Why a Prosthodontist?

Prosthodontists are one of nine dental specialties recognized by the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) and the American Dental Association (ADA). The CDA defines Prosthodontics as:

“that branch and specialty of dentistry concerned with the diagnosis, restoration and maintenance of oral function, comfort, appearance and health of the patient by the restoration of the natural teeth and/or the replacement of missing teeth and contiguous oral and maxillofacial tissues with artificial substitutes”

As the video explains, a Prosthodontist specializes in restoration and maintenance of oral function, comfort, appearance and health of oral tissues with dentures, crowns, bridges, veneers and implant supported replacement teeth. A Prosthodontist has acquired his specialty by completing an additional four years at university following a dental degree. This training allows a Prosthodontist to coordinate complex cases between other specialists, when required, to complete comprehensive treatment plans. Because of their advanced training, Prosthodontists are often seen as being the “oral engineers” of the dental world who develop treatment plans and orchestrate efforts amongst dental and other medical practitioners.

This video describes how Dr. Larry Brecht, a friend and colleague who is a prosthodontist working in New York, has done some amazing work with cleft palate patients specifically. The video describes the type of approach that is necessary to manage complex restoration and rehabilitation both from the point of view of the patient, and from that of the practitioner. The video describes quite well the time that is involved to achieve the best results, and the amount of work that has to be done in the background to develop and coordinate the final outcome working with a number of practitioners with complementary skills.