- Dental technician
-
Dental technologist building porcelain Fixed prosthesis.
A dental technologist is a member of the dental team who, upon presciption from a dental clinician, constructs custom made restorative and dental appliances.[1][2]
There are four major disciplines within dental technology. These are fixed prosthesis including crowns, bridges and implants; removable prosthesis, including dentures and removable partial dentures; maxillofacial prosthesis, including ocular prosthesis and craniofacial prosthesis; and orthodontics and auxiliaries, including orthodontic appliances and mouthguards.[3]
The dentist communicates with the dental technologist with prescriptions, drawings and measurements taken from the patient. The most important aspect of this is a dental impression in to which the technologist flows a gypsum dental stone to create a replica of the patients anatomy known as a dental model. A technologist can then use this model for the construction of custom appliances.[4][5]
Contents
Fixed Restorations
A fixed dental restoration is an appliance designed to replace a tooth or teeth that may be been lost or damage by injury, caries or other oral diseases. These restorations are distinguished from other restorations by the fact that once they have been placed by a dentists the patient can not remove them.[6] Such Restorations include; crowns, bridges, veneers, fixed implant restorations, inlays and onlays.[7][8]
Removable Restorations
Removable restorations are dental appliances to replace one or more teeth that have been completely lost. These restorations ideally remain stable in normal function but can be removed by the patient for cleaning and at night. Removable restorations are either retained by the patients soft tissue as in full dentures,[9] supported by other teeth as with partial dentures and overdentures[10] or on implant attachments as with implant retained overdentures and partial dentures.[11]
Maxillofacial
Maxillofacial dental technologist mostly work with Oral and maxillofacial surgeons and make prosthesis for the face and eyes. [12]
Orthodontics
Orthodontic technologist make removable orthodontic appliances with wires, springs and screws on prescription from and Orthodontist to either move teeth to form a more harmonious occlusion and aesthetic appearance of teeth or to maintain the position of previously moved teeth.
See also
References
- ^ Dental Council of New Zealand, Notice of Scopes of Practice and Prescribed Qualifications
- ^ General Dental Council UK, Scopes of Practice
- ^ Dental technician/dental technologist NHS Careers
- ^ Fabricating Casts http://www.tpub.com/content/medical/14275/css/14275_203.htm
- ^ Crown and Bridge Restorations, http://www.qualitydentistry.com/dental/restorative/candb.html
- ^ The functional fixed http://www.scribd.com/doc/6630184/The-Functionally-Fixed-Restoration
- ^ Zitzmann, Nicola Ursula; Hagmann, Edgar; Weiger, Roland (2007). "What is the prevalence of various types of prosthetic dental restorations in Europe?". Clinical Oral Implants Research 18: 20–33. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0501.2007.01435.x. PMID 17594367.
- ^ Types of Dental Restorations http://www.mercurypoisoned.com/different.html
- ^ Jacobson, TE; Krol, AJ (1983). "A contemporary review of the factors involved in complete denture retention, stability, and support. Part I: retention". The Journal of prosthetic dentistry 49 (1): 5–15. doi:10.1016/0022-3913(83)90228-7. PMID 6337253.
- ^ Removable partial denture design protocol
- ^ Nobel Biocare Full arch restorationhttp://www.nobelbiocare.com/en/products-solutions/solutions-for-all-indications/full-arch-restorations/
- ^ [1]
External links
Categories:- Dental materials
- Technicians
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