How to become A Prosthodontist

Oral health is inextricably linked with overall health. A Prosthodontist is a dental expert who makes oral prostheses and fits dentures, crowns and bridges to replace a single tooth, several teeth, or teeth and gums, rectify deformities, help patients eat or speak, and enhance appearance.

• Prosthetic Dentist
• Maxillofacial Prosthodontist 
• Doctor of Dental Science
• Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
• Reconstructive Dentist
• Removable Prosthodontist
• Dental Prosthetic

What do Prosthodontists do?

A Prosthodontist would typically need to:

• Diagnose, treat, rehabilitate and maintain their patients’ oral health, function, comfort, and appearance 
• Discuss with patients their dental issues, symptoms and medical histories; create charts of their mouths and determine which dental prosthesis they require after examining them using various dental instruments
• Take impressions of patients' jaws and teeth to decide the dimensions (size and shape) of the dental prostheses needed, such as dentures, crowns and bridges; use face bows, dental articulators, recording devices, and other materials for measurement
• Design and fabricate dental prostheses, or send their wax models to the laboratory for fabrication; oversee dental technicians and laboratory workers who construct the devices
• Fit newly-fabricated dental prostheses in patients' mouths; evaluate, adjust and modify them as needed
• Treat tooth discoloration by performing teeth whitening procedures such as bleaching or hide teeth defects using veneers 
• Use bonding procedures to fix dental cracks and chips, close small gaps between teeth, and change the size and shape of teeth, to enhance appearance or function
• Collaborate with other dentists, doctors, and healthcare professional to plan and provide comprehensive treatment to patients 
• Treat facial pain and jaw joint ailments 
• Use permanent fixtures, such as crowns and bridges, or removable ones, such as dentures, to replace missing teeth and connected oral structures; repair, reline, and rebase dentures
• Rehabilitate patients with traumatic injuries, diseases or birth defects by restoring their oral functions and aesthetics through surgery to repair mouth structures
• Administer anesthesia for dental procedures and surgeries; prescribe medication, including painkillers and antibiotics
• Treat temporomandibular problems and sleep or snoring disorders
• Advise patients on how to maintain oral care; teach them the right techniques of brushing and flossing
• Carry out administrative tasks, if in private practice; supervise staff, manage finances, conduct marketing activities, maintain equipment and order supplies

Prosthodontists typically work in an office-based environment, either in a small practice where they may be the only Prosthodontist on staff or in a larger practice, with other dentists or medical experts. They may also work in general or dental hospitals.

Prosthodontists may work in operation theatres when they must collaborate with other physicians, such as plastic surgeons or ear, nose and throat specialists, to conduct reconstructive surgery on patients.

Dental and surgical facilities are clean and sterile. Given the extensive amount of interaction with patients, Prosthodontists usually protect themselves and their patients from infections by wearing gloves, masks, and safety glasses. Conducting dental x-rays also requires them to follow safety protocols.

Travelling is not normally required unless it is to attend conferences.

Similar to dentists, Prosthodontists typically work around 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday. However, medical emergencies may need them to work irregular hours and on weekends to meet the needs of patients. Typically, they need to spend less than 30 minutes on a patient’s follow-up visit. You may be called upon to treat patients admitted into the emergency department.

Finding a new job might seem challenging. Prosthodontists can boost their job search by asking their network for referrals, contacting healthcare and dental facilities directly, using job search platforms, going to job fairs, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies.

Prosthodontists are generally employed by:

• Public & Private Hospitals
• Dental Clinics
• Teaching Hospitals
• Universities

Healthcare associations, such as the International College of Prosthodontists (ICP), provide unparalleled networking and educational opportunities. They offer all the certification courses members will need throughout their professional careers. Affiliated Prosthodontists may attend conventions, seminars, and dinners frequented by peers, mentors, and other industry leaders. The events help them learn about the newest breakthroughs and latest developments in the field, including plum jobs.

• Trying to make a single tooth fit perfectly in a smile while the others remain the same
• Minimising complications in implants
• Keeping in mind that patients are people with individual needs and limitations and not just dental cases to work on

To show their commitment to the long qualifying period, every applicant to a medical program needs work experience in their local hospital, doctor's surgery, nursing home, or mental health trust. It will help them understand some of the physical and emotional demands of a career in medicine.

Some teaching hospitals also offer work experience in their prosthodontics departments, specifically for secondary school students interested in a dental degree and a career as a Prosthodontist. Although you may be largely allowed only to observe with just certain hands-on activities you can do, such work experience can be a helpful way to gain insight into the career.

Voluntary work in homes, hospices, dental practices and dental hospitals is required by some universities and boosts your application by demonstrating your transferable skills, communication abilities, and the ability to care for the community.

Work experience in varied settings is beneficial, including the important mandatory experience for your dental degree in a general dental practice and the optional experience in specialised fields such as prosthodontics. You will get an overview of how the different branches of dentistry are similar or different and how they collaborate to provide effective treatment to patients.

