Prosthodontics

People living in the Plymouth MN area who’ve suffered tooth loss can get artificial teeth from local dentists who’re the experts in teeth replacement – prosthodontists. Prosthodontics is a dental specialty. As well as replacing teeth, prosthodontists like Metropolitan Prosthodontics in Plymouth also restore damaged teeth, carry out oral and facial surgery, and provide cosmetic dental treatments. So, what makes prosthodontists so special? And should you favor them over a regular dentist? Let’s find out.

What Makes Prosthodontists Special?

General dentists provide routine dental care with a wide range of treatments including check-ups, fillings, and tooth extraction. Some may also offer cosmetic dental treatments and orthodontic treatments such as braces. They’ve learned how to do this through four years of dental school education, qualifying as a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) or a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS).

A prosthodontist does the same – plus a whole lot more. After dental school, prosthodontists undertake a further three years of specialized training at a hospital or university in a program accredited by the American Dental Association (ADA). This graduate prosthodontic curriculum includes seminars, lectures, reviews of prosthodontic scholarly papers, and clinical and laboratory training across all areas of oral health and restorative dentistry – replacing or repairing damaged teeth.

Because of this highly focused, extensive training, the ADA recognizes prosthodontists as expert specialists in aesthetic replacement and restoration of teeth and ensuring oral health and functionality throughout the entire mouth. Prosthodontics is also one of 12 dental specialties in the U.S. recognized by the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards (NCRDSCB).

Types of Dental Prostheses

Dental prostheses have come a long way since the early days of artificial teeth fashioned from ivory or bone in the 1700s. Prosthodontists today replace teeth with prostheses that look natural and attractive and optimize oral functionality. These artificial teeth come in the form of:

  • Dentures
  • Dental bridges
  • Dental implants

Dentures

Custom removable dentures nowadays – plastic or porcelain teeth on an acrylic base – are a big improvement on those of the past. Thanks to advances in denture technology and treatment techniques, dentures now look more natural, fit better, and are more comfortable.

Main types of dentures are:

  • Full denture – when all the upper or lower teeth are missing.
  • Partial denture – when one or several teeth in the upper or lower jaw are missing.
  • Implant-supported overdenture – a full denture anchored by implants to improve stability and performance.

Dentists usually outsource the manufacture of dentures by sending impressions of the mouth to an external denture lab. Plymouth prosthodontists at Metropolitan Prosthodontics create custom dentures using their own in-house denture lab. This streamlines the process through total control over timing. It also ensures use of quality materials and the highest standards of craftmanship.

Dental Bridges

Dental bridges get their name because they provide artificial teeth to bridge a gap in your smile when a single tooth or a few adjacent teeth have been lost. Bridges are made of porcelain, alloys, or gold, or a combination of these materials. They ensure uniform distribution of bite force and prevent remaining teeth from moving out of place.

Unlike removable dentures, bridges are fixed permanently in place by one of two methods:

  • With dental crowns placed on teeth either side of the gap if you’re missing a single tooth or two teeth.
  • With dental implants when three or four teeth in a row are missing.

As a fixed dental prosthetic, a bridge avoids the chore of having to constantly remove a partial denture for cleaning and soaking.

Dental Implants

Dental implants at your Plymouth prosthodontist provide a state-of-the-art solution to tooth loss. A dental implant is a biocompatible rod that’s inserted into the socket of a missing tooth to form an artificial tooth root as the implant and jawbone fuse together. This process – osseointegration – is unique in dentistry in preserving facial structure and appearance by encouraging jawbone growth – without the stimulus of a tooth root, surrounding bone eventually wastes away.

If you’ve lost one tooth, a prosthetic tooth in the form of a dental crown is fixed onto an abutment on the implant rod. If you’re missing several teeth or all your teeth, implants can be used to secure a bridge or a denture. Implants are designed as a permanent solution to tooth loss and can last 20 to 30 years. They have a success rate of up to 98 percent – the highest of any type of surgical implant.

Other Services Provided by Plymouth Prosthodontists

Besides replacing teeth, Metropolitan Prosthodontics also restores decayed or otherwise damaged teeth with dental crowns, performs complex oral and facial surgery, and rejuvenates smiles with cosmetic dentistry.

Dental Crowns

Dental crowns are porcelain caps that cover the entire surface of a problem tooth to repair and strengthen it and restore natural shape, size and color.

Crowns are used in situations such as:

  • Substantial tooth decay when a filling would be insufficient.
  • Physical damage to a tooth.
  • After root canal treatment.

Crowns are also used to support a dental bridge or provide the prosthetic tooth for a dental implant.

Oral and Facial Surgery

Our Plymouth prosthodontists perform oral and maxillofacial surgery to repair the effects of disease, injury or abnormalities of the mouth, face, jaws or neck.

These procedures include:

  • Corrective jaw surgery.
  • Cleft palate surgery.
  • Repairing broken facial bones.
  • Surgery in severe cases of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).
  • Surgical removal of impacted wisdom teeth.

Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic dental treatments at Metropolitan Prosthodontics include:

Why Choose a Prosthodontist?

When you see a prosthodontist, you can be confident you’re in expert hands, whether you need artificial teeth, tooth repair, or facial surgery, or want to enhance your smile. For instance, Plymouth prosthodontist, Dr. Christopher Sasik, at Metropolitan Prosthodontics graduated top of his class with a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Minnesota. He then completed his prosthodontics residency at the prestigious Mayo Graduate School of Medicine and Science.

Another reason to go to a prosthodontist is that prosthodontic treatments have been taken to new levels with technologies such as 3D imaging instead of messy impressions, plus CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and computer aided manufacturing). Get in touch if you’d like to know more about prosthodontics in Plymouth.