What is a Prosthodontist?

Prosthodontics is one of the nine dental specialties recognized by the Australian Dental Association (ADA). Prosthodontists specialize in restoring function and aesthetics.

Extensive training and experience give prosthodontists a unique understanding of restoring the dynamics of a smile and healthy mouth with the creation of tooth prostheses (veneers, crowns, implants and dentures). Often, other general dentists and specialists will require the expertise of a prosthodontist, especially when patients present with complex needs. Becoming a prosthodontist requires an additional three years of specialty training after five years of dental school.

This specialized training must be completed at an ADA-accredited prosthodontic education program. This is where prosthodontists are highly trained in state-of-the-art techniques and procedures for treating multiple, diverse, and complex dental conditions.

Dr. Ambereen Khan trained at the University of Queensland Dental school before embarking on her prosthodontic residency at the prestigious San Antonio programme in Texas, USA. Her experience and dedication to the specialty have seen her head up Prosthodontics at both the University of Queensland and Griffith University. She is delighted to be asked for teaching into the specialty prosthodontic program beginning at UQ in 2018.

Dr. Khan has been a visiting Prosthodontic specialist to our rooms since 2010 and has worked with Dr. Orozco and Dr. Bates on hundreds of implant cases. She works with the best boutique labs within Queensland to maintain her excellent standards. Dr. Khan only employs genuine parts in her implant crowns to ensure all warranty's remain intact for the patient.

Dr. Khan is happy to discuss the range of options available to you from conservative teeth bleaching treatments to veneers and crowns to hide old fillings, discolored and missing teeth. An aesthetic analysis with Dr Khan will assist patients to understand the outcome of the treatment and what may be the most suitable for them.

While we are aware that crowns and teeth do not last forever, our office and specialists are pleased to work with your general dentist to provide ongoing maintenance visits to ensure your work remains healthy for the longest possible time period.

A range of the options offered at our office and with Dr. Khan is shown below.

Bleaching

As a person ages, the tooth enamel may wear and the mineral structure may pick up stains from smoking, food and beverages. Bleaching is a reversible, conservative approach to obtaining a whiter and brighter smile. The treatment can be done multiple times in the comfort of your own home following adequate instructions from Dr. Khan. Patients from their mid-20s and onwards can be good candidates for bleaching provided there are not a large number of fillings present in the teeth and other modifications in shape and form are not necessary.

Veneers

Veneers are thin, custom-made, porcelain facings that may be used to correct short worn teeth, unsightly stains which cannot be improved with bleaching, chips and cracks in teeth in the aesthetic zone. Often times young adults may benefit from having veneers placed on teeth following orthodontics to correct smaller than average sized tooth forms. From a treatment point of view, they are the most conservative amongst the crown and bridge restorations and require a minimal amount of tooth reduction on the facial surface.

The results allow for a permanent colour change and tooth size and form and with professional maintenance may last for many years. Treatment is normally completed in four weeks with almost instantaneous results.

Crowns, onlays and bridges

Crowns are a protective cap often indicated following root canal treatment, where a tooth might be cracked and causing increased sensitivity or when multiple large fillings have weakened the remaining tooth structure. A crown can prolong the lifespan of a weakened tooth for many years or be part of bridge to replace a missing adjacent tooth. With stronger materials available such as Zirconia, our prosthodontist will discuss with you metal free options to allow for life-like aesthetics in your new crown. Where function is paramount and patient's show a history of grinding and clenching, full gold options are also discussed during your consultation visit.

Dr. Khan uses digital dentistry to provide patients with onlays which are a part coverage restoration, that can be bonded to your tooth to replace large restorations and cracks. This treatment is more conservative than a conventional crown in that more of your original tooth structure is maintained rather than replaced with a prosthetic material. It increases the longevity of the tooth and replaces old, cracked silver and white fillings.

Implant Crown and Bridges

Dr. Khan has been restoring implants since 2003 with excellent outcomes for patients. A missing tooth no longer needs replacing with a denture. Working with Dr. Orozco and Dr. Bates, implants can provide an excellent solution for one or more missing teeth, even a full arch. A full radiographic workup can determine whether your removable plate can be replaced with fixed, implant bridges that allow you to eat all your favorite foods, including steaks and apples.

Digital dentistry is used to create a one-piece CAD CAM zirconia prosthesis with a titanium substructure. In highly aesthetic cases, PFM bridges are used with gold alloy. Patients are delighted at how far technology has come to allow these sort of treatments to let them get rid of their dentures.

Patients are given a strict maintenance programme to follow to care for their implant crowns and bridges for long-lasting results with yearly visits with one of our specialists.

Dentures

Dr. Khan has taught the denture course and partial denture course at the University for the last seven years. She has supervised hundreds of designs for partial denture frameworks to replace a few missing teeth. Her love of dentures and aesthetic principles which derives from denture principles and literature is based on setting up over 40 units of dentures during her residency and many more as an undergraduate. She has a keen eye for how a denture can restore a patient's aesthetics including their facial feature. She loves to add rotations, and characterization to her patient's dentures to make them look as natural as possible.

Where patients are having difficulty managing their removable dentures, Dr. Khan will work with Dr. Orozco and Dr. Bates to find implant or root solutions to provide anchors for the denture, especially for the lower jaw. Dr Khan takes delight in seeing patients struggle to get their denture out for the first time following implant treatment, knowing how much more confident they will be with eating and talking and having no more sore spots.