A prosthodontist in Harley Street sounds like a pretty intimidating title, but if you break it up it’s really just a prosthetic tooth specialist; everything sounds better in Latin or Greek!
Much like the more famous orthodontist who is responsible for the shape of teeth, or the root canal performing endodontist, the under teeth specialist prosthodontists concern themselves with the design fitting in manufacturing of dentures. This is no longer the case as dental prosthetics are not the removable items they once were; more and more often dental prosthetics are finding themselves being permanently attached into our patients jawbone. The modern prosthodontics in Harley Street dentist shares more in common with the American maxillofacial surgeon than a standard dentist.
Our specialisation of working with the temporal mandibular region of the face and its associated muscle groups, blood vessels and nerves make us similar to an oral surgeon, Most of the patients we see have been referred on from other dental clinic or surgeries in order to receive specialised treatment with an extensive medical back history which is sent ahead of them. We always read through this and prepare thoroughly for our first meeting with our patients so that we can discuss treatment options although they are likely to be quite similar to the conclusions made by their local dentists.
We occasionally see patients directly when they approach us about maxillofacial issues not directly related to teeth. This would be in the case of facial reconstruction surgery, post mouth cancer surgery and extensive oncology treatment. It could also be related to correcting soft tissue and palate issues often related to obstructive sleep apnea or chronic snoring. This is usually done by trimming soft tissues within the airways and permanently widening the orifices.
Dental implanting
It is only in the last decade or so that dental implants in a clinical setting performed by dentists have become the norm; it was mainly facilitated by the development of a dental implantation technique that did not require full anaesthesia. Without the need of an anesthesiologist or an operating theatre, these implants could take place in your local dental clinic using nothing more than the anestesia already available in dental surgeries.
Before that point, dental implantation was exclusively performed by prosthodontics, as well as being considered more of a research field rather than an established treatment procedure. We still do perform a great deal of dental implants along with more entrance facial reconstruction surgeries but usually focus on either complicated or specialist cases where advanced and multifaceted skills with an extremely high success rate are best used.
So in spite of our strong surgical background you’ll be able to find prosthodontics in Harley Street or any other centre of dental excellence. We often work in a mixture of clinical and hospital environments with many of our staff also holding part-time positions in dental universities as teaching or guest lecturers.
If you would like to speak more about surgical procedures, like oral implants fitted to the highest professional standards, feel free to get in contact.