You can rely on your general dentist to keep your smile looking bright, but what if you have a tooth that requires a specialist’s touch? Sometimes the enamel protecting your teeth breaks, weakening the structure and putting it at risk for further fractures. In other cases, you might be left with a gap in your grin that prevents you from speaking and chewing as you normally would. Restoring and replacing teeth is an absolute necessity if you want to keep leading a happy, healthy lifestyle, and you’ll definitely want to make sure you’re getting the best care possible under such circumstances. And in many cases, that means looking for a prosthodontist in Lincoln who can give you a high quality crown, implant, or another type of restoration.
What Does a Prosthodontist Do?
Prosthodontics is one of the nine dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association. It focuses on treating damaged or lost teeth. Every tooth plays a role in speech and chewing, and they are all vital for keeping your mouth healthy; thus, a prosthodontist’s goal is to help your smile continue to function properly.
What are the Benefits of Seeing a Prosthodontist?
Many general dentists offer restorative procedures; at minimum, they can treat cavities with fillings made out of metal or a composite resin. However, there are several reasons to find a prosthodontist instead:
- Additional Training: Specializing in prosthodontics requires up to three years of training after dental school. This means prosthodontists tend to be more skilled and experienced when it comes to restorative procedures.
- Improved Aesthetics: Are you looking for a cosmetic dentist in Lincoln to improve the appearance of your damaged teeth? Prosthodontists are the only dental specialists whose training formally involves cosmetic dentistry, ensuring that the crowns they produce look as a lifelike and dazzling as possible in your mouth.
- Expert Care for Complex Cases: Prosthodontists have been trained to deal with lost teeth, mouth injuries, congenital defects, jaw joint disfunction, and more.
- Implant Placement: A general dentist may have to refer you to a specialist to place dental implants before giving you a restoration. A prosthodontist, on the other hand, can perform the different steps of the procedure under one roof.
When Do You Need to See a Prosthodontist?
Are you in need of a crown to protect your teeth? Are you thinking about getting implants or a dental bridge for the empty space in your mouth? Or do you simply want to hide your smile’s flaws with porcelain veneers? A skilled prosthodontist can provide all of these restorations to create a grin that’s as beautiful as it is healthy. If you think you need an expert’s help to bring your teeth back to their ideal size, strength, or shape, keep your local prosthodontist in mind.
Meet the Author
Dr. Jennifer Reed has been serving Lincoln patients at her current location – Smile Specialties – since 2002. After earning a Doctorate of Dental Surgery from UNMMC College of Dentistry in 1991, she received her certificate of specialization in prosthodontics in 1993. Her focus is on complex reconstructive, prosthetic, and implant dentistry; if you’d like to make an appointment, you can visit her website or call (402) 488-5007.
