Wouldn't it be nice to entrust your smile, your most important asset, to the hands of someone who is properly trained. Is something we use, we see, we are attracted to, and are judged by not worth the attention to detail a specialist would give? After treating patients for the past ten years in need of the simplest filling to the most complex implant supported full mouth rehabilitation, I still come across the same set of questions: What is a Prosthodontist? How are you better trained to treat my complex case? Is the risk benefit ratio worth the slightly added cost of a detailed diagnosis, treatment plan, and positive outcome beneficial to me in the long run?
A Prosthodontist is a specialist who has undergone three to five years of training beyond the four years of dental school training. We specialize in comprehensive dental treatment and have gone through extensive training is orofacial aesthetics, reconstructive dentistry, implant dentistry, and disorders of the temporomandibular joint. We treat a wide range of patients in need of fillings, or veneers, or crowns, or implants, and are trained to comprehensively treat patients in need of full mouth rehabilitations. We care, and we care enought to seek advanced training at higher learning institutes which are accredited by the American Dental Association as specialty programs. Was the rigorous training worth it? Absolutely without a doubt yes. As Aristotle once said, "The more you know, the more you know you don't know." I practiced general dentistry for four years prior to seeking further education in Prosthodontics, and although I was sufficiently trained to treat my patients, I was constantly hitting a ceiling because of the lack of knowledge. I thought I knew, but the further I got along in my education, I realized I didn't know.
Throughout my training I came across and was an apprentice to some of the leading clinicians in the world. Something one of my favorite professors once told me has always stuck with me. Dr. Gary Wetreich who practices Prosthodontics in Wellesley, MA, and teaches at Harvard University leaned forward one day and said, "You're looking at the trees, and I'm looking at the forest." That's it isnt it? Prosthodontics is a practice of dentistry that doesn't treat the end result of an unbalanced system, it treats the cause. For example, a clinician can treat a fractured tooth by placing a crown to replace the missing tooth structure. However, if you don't look at the forest, the overall system, you migth not realize that the underlying cause of the fractured tooth to begin with was an unbalanced occlusion or bite, which has caused temporomandibular joint problems that may continue even after the fracture has been restored.
Yes, it's worth it to see a specialist, even for that small filling or those veneers you're considering. Creating that relationship with someone who you can trust and who cares is worth your long term health. Afterall, your mouth is the gateway to your body, and your smile is the gateway to other's lives and hearts. Prosthodontists care about the long term outcome of their work and are properly trained to treat simple to complex cases. Do patients ever wonder who most dentists go to when they're in need of proper treatment planning, comprehensive dental care, aesthetic dentistry, and dental implants? Yes, it's worth it.