While general dentists handle routine dental procedures, such as tooth decay and crooked teeth, prosthodontist are highly trained in more advanced treatments. These include dental implants, crowns, bridges and dentures.

Prosthodontists have received an extra four years of education and training beyond dental school to ensure your smile’s form, function and esthetics are restored properly.

Dental Implants

A prosthodontist is trained to restore the function and appearance of a patient’s mouth, bite and smile using dental implants. They work closely with oral surgeons to place and repair implants and other complex surgical procedures.

Implants can replace one or more missing teeth and provide support for a bridge or denture. To qualify for dental implants, patients must be in good health with a fully developed jaw and adequate bone to hold the titanium implant post. If not, a bone graft may be needed to build up the site.

Once the implant posts are in place, your general dentist or prosthodontist will attach the abutment and crown. Patients must commit to a high level of oral hygiene to prevent gum disease and other problems that can affect the longevity of their new implanted teeth.

Crowns

Crowns are custom-fitted caps that encase damaged teeth to repair or restore their appearance, strength and function. They’re also used to hold dental bridges in place or cover a tooth implant.

A prosthodontist will numb the tooth receiving a crown to make sure it doesn’t feel uncomfortable or sensitive. Then the dentist will file down its chewing surface and sides to prepare it for the cap, which will fit snugly over it.

Depending on the type of crown, it can either be bonded directly to the natural tooth’s surface (featuring a translucent porcelain that transmits its underlying color) or layered over a zirconia core that has standard transparent porcelain bonded on top. The latter is typically a more cost-effective option but doesn’t offer as lifelike a result.

Bridges

When missing teeth create gaps that can interfere with speech, chewing and the appearance of your smile, prosthodontists can use a dental bridge to restore your natural teeth. A traditional dental bridge involves two crowns on healthy adjacent teeth (called abutment teeth) and an artificial tooth in between called a pontic.

A resin-bonded bridge, also known as a Maryland bridge or a Maryland-style bridge, uses metal wings on just one side that are bonded to your existing teeth. This type of dental bridge requires less reduction of healthy abutment teeth and is used only in select cases.

To ensure that a dental bridge properly seats and fits the abutment teeth, your prosthodontist may recommend sectioning the bridge and trying it in each abutment individually. This is done to confirm the spatial relationship between the abutment and preparations and to achieve clearance in the occlusion.

Dentures

Prosthodontists use dentures to replace missing teeth and restore a full smile. They are also trained to perform oral surgeries like surgical tooth extractions and alveoloplasty (bone ridge smoothing) that are often required before patients can receive their complete dentures.

This restoration goes over a single tooth or multiple teeth and is designed based on the patient’s prescription, the condition of the tooth, and other factors. Prosthodontists are considered to be the architects of a person’s smile, as they create their plans for healthy, beautiful teeth and a correct bite.

Dentures are used for people of all ages to replace missing or damaged teeth. They can also be used to help ease symptoms of sleep apnea, such as snoring and exhaustion. These appliances can be removable or fixed and are usually made of acrylic resin with artificial teeth.

Teeth Whitening

Your smile is a vital part of your appearance and self-esteem. If you have stained or discolored teeth, they can detract from your smile. Professional teeth whitening can remove mild to moderate stains caused by food, coffee, red wine, smoking or age-related tooth discoloration.

A prosthodontist can perform a dental exam to check the health and status of your teeth and gums before the teeth whitening process. This prevents complications such as increased tooth sensitivity or gingivitis while also ensuring the bleaching products used are safe for your teeth and gums.

Prosthodontists can also treat teeth that are damaged beyond repair with crowns or bridges, and close gaps in your smile with veneers. Oftentimes these restorations are required when you have tooth damage or missing teeth that cannot be treated with standard dental treatments like fillings and cleanings.