Working with a Prosthodontist Can Simplify Your Practice
At Mississippi Prosthetic Dentistry, we are a resource for our dental colleagues to assist in managing complex dental conditions.
Complex dental problems can be very time consuming and tedious. This is only made more stressful by times where the treatment doesn’t go as planned and everyone is frustrated. At Mississippi Prosthetic Dentistry, we believe that prosthodontists should be a resource and help patients with complex dental problems and that those patients should return to their general dental family. Dentists that refer to us find out that there is an overall reduction in lost chair time by outsourcing care that may have uncertain results. Patients love the specialized care they receive and they get to go back to their regular dentist when we are done. This makes everyone less stressed and anxious.
So, what are the complex dental conditions that we typically see that stress out our colleagues or that we see have unpredictable results that we get called in to help with managing? Read on to see.
Refer a Patient to MS Prosthetic Dentistry
At Mississippi Prosthetic Dentistry, we focus on the needs of our patients and referrals above all else because we believe that the relationships we develop are critical to a positive treatment experience.
Complex Condition:
Patients with an Unstable Bite
Patients with severely damaged teeth are physically impaired in their ability to normally function. This can present in several ways:
Severe Wear
Severe wear on their teeth that is a result of erosion, attrition, and/or abrasion. Often times, we see patients that have structural tooth loss that impairs their normal chewing function and as a result, they have trouble chewing, swallowing, and digesting their food. We find this in patients who have medical conditions, dietary habits, or parafunctional movements that contribute to the significant and progressive loss of tooth structure. This is not only a cosmetic issue, but a quality-of-life issue.
Tooth Movement and Drifting
Tooth movement and drifting after dental extractions that impair normal chewing ability. We see this when patients have had extractions done many years ago and the neighboring teeth either drift into the space or the opposing teeth drift into that space creating challenges in replacing those missing teeth and restoring proper function. When the teeth are not in the right place, it is difficult for them to function correctly as they can and will interfere with normal functional movements of the jaws during chewing. If there is limited space for the restoration, then the resulting restorative prosthetic can either be too thin to be strong enough to withstand chewing forces or be unnatural in its appearance.
Multiple Restorations
Multiple restorations over the years done one tooth at a time and they patient doesn't feel like their bite is in the right spot. When we see patients who have had necessary single tooth dentistry done over the years to correct dental disease issues, occasionally, we see that their bite is so far off, they don’t feel like they bite in the same place twice. This severely impairs function as the muscles of the jaws are working overtime to try to compensate for the lack of a dental “home base”.
Full Coverage Restorations
Full coverage restorations that are needed on a number of teeth, but the teeth that need restoring are holding the patient’s vertical dimension of occlusion. Once these teeth are prepped, then all occlusal stops are lost, and the bite relationship is now lost. This can be very time consuming and stressful to re-establish.
Time Impact
Dentists may spend significant chair time managing these cases with uncertain outcomes. When outcomes are unpredictable, hours are lost repairing and fixing prosthetics, often with no compensation for neither the dentist’s time nor the lab bills to fix the broken prosthetics.
Prosthodontist Role
Our specialized training allows us to handle these situations efficiently while ensuring predictable outcomes. We collaborate with you and return patients for continued care.
Complex Condition:
Patients with Rampant Caries
Patients with severely damaged teeth with cavities are at very high risk of losing their teeth the becoming physically impaired in their ability to normally function. This can present in several ways:
Severe cavities (Medication)
Severe cavities in their natural teeth due to medication induced xerostomia from medicines taken for medical conditions that contribute to the significant and progressive loss of tooth structure. This is not only a cosmetic issue because of the dark staining of the cavities, but a quality of life issue.
Severe Cavities (Dietary Habits)
Severe cavities in their natural teeth due to dietary habits where they consume large amounts of sugar which can contribute to the significant and progressive loss of tooth structure. This is not only a cosmetic issue because of the dark staining of the cavities, but a quality-of-life issue.
Severe Cavities (Existing Fillings, Crowns, or Bridges)
Severe cavities under existing fillings, crowns, or bridges due to medication induced xerostomia, dietary habits, or both that contribute to the significant and progressive loss of tooth structure. This is not only difficult to handle one tooth at a time, but it is very draining on patients to go to so many dental appointments.
Time Impact
Dentists may spend significant chair time managing these cases with uncertain outcomes. When outcomes are unpredictable, hours are spent trying to handle one “cavity fire” at a time and by the time that some cavities are taken care of, others are appearing due to the patient’s xerostomia or non-compliance with dietary changes.
Prosthodontist Role
Our specialized training allows us to handle these situations efficiently while ensuring predictable outcomes. We collaborate with you and return patients for continued care.
Complex Condition:
Patients with Missing Teeth
Patients with missing teeth are physically impaired in their ability to normally function. This can be made more complex to treat predictably in several ways:
Patients Who Cannot Tolerate Removable Teeth
Patients who do not want or cannot tolerate removable teeth when they are missing all of their teeth on one or both jaws. These types of patients require a large amount of time and effort to predictably treat in a way that can satisfy their functional requirements. This is made even more complicated if the patient has parafunctional habits or has a high bite force as it increases the likelihood of prosthetic complications. This is made even more complicated when a patient is intolerant of a removable option, but does not have the bone available for dental implants to stabilize any prosthetic. Treating these patients takes an inordinate amount of time treatment planning, managing any interim prosthetics, and fabricating their definitive prosthetics.
