Prosthodontics is a field of dentistry that specializes in replacing missing teeth with implants and prosthetics (false teeth). A prosthodontist is a dentist who has undergone a four-year ADA program to make him eligible to practice prosthodontics, in a sense that he has the skills to administer a full mouth reconstruction in cases where the patient has lost all of his/her teeth due to an accident or because they are crooked and the patients wants to replace them with dentures.

A prosthodontist also specializes in the diagnosis of teeth and mouth bite routines. A person with an awkward bite is prone to future mouth injuries in long-term impairments. The work of a prosthodontist is delicate and requires care and precision when creating false teeth. These false teeth or “dentures”, as both dentists and patients prefer to call them, help the patient in facilitating a normal bite. Dentures are made up of resinated materials (for the teeth) and special plastic (for the gums), that give the dentures a natural and life-like look. Dentures need not only be for an entire set of teeth. Some dentures are used to replace even just two missing front teeth.

Prosthetics are expected to last for about 30 years or more, depending on the eating habits and hygiene of the patient. Dentures are supposed to be brushed like normal teeth, to let them live longer and to reduce the bacteria and stain build-up.

Severe cases of dislocated teeth that have been caused by congenital defects and trauma from accidents require more specialized training when installing prosthetics intended to replace dislocated body parts other than the teeth. “Maxillofacial prosthetics” is a specialization requires an additional year of exclusive training in Maxillofacial Prosthetics. This sub-specialty of prosthodontics requires more precision, since other prosthetics are expected to be fabricated and installed on the gravely malformed face. This includes artificial eyes, nose and other facial prostheses. The prosthodontist will, more often than not, require aid from other medical and dental specialists to conceptualize the new prosthetics.