Dentistry Is More Specialized Than You May Think!

Most people are aware that there are various dental specialties.  We know there are general dentists, and if you’re very fortunate, your general dentist has invested significant time and money in furthering his/her dental education beyond dental school, as we do at Tavormina Dentistry.  Dentistry is constantly improving with advances in patient comfort, dental procedures, dental materials, and dental equipment.

But did you ever stop to think about the various areas of specialization that are required for producing actual dental crowns, bridges, and dentures?  Dentists are responsible for providing accurate impressions of your mouth so that a dental laboratory technician can fabricate that new tooth or teeth for you.

In a dental laboratory there are several areas of specialization that are responsible for the beautiful end result your dentist is responsible for.  There are technicians that are responsible for the fabrication of dental models and the proper use of dental models in the process of making dental prostheses.  There are dental model technicians and also model technicians that have to expertly segment a model (making what are called dyes), so that each tooth that needs to be worked on can be handled individually.  Then all the dyes have to be put back like a puzzle and fit exactly so that the person’s new dentistry will fit perfectly in the mouth and restore tooth structure and function accurately.

Dental waxers are the technicians who form the metal substructures of crowns and bridges, in wax.  Ultimately, the wax is replaced by being cast with dental metals.  There are lab technicians that specialize in the proper finishing of the metal.  Each step of the process is provided by people who are expert in one small aspect of the final restoration.

There are dental laboratory technicians who areceramists.  The ceramists slowly build a smile with porcelain and provide the artistry that is responsible for the subtle nuances that make the finished crowns and bridges look beautiful and natural.

Some dental laboratory technicians are trained to focus on the art and science of making crowns and bridges, while other dental technicians focus on setting up denture teeth for dentures and focusing on making dentures and partial dentures look as natural as possible and return the patient’s function.

All the steps are very detailed, as are the steps the dentist has to take to make sure the laboratory has what it needs to satisfy the patient’s needs.  The final step is the dentist verifying the accuracy of the final result.  There’s a lot of teamwork that goes into providing dental services to our dental family.

For information on other dental topics visit www.TavorminaDentistry.com, or of course,

feel free to call us at 973-761-5090.  We welcome the opportunity to help you.