Prosthodontist.

As most of my patients and colleagues know, in addition to a family practitioner I am also a Prosthodontist. I received a DDS from Columbia University School of Dental Medicine, a General Practice Residency Certificate from Montefiore Medical Center and a Prosthodontics Certificate from New York University.
In this entry I will attempt to explain what a Prosthodontist is. The American Dental Association(ADA) recognizes a handful of specialties in the practice of dentistry. The ADA's definition is as follows; Prosthodontics is the dental specialty pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of the oral function, comfort, appearance and health of patients with clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth and/or oral and maxillofacial tissues using biocompatible substitutes. In simpler terms a Prosthodontist has additional training in various techniques and procedures in restoring and/or replacing teeth.
It is a unique specialty in the sense that is relatively diverse as compared to other specialties. A Prosthodontist has a distinct advantage of not only being the primary restorative dentist, but also having a unique insight into all other specialties, allowing him/her to better coordinate a multi-disciplinary team of specialists.
Prosthodontics allows the capability and expertise to handle many different treatments from a simple procedure such as an onlay to a rather complex one such as a full mouth rehabilitation or cosmetic make over.

The true value of teeth.

Time and time again I see new patients who are dissatisfied with work that was done previously. More often than not, the condition is irreversible and more complex treatment is necessary to rectify the situation.
As adults we all have approximately 32 teeth and there are no spares. Once a tooth is damaged or lost it is not coming back. This is the reason why every single tooth is so valuable and irreplaceable.
In my opinion the key to better dental care is proper diagnosis and treatment in the first place. Too many people assume that a dentist is a dentist and that you get the same caliber of dentistry no matter where you go. Unfortunately this is far from the truth. Even more unfortunate is that by the time a patient realizes that previous treatments were faulty, it is often too late.
My staff and I have many years of training and experience and pride ourselves in providing the most conservative and clinically sound treatment bar none. There is absolutely no substitute to doing it right in the first place!