary rehabilitation.