Restoring Smiles: All About Prosthodontics

You go to your doctor for regular checkups. You go to your dentist for regular cleanings. But, what happens when you need a specialist? Let’s say you are suffering from a serious sinus infection. Your doctor will refer you to an ENT. If you need special dental work, your dentist will often refer you to an Prosthodontist.

Prosthodontists get special training because they do more than just inspect your mouth for cavities and clean your teeth. They also do more than X-rays and root canals. These doctors do advanced dental and oral procedures that dentists are ill-equipped to deal with.

For Cosmetic Surgery

Most prosthodontist practices will offer at least cosmetic surgery. This is the best kind of dentist to go to for things like tooth veneers, invisible fillings, bleaching, and other tooth cosmetics. They can also do facial reconstruction surgery, repairing misaligned jaws and malformed teeth. These doctors can also help repair severe damage caused by crowding and underdeveloped jaws and teeth.

For Dentures

As you get older, you may find your teeth weakening. When this happens, you might even lose your adult teeth. As embarrassing and demoralizing as this is, it’s not the end of the world. You can get dentures to replace what you’ve lost. Prosthodontists are the doctors that can help you get a custom fit for your teeth.

Yes, a dentist can also do this, but a prosthodontist often has more experience in this area and may provide better service than a traditional dentist.

Crowns

If you’ve chipped your tooth, you might need a crown or “cap.” A prosthodontist is the specialist that can advise you on all of your options. Rather than choosing what’s convenient for the practice, the doctor will cover all of your options including porcelain, ceramic, and even gold. Bridges can also be made from a variety of materials. Bridges repair several teeth at once.

For Implants

Implants are a replacement for an entire tooth that’s rotted away or that had to be removed for other reasons. Titanium screws are drilled into the bone and then a tooth is secured to the top of the screw. This new tooth is meant to be a permanent fixture and a resolution to the problem you were having.

The Prosthodontist Difference

Prosthodontists take their practice to the next level by staying in school for an additional year. They become trained in maxillofacial prosthodontics. It’s a branch of medicine that involves treating people who are in need of head and neck defects. These defects can be birth defects or acquired defects that are the result of an accident, trauma, or motor vehicle crash.

Rather than focusing on maintenance procedures, these doctors specialize in the difficult-to-“impossible” procedures that surgeons and dentists do not and will not do. They may or may not be covered by medical insurance, depending on your carrier. However, when covered, they are typically only covered for necessary repairs to damaged teeth. Dental insurance, on the other hand, may cover full service for any procedure.