Prosthodontics and orthodontics — crowns, bridges, and dentures
From impression or scan to finished tooth replacement
Prosthodontics is about replacing lost or severely damaged tooth tissue with an artificial solution that restores both function (chewing) and appearance. The program's regulations emphasize that you must independently be able to plan and provide ergonomically correct assistance during treatments with both fixed and removable prosthodontic — in other words, it's one of the subject's heavy, practical main areas.
§Fixed prosthetics: crowns and bridges.
Fixed prosthetics sits permanently secured in the mouth. A crown covers a single, weakened tooth completely, while a bridge replaces one or more missing teeth by anchoring to neighboring teeth or to implants. Before the final crown or bridge is ready, the patient often wears a provisional (temporary) restoration so the tooth is protected and the patient can function normally while the final work is being made.
§Removable prosthetics: dentures
Removable prosthetics — dentures — can be taken out and put in by the patient themselves. It can replace individual teeth (partial denture) or the entire row of teeth (complete denture). Good hygiene is crucial for both the durability of the denture and to avoid denture-related oral diseases, such as irritation or fungal infection under a denture that is not cleaned properly. Being able to instruct the patient in cleaning of prosthetic replacements, including implant-supported prosthetics, is a concrete goal of the education.
§Implant-supported prosthetics
With implant-supported prosthetics an artificial 'root' of titanium is surgically placed in the jaw bone where it grows firm after a period (osseointegration). Afterwards it can support a crown a bridge or a full denture. The advantage is that the replacement does not stress the neighbouring teeth but it requires good oral hygiene around the implant to last.
§Impression, scanning and study models
Before a prosthetic replacement can be made, the dentist or assistant must have an accurate picture of the patient's teeth and bite. Traditionally a physical impression is taken with impression material in an impression tray, which is cast to a study model in plaster. Today digital scanning is increasingly used, where an intraoral scanner captures a 3D model directly in the mouth without impression material. Both methods are still used in practice, and you must know and be able to handle both, including being able to make individual impression trays where relevant.
| Method | How the case is recorded and what happens next | Advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional impression | Impression material in impression tray, hardens in mouth, cast to study model | Well-known, does not require digital equipment |
| Digital scanning | Intraoral scanner captures 3D model directly | No unpleasant impression material, quick digital transfer to the lab |
§Rubber dam and orthodontics
In connection with certain treatments — particularly root treatments and fillings — a rubber dam (cofferdam) is used: a thin rubber sheet that is stretched over the tooth so it is kept dry and isolated from the rest of the mouth. Preparing and disinfecting the rubber dam is a concrete skill in the training. You will also encounter orthodontics (braces), where braces and other apparatus straighten the teeth's position over time — here tasks such as inserting and removing orthodontic apparatus are part of the daily assistance.