What is prosthodontics?
Prosthodontics is a dental specialty recognized by the Canadian Dental Association. It pertains to the diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation, and maintenance of the oral function, comfort, appearance, and health of patients with clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth and/or oral and maxillofacial tissues.
What is a prosthodontist?
A prosthodontist is a dentist who has completed dental school plus three additional years of advanced training and education in an accredited prosthodontic graduate program. They specialize in treating and handling dental and facial problems that involve restoring missing tooth and jaw structures. A prosthodontist is highly trained in cosmetics, dental implants, crowns, bridges, dentures, temporomandibular disorders (TMJ/TMD), and more.
How is a prosthodontist different from other dentists and dental specialists?
The term “prostho” means replacement and “dontist” means dealing with teeth. Essentially, prosthodontists are THE recognized experts when anything needs to be replaced in your mouth. This can range from a single tooth, multiple teeth, or all teeth and gums in the mouth. While many other dentists can do some of these treatments, prosthodontists are the specialists dedicated to this type of care.
Prosthodontists have advanced training in restoring and replacing teeth. Prosthodontists are considered the leaders of the dental treatment plan. They regularly lead teams of general dentists, specialists, and other health professionals to develop solutions for your dental needs.
Why choose a prosthodontist?
Choose a prosthodontist because of their advanced education and training, efficiency, and expertise with advanced technology. Prosthodontists are extensively trained in state-of-the-art techniques and procedures for treating complex dental conditions and restoring optimum function and esthetics.
Rigorous training and experience give prosthodontists a special understanding of the dynamics of a smile and the preservation of a healthy mouth.
Our Office
We currently operate from Scott Family Dental. In case of any questions please call (807) 345-6631
Areas of Practice
Dental implants
Dental implants are metal cylinders made of titanium surgically placed in the jawbone where teeth are missing. Implants replace the roots of missing teeth and support single crowns, large bridges, and dentures. State-of-the-art technology makes it possible for these implant-supported replacement teeth to look, feel, and function like natural teeth.
Digital dentistry
With the advent of CAD-CAM dentistry, advanced jaw scanning Cone Beam CT technology and intraoral scanners dentistry has never been more comfortable for the patient. Accuracy of the digital workflows is unprecedented.
Cosmetic dentistry
Our dental specialists are extensively trained in the field of cosmetic and esthetic dentistry. With the extensive experience in smile design and oral function we are able to create a smile you always wished for
All on 4 restoration
With the use of state of the art technology and dental implants a dental specialist and a co-operative patient is capable of restoring an edentulous arch with a minimum of 4 dental implants. Some cases require more implants placed, especially in the upper jaw.
All CERAMIC RESTORATIONS
With the advent of digital dentistry all ceramic restorations are the most precise and esthetic way of fabricating crowns and bridges. These materials won’t show dark lines through the gingiva, thus making it one of the most popular option for restoring teeth nowadays. Our specialists have extensive training in the fabrication of these prosthesis both in the analog and digital workflows.
Fixed crowns and bridges
Crowns and bridges can be attached to teeth or dental implants. If attached to teeth we have to make sure that enough teeth structure is available to be able to hold the crown in place for a long time. If attached to an implant correct 3D positioning of the implant is inevitable. Our specialists are extensively trained in the fabrication and the use of these surgical stents.
Tooth colored fillings
Bonded resin fillings are able to achieve superior esthetics compared to conventional filing materials. In our prosthodontic practice we would use a waxup and a jig to transfer the planned resin outlines intraorally. These fillings would be layered with multiple shades and translucency to achive optimum esthetics.
Complete dentures
Conventional complete dentures can be life changing if fabricated correctly. Thorough evaluation of the remaining soft and hard tissues can aid in using all the available surfaces for retention, stability and support of the complete denture. Multiple impressions are required and a teeth try in appointment is necessary to evaluate esthetics and phonetics.
Full mouth rehabilitation
Full arch rehabilitation involves the complete rehabilitation of the jaws. Could be done with the use of dental implants or the remaining teeth. Extensive and complicated planning requires a dental specialist to execute these kind of treatments.
Removable partial dentures
These kind of prosthesis can be attached to teeth, to gums, to dental implants, or the combination of any of these. Dental implants can add extra retention and stability to the prosthesis. Our specialist can plan for these restoration with the greatest confidence.
Guided surgery
Our implant placements are fully guided with 3D printed surgical stents. These stents allow for maximum precision during implant surgeries that are based on a waxup of the future teeth. Restorative driven implant placement is a must to achieve long term success.
VENEERS
Dental veneers are thin porcelain layers bonded to the teeth enamel. They require extremely precise planning and minimalist preparations. Our dental specialists will create a wax-up and a possibly a mock-up before proceeding to the actual preparation. The material of choice will be determined by the thickness and the shade of the original tooth, thus creating a uniform shade and shape of the front teeth.
Teeth whitening
Teeth whitening is a simple and cost effective procedure to lighten the shade of discolored or stained teeth. There are multiple options offered by our specialists including in-office or at home procedures. A custom fabricated trey with the proper material can whiten teeth multiple shades whiter.
Cone beam CT services
Cone beam CT allows us to plan the implants in a restoratively driven position and with the use of 3D printerd surgical guides be able to execute the plan. These technologies allow us to see if there is enough bone for dental implants and if not is grafting possible. The amount of necessary bone grafting could be easily determined. The accuracy of these surgeries is unparalleled compared to conventional planning.
Interdisciplinary care
We create our treatment plans by working close with other dental specialists. Oral surgeons, periodontists, endodontists, radiologists, orthodontists and Invisalign specialists are all dental specialists with extensive training in their specific field.
Sleep appliances, sleep dentistry
Oral appliance therapy is for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. Dental appliances can help you sleep better and be more rested. These appliances can only be prescribed to patients that have a diagnosis of sleep apnea.
Rehabilitaion of worn dentition
Rehabilitation of worn dentition usually requires a specialist to restore the teeth to its original function. The cause of this problem is usually multi- factorial and the possibility of relapse is high. The treatment of choice and the material of choice is dependent on a lot of factors. Contact our specialists if you have any question about these procedures.
Bruxism treatment
Bruxism is a parafunction that happens to most people throughout their life. Grinding and clenching are two of the common symptoms. It mostly happens during the night, but in some cases also during the day. Pain in the muscles, arthritis of the TMJ ,occlusal trauma and gum recession are complications frequently observed. Our specialists are extensively trained in the different methods of treatment of the worn dentition and bruxism.