A prosthodontist is a dentist who completed a CODA-accredited residency of at least 34 months to specialize in restoring missing or deficient teeth and oral tissues with biocompatible substitutes; a general dentist has no residency requirement for that work and provides it as part of broad-scope primary care.
The split runs on referral: a general dentist keeps routine restorative cases and sends complex full-mouth and implant prosthetic work to a prosthodontist, who typically refers the patient back afterward for ongoing care.
The short answer
A general dentist is trained broadly and handles most routine restorative care — a crown, a simple denture, a straightforward bridge — as one part of comprehensive primary practice.
A prosthodontist is a specialist who completed an additional CODA-accredited residency focused specifically on missing or deficient teeth and the prosthetics that replace them, from a single crown up through full-mouth and implant-supported rehabilitation.
Both can legally perform routine restorative work — a general dentist doesn't need a prosthodontist's referral to place a crown or a simple denture.
The difference shows up as complexity rises: full-mouth reconstruction, multi-implant prosthetics, and maxillofacial cases are where general dentists lean on the specialist.
What each one does
A general dentist runs comprehensive primary oral care — exams, fillings, single crowns, simple dentures, extractions, and preventive care — treating tooth replacement as one item among many.
A prosthodontist focuses on missing or deficient teeth and, where needed, oral or maxillofacial tissues, using biocompatible substitutes to restore function, comfort, appearance, and health, per the American College of Prosthodontists' definition (quoting the ADA).
That includes full-mouth reconstