What is a Prosthodontist?

A prosthodontist is a dental professional who creates, restores and replaces human teeth. After completing four years training as a dentist, a prosthodontist completes another three years of full time training and practise, and as a result has a wide and extensive knowledge of a range of techniques and a comprehensive view of the teeth as part of the human body.

What are the most common prosthodontic procedures?

Prosthodontists restore damaged or missing teeth using crowns, bridges, dentures and dental implants. They are also specialists in the improvement of dental aesthetics through veneers, crowns, bonding and whitening procedures.

Why do teeth seem to darken when people age?

Teeth may seem to darken because plaque can build up faster and in larger amounts as one ages. Changes in dentin can cause teeth to appear a little darker as well. Staining from coffee, tea, soft drinks, certain medications and smoking can also occur.

What is your practice's philosophy regarding “teeth for life?

Our philosophy is based on the premise that the teeth and their supporting structures need to be maintained at their optimum so that any restorative system has some chance of providing a long term outcome. This means that for teeth, gums and bone we need the following:

•  A commitment by our Dental Hygienists to provide the best care they can for the prevention of disease of the gums and teeth. This is in the areas of:

• Cleaning
• Educating
• Monitoring
• Motivating
  
  
• A commitment by the restorative team to offer the best diagnosis and treatment planning we can so that patients can have an informed choice of treatment options.
• To use the best available preventive and restorative practices and materials to ensure the longest possible outcomes.
• To ensure that the patient is under no illusions about the long-term expectations from their treatment.
• To ensure that the patient understands implicitly their responsibility for ongoing dental care at home.
• To employ the use of other dental specialists where treatment plans requires work outside the Prosthodontic specialty.

To ensure this is happening we are always looking at plaque control, saliva flow, wear of teeth and restorations, changes in the patient's medications and other problems that might occur, particularly bruxism or tooth grinding.

Remembering that prevention is better than cure are there any simple steps that adults should take to help avoid future oral health problems?

We recommend the following simple prevention programme:

• Practice preventative healthcare everyday
• Brush teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste to help prevent decay
• Clean between teeth daily with floss or an interdental cleaner
• Change your tooth brush at least four times a year
• Maintain healthy eating habits, limit sugary and starchy snacks and stay away from tobacco