Patients may not completely understand the diagnosis and treatment plan by a prosthodontist or the technological nuances of laboratory work performed by a master dental technician. Besides being able to chew efficiently or speak clearly, patients do expect comfort, perceive how it feels and of course they want an appearance that will change their lifestyle … as they will certainly tell you without prompting if that’s not the case. Patients look for stable, uncomplicated and pain-free treatment that is delivered without difficulty or delay. In this media driven arena of “teeth in a day” or “the whitest and brightest” or “metal-free” buzzwords seem to rule the day in creating patient “end” demand. Yet we all realize that many of these enticements are not possible for most patients and more conventional wisdom or time-tested care may be best. In my opinion, the treatment “end” should not be driving the diagnosis, but rather should be the result of it.

Dental education has changed for both the dentist and the technician, and some might suggest an abyss has occurred as the demands for biological research based education has stripped the former underpinnings of dental technology training in undergraduate dental education. At the same time dental technology education has exploded with advanced science, engineering and new materials with better properties. This new knowledge is an opportunity for dental technology to improve its role in working with prosthodontists; and one that creates the perfect potential for a synergistic assimilation of knowledge for the patient’s benefit.