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Time to Talk About – Choosing a Prosthodontist or General Dentist

With a little bit of help from one of our favorite online resources, Wikipedia, today we hope to help you understand the differences between a general dentist and a prosthodontist. We believe this information will help you make a more informed decision when you are considering your choices for tooth replacement therapy, cosmetic dentistry, or any oral specialty.

Essentially, a prosthodontist is a dentist who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of the oral function: including the comfort, appearance and health of patients with clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth and/or oral and maxillofacial tissues using prosthetic substitutes – or false teeth.

According to the American College of Prosthodontists, a prosthodontist is a dentist who:

  • Specializes in the aesthetic (cosmetic) restoration and replacement of teeth.
  • Receives three to four years of additional training after dental school.
  • Restores optimum appearance and function to your smile. The treatment planning and restoration of implants, Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ), and rehabilitation of occlusion with prostheses all fall under the field of prosthodontics."

There are just 3200 prosthodontists in the US today, compared to some 170,000 general dentists, all with additional specialized training in rigorous clinical and didactic preparation in the basic sciences, head and neck anatomy, biomedical sciences, biomaterial sciences, function of occlusion (bite), TMJ, and treatment planning and experience treating full-mouth reconstruction cases, and esthetics. A prosthodontist will also spend an additional year of training in maxillofacial prosthetics, which includes oral surgical and prosthodontic treatments.

Your prosthodontist is a highly trained dental specialist, with full training in general dentistry as well. We are trained to treat virtually any and all oral conditions, as well as facial trauma and complete oral reconstruction. Because of this training, we are able to offer basic dental care, as well as tooth replacement therapy that includes anything from a single tooth to a total tooth replacement.

Your prosthodontist should be able to offer a variety of tooth replacement therapies that are simply not available from a general dentist:

Dr. Kaushal Dhawan and staff at The Colorado Center for Implant and Prosthetic Dentistry are available to help you determine effective solutions to all of your dental problems. If you would like more information from your Littleton area Prosthodontist, please call tomake an appointment today.

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