When you visit Harley Street Dental Clinic, you might need to visit a prosthodontist. This is someone who specialises in the restoration of the smile using prosthetic equipment. They are highly skilled and have usually trained for a number of extra years on top of that required for a normal degree in dentistry.
Why might someone need prosthodontics?
If you have missing or seriously compromised teeth, your dentist might refer you to a prosthodontist at Harley Street Dental Clinic. They deal with complex restoration cases. Once they have examined your mouth and gathered all the data they need, they will construct a treatment plan that restores the function and appearance of your smile. This might involve a number of techniques and a range of equipment. Your prosthodontist will manage your treatment and the way that the various components interact with each other to create your new smile.
Occasionally, people use the services of a prosthodontist to rearrange the components of their smile to fix an ongoing issue. Common dental problems that might require prosthodontic services include bruxism (teeth grinding) and temporomandibular joint disorder. Both of these can create considerable pain for a patient and can often be fixed by adjusting the position and alignment of the teeth.
What kind of equipment is used by a prosthodontist?
Commonly used prosthodontic equipment might include:
- Dentures – these can be full or partial. They need to be well-fitted and cared for to function properly as teeth replacements;
- Dental implants – these can be used to replace a single tooth, many teeth or all of someone’s teeth. They are often used in conjunction with dentures to give people implant-retained prosthetics. Dental implants can be used alongside healthy teeth and a prosthodontist will plan treatment so that the new teeth do not affect the remaining ones;
- Crowns and veneers – these are used to cover and/or repair the teeth if this is possible. Sometimes crowns are added to teeth so that they have the strength to support partial dentures.
- Braces – these might be fixed to the teeth or some sort of head gear. They would be used in conjunction with other treatments to address some of the issues referred to above.