Do I need a Dental Prosthetist or a Prosthodontist?
Have you ever been shopping or at a specialist appointment where they have used confusing technical jargon? All you feel like saying is, “Can repeat all of that in English now, please?” We’ve all been there. We know it’s important to understand the product or service, but we don’t want a uni degree to do so!
Today, we explain a couple of specialties within the dental industry that might help you when you call a dental practice and want a specific kind of treatment.
So what is a Prosthetist?
A Prosthetist (pronounced – pross-the-tist) can create amazing looking removable replacement teeth. They can examine your dental situation and assess for removable appliances – whether a full mouth of teeth or replacing a few missing teeth, implant-retained overdentures as well as mouthguards for sport, manufacturing splints/nightguards, sleep apnoea or anti-snoring devices and immediate dentures. They can take molds of your mouth and create a bite and aesthetic plan to suit your mouth, smile and face as well as construct the new teeth in the Dental Laboratory. A Prosthetist can work alone or as part of a larger Dental Team. The result you get will depend on the training and experience the Dental Prosthetist has. They can refer to other Dental Specialists for further diagnosis and treatment.
The length of time to train to be a Prosthetist is generally anything from 2 – 4 years and will depend on which country they did their training and the type of Degree they achieved.
A well-trained Prosthetist will explain to you the limitations in your particular situation and knowing what can and can’t be achieved. Some people struggle with dentures due to having a dry mouth, or maybe the existing teeth are not strong enough to hold the denture in place, or a lack of bone for the denture to fit on top of can make a denture wobble or lose, just to name a few. A Prosthetist will explain this to you prior to planning and constructing your new teeth so there are no surprises.
So – what is a Dental Prosthetist – a Dental Technician who is certified to treat patients in the mouth and design and construct removable devices such as dentures.
So then, What is a Prosthodontist?
A Prosthodontist (pronounced – Pross-doe-dontics) has a Dental Degree (BDS or equivalent) as well as their Masters in Dental Science (MDS or equivalent). A Bachelor of Dental Science can take up to 5 years and a Masters in Dental Science can take up to 4 years. They can treat all manner of patient’s dental needs and have fewer restrictions than a Prosthetist.
So whether a patient has all their teeth or has missing teeth, a Prosthodontist can assess the bite, gums, bone, aesthetics and the teeth to ensure any treatment performed is going to work well and last. The Prosthodontist can plan and treat patients for removable teeth as well as fixed teeth to create a functional and comfortable bite. Some Prosthodontists can even construct work in the lab, due to the extra training received in their Masters Degree. Having your own teeth treated might include covering and/or protecting your existing healthy teeth. These covers can be called veneers, crowns, caps, onlys but we are not attached to the name so much as the result, functionality and longevity of these.
A good Prosthodontist will also ensure to educate you on what can and can’t be achieved in your particular dental situation. They will ensure you understand the treatment options and what might work best in your mouth.
A Prosthodontist can assess your mouth fully and refer you to other Dental Specialists if necessary as part of a larger treatment plan in order for you to get the outcome you want. Prosthodontists tend to have a larger support team due to the varying treatments offered and the type of treatment performed.
For instance, for All-on-4 Teeth-in-a-day Dental Implant Treatment it wouldn’t be unusual to have up to 7 staff looking after one patient in a day to make sure treatment is performed efficiently and the patient is cared for throughout each step of the process to ensure they have an awesome and trouble free dental experience.
So in a nutshell, A Prosthodontist can assess and treat the whole mouth to obtain the results that are fixed and/or removable to get the outcomes you want. They are registered Dental Specialists and have extra training to ensure the treatment performed is suitable, not only for the patients mouth and smile but for their whole body too.
Do you need a Prosthetist or a Prosthodontist? Call us today on 8223 3531 to understand your situation further in order to choose the right person for the job!
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