Missing Teeth
Missing teeth in combination with broken down or damaged existing teeth. The more teeth that are missing, the more stress and wear on the already damaged remaining teeth. Often times, there is limited space for restoration of the missing teeth areas that can lead to breakage and damage to the prosthetic tooth replacements due to lack of strength of the materials used.
Genetically Missing Teeth
Genetically missing teeth in multiple areas of the mouth. When a patient is genetically missing teeth, often times their primary teeth are still in place and never lost leading to compromised esthetics as well as impaired functional capacity. Treatment of these patients often takes place over the course of years to decades. Understanding growth and development, as well as methods to transition these patients from childhood, through adolescence, and into adulthood, requires a tremendous amount of time, planning, and effort to be successfully done. This can be very stressful on the dentist as well as the families involved in these patient’s care.
Missing Teeth Already Replaced with Implants
Missing teeth that are already replaced with dental implants and the patient’s natural dental conditions significantly altered. When patient’s already have dental implants in place, sometimes this limits or alters what treatment options are available. This is also made more complicated if the treating dentist isn’t familiar with the presenting dental implant system. Then even more complicated, some patients have had a number of implants placed by multiple providers and the system of implants are unknown or are all different. Figuring all these out is very time consuming and costly as the dentist has to learn new systems, buy new drivers and torque wrenches, and figure out how to use all this to treat these patients.
Missing Certain Teeth with Critical Roles
Missing certain teeth that have critical functional roles may require more sophisticated treatment options. Missing the majority of posterior teeth that bear the functional burden of chewing can be solved in a number of ways, but in patients that have difficulties or are resistant to removable partial dentures require a lot of time, effort, and precision to work with to gain a predictable outcome. Patients with a lot of associated missing bone are even more difficult as there is less anatomy to share the functional burden. Missing critical anterior teeth (like canines) require a lot of time, effort, and precision to manage the occlusion well enough for the prosthetic to be predictable.
Time Impact
Dentists may spend significant chair time managing these cases with uncertain outcomes. When outcomes are unpredictable, hours are spent trying to handle prosthetic complications, adjustments, repairs, and remakes that are draining on the dentist’s time, patience, and finances.
Prosthodontist Role
Our specialized training and our investment in sophisticated technology (like intra-oral scanners, face scanners, photogrammetry, jaw motion technology, and an in-house digital lab) allows us to handle these situations efficiently while ensuring predictable outcomes. We collaborate with you and return patients for continued care.
Complex Condition:
Patients with High Esthetic Demands
Patients looking to enhance the appearance of their smile can require a lot of time, effort, and emotional support. This can present in several ways:
Genetically Missing or Malformed Teeth
Genetically missing or malformed teeth in the esthetic zone. When a patient is genetically missing teeth in the esthetic zone (like lateral incisors) or has peg laterals, fabricating restorations that look natural and are long lasting can be very tedious. This is made additionally stressful because these patients (and their families) have very high expectations as they have often spent years waiting for this to be corrected and have spent thousands on orthodontic care.
Missing Multiple Teeth
Patients with a desire for an improved appearance to their smile but have multiple missing teeth.
Severely Worn or Broken Down Teeth
Patients with a desire for an improved appearance to their smile but have severely worn down or broken down teeth.
Esthetic Outcome
Patients with a very high expectation in regard to the esthetic outcome.
Time Impact
Dentists may spend significant chair time managing these cases with uncertain outcomes. Managing patient expectations, ensuring there is proper spacing and biologic housing for restorations, and the tedious work involved in making a smile transformation blend in so that the restorations disappear in the smile is very stressful, not to mention the fees of labs that have the skills to accomplish this are very costly.
Prosthodontist Role
Our specialized training allows us to handle these situations efficiently while ensuring predictable outcomes. We collaborate with you and return patients for continued care.
We Look Forward to Working With You
At Mississippi Prosthetic Dentistry, we believe we are here to be an essential partner in managing complex dental cases. Our role is to make our referrals’ practice less stressful, more enjoyable, more predictable, and more profitable.
How to Get to Our Location in Highland Village
We're located on the second floor in the southeast side of Highland Village.
From I-55
- Take the Northside Drive Exit. If coming from the North, take a left onto Northside and proceed under the overpass.
- Continue on Northside Drive for one block and at the first traffic light turn right onto Old Canton Road. Highland Village will be on your right.
- Turn right into Highland Village behind Whole Foods Market and you will be facing a white building which houses Juva Juice of Jackson. Our office is directly above Juva Juice on the second floor.
- On foot, take the either the left breezeway around the corner or the right breezeway to an inner courtyard and proceed up the small courtyard stairs.
- There will be a large staircase that will take you to the second floor. Proceed up that staircase and follow the railing around to the left, which should take you directly to our offices on the right, near a small balcony with outdoor tables and seating.