Given that the Covid-19 pandemic has made it tricky to find work experience opportunities, make use of e-learning resources that dental schools offer, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), to build greater knowledge about the profession. Read dental journals and keep up to date with news about dentistry in general and prosthodontics in particular. Interview or job shadow experts working in prosthodontics to prove your commitment to course providers and prospective employers. 

A four-year bachelor’s degree, preferably in biology, biochemistry, pre-med, pre-dentistry, or a related field, is the first step to becoming a Prosthodontist. 

You would then need to prepare for and take the relevant admissions test to qualify you to enter an accredited dental school to qualify as a dentist, typically through a four-year dental program that offers lectures, labs and clinicals. Your coursework would teach you about anatomy, physiology, microbiology, biochemistry, laboratory procedures, local anesthesia, periodontics (the study of oral disease and health), and radiology. In addition to lab work, you would also work under a licensed dentist’s supervision to acquire practical experience with patients.

To specialise as a Prosthodontist, you would follow up your dental education with an advanced program in prosthodontics, which would typically take two to four years. You would receive training in tooth restoration and replacement techniques and technology, which includes dental crowns, bridges and implants and cosmetic dentistry.

Taking biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics in high school prepares you for college. English and speech classes help you develop your research, writing, and oral communication skills.

Certification demonstrates a Prosthodontist’s competence in a skill set, typically through work experience, training, passing an examination, and writing research papers. Successful certification programs protect public welfare by incorporating a Code of Ethics.

Check whether certification is mandatory in your location and what the specific requirements are to obtain it. Voluntary certification will give you a competitive edge in the job market. You must renew your certification periodically to demonstrate that you are up to date with techniques and practices in prosthodontics.

Individual government entities conduct the licensing process. Licensing requirements vary according to location and the specialisation within dentistry that you wish to practise. Typically, they include the passage of examinations in addition to the fulfilment of eligibility criteria, such as completion of dental school, clinical experience through the completion of internship, residency, or apprenticeship, and sometimes a background check. 

Performance, experience, and the acquisition of professional qualifications drive career progression. Employees with consistently high levels of performance may be eligible for promotion every two to three years. 

Starting as general dentists, aspiring Prosthodontists could progress to Clinical Instructors and then Clinical Managers. With adequate experience, you could lead healthcare teams. Your intensive training equips you for scientific research in related fields, such as microbiology.

You may become a partner in a dental practice or choose to open your own. 

Candidates with the necessary skills, experience, and education have the best job prospects. Higher education would open up your career to take on pedagogical consultation or enter into academica.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is essential in the healthcare sector for public wellbeing and career progression. It embraces several new learning objectives, educational methodologies, and novel technological developments.

Acquiring a PhD would allow you to teach aspiring Prosthodontists and work in government agencies and defense hospitals.

Reflective learning, interaction with peer groups, comprehensive inclusion, workshops, and professional publications serve to educate, influence, support, and foster lifelong enlightenment in all career-grade Prosthodontists.

Different Models of Medical Practice

A Prosthodontist can opt for a specific practice model from among the prevalent ones.

Solo Practice 

Suburban or rural areas with significant medical needs and less competition suit solo practice. Remember that while you can grow and develop your unique style of medical care, it involves considerable effort, paperwork, time and financial risk. 

Group Practice

Group practice may comprise single-speciality or multi-speciality providers. Physicians in this model enjoy financial security and have administrative staff so that the physician can focus more time and energy on patient care. Further, with multiple physicians in a practice, each one can support the other as needed. However, autonomy and decision-making ability decrease, increasing the risk of conflict around significant practice issues. Larger practices also tend to become more bureaucratic and policy-driven.

Employed Physician Practice

The physician can focus on practising medicine because the employer takes over the financial and administrative responsibilities of running the practice. However, your work schedule and activities will be controlled by those who develop the policies and procedures.

Other Types of Medical Practice

Some physicians work as independent contractors in a solo or group practice; they may share financial responsibility and flexibility in clinical practice but may not be free to make all decisions.

Locum tenens (literally “place holder”) is an alternative to more permanent employment. Locum tenens positions are temporary (up to a year) offered by practices, hospitals, or healthcare organisations with an unfilled clinical need. The compensation rate is generally higher than what the permanent position would suggest. Locum tenens allows physicians to gauge a specific type of practice or location without committing to long-term employment.

Typically, such jobs are for general dentists although some specialists are also in demand. Part-time dental positions may be found in private practice, corporate dental practice, government facilities, and community health centres.

Electronic sensors offer digital views of the teeth and surrounding bone, without causing high radiation levels. The black & white images can be viewed instantly and electronically stored and shared. 

As specialists in complex dental diagnosis and treatment for replacing missing or restoring damaged teeth and their surrounding bone and tissue, Prosthodontists hold the special privilege of restoring oral function and healthy, beautiful smiles to their patients. They go beyond the general dentist’s work of cleaning and protecting teeth and gums and provide care and treatment to delicate cases that necessitate a specialist’s services. 

When you begin your own practice, invest in your computer network system to make it robust. Include electronic records, practice management software, and digital radiographs in the technologies you use at your practice.