Two dental specialties get confused as often as any: the periodontist and the prosthodontist.
In short, a periodontist is the gums-and-implants specialist — treating gum disease and placing implants — while a prosthodontist is the restoration-and-replacement specialist, rebuilding and replacing teeth with crowns, bridges, dentures, and full-mouth reconstruction.
Both are referral-driven specialties that a general dentist sends complex cases to, and both require residency and board certification.
What a periodontist does
A periodontist specializes in the structures that support the teeth — the gums and the underlying bone.
They diagnose and treat periodontal (gum) disease, perform gum and bone surgery, do soft-tissue and bone grafting, and are among the primary providers who surgically place dental implants.
It's a referral-driven specialty: general dentists send patients with advanced gum disease or those needing implants and grafting.
Becoming a periodontist takes a roughly three-year residency after dental school and board certification from the American Board of Periodontology.
What a prosthodontist does
A prosthodontist is the specialist in restoring and replacing teeth — the "reconstruction" expert.
Their scope covers complex crowns and bridges, dentures (including implant-supported ones), restoring dental implants, full-mouth reconstruction, and maxillofacial prosthetics for patients who've lost facial structures to trauma or cancer.
Where a general dentist handles routine restorations, a prosthodontist takes the complex, extensive, or aesthetic cases.
The path is a roughly three-year residency after dental school and board certification from the American Board of Prosthodontics.
Almost none of that restorative work is physically built by the prosthodontist — a dental lab technician fabricates the crown, bridge, denture, or implant restoration from the prosthodontist's prescription and scans.
Periodontist vs. prosthodontist — and who places implants
The clearest way to keep them straight: the periodontist works on the foundation (gums and bone), and the prosthodontist works on the replacement (the teeth themselves).
They frequently collaborate on implants — a periodontist (or an oral surgeon) surgically places the implant, and a prosthodontist or general dentist restores it with the crown on top.
Implants are exactly where "who does this?" gets murky, because general dentists, periodontists, oral surgeons, and prosthodontists all play a role depending on the case's complexity.
For the broader map of specialties and referrals, see general dentist vs. specialist.
The other recognized dental specialties
Dentistry recognizes several specialties beyond these two and the more familiar ones — orthodontics, oral & maxillofacial surgery, endodontics, and pediatric dentistry.
The full list runs to 12 recognized dental specialties and also includes oral and maxillofacial pathology (diagnosing diseases of the mouth), oral and maxillofacial radiology (dental and facial imaging), dental public health (community-level oral health), oral medicine, orofacial pain, and dental anesthesiology.
Each is a distinct field reached through its own accredited residency and certifying board — the general framework covered in dental residency & board certification.