If you’re like most people, you haven’t heard the term prosthodontics until your dentist brought it up. If you need a certain kind of dental procedure done, such as getting crowns, caps, bridges, veneers, dentures or other prosthetic teeth, a prosthodontist is your best choice. We’re going to explain what a prosthodontist does and how it’s distinct from general dentistry.

What is prosthodontics?

Prosthodontics is pretty easy to break down into its roots (pardon our pun). “Prostho” refers to “prosthetic” and “dontics” refers to the teeth (from the same root as “dental”). So prosthodontics is the practice of prosthetic dentistry.

What does a prosthodontics specialist do?

A prosthodontist diagnoses and plans treatment for patients who need to restore the function and appearance of missing or damaged teeth. If you’ve recently been in accident that chipped or broke one or more of your teeth, you would see a prosthodonist. Other possible reasons for damaged teeth include age, disease, and decay. A good prosthodontics specialist will help you come up with the best way to restore the function of your teeth using crowns, caps, bridges, veneers, or several other possible methods of prosthetic teeth.

Why haven’t I heard the term before?

Prosthodontics is a growing specialty, and one of only nine specialties recognized by the American Dental Association and the Royal College of Dentists of Canada. In the U.S. there are only about 3,200 registered prosthodontists.

How is prosthodontics different from general dentistry?

Many prosthodontists are also general practitioners of dentistry, but few dentists are specialists in prosthodontics. General dentistry includes caring for the teeth including preventing and treating diseases, cavities, and abnormalities. Many general dentists can perform common surgeries such as placing an implant, but a prosthodontics specialist has a more in-depth knowledge of the best procedure for every situation. Often, a dentist who practices general dentistry will recommend a prosthodontist if he or she feels that a procedure needs a specialist.

If you’re in need of caps, bridges, crowns, veneers, or other forms of prosthetic dentistry, it’s highly recommended to see a prosthodontics specialist.

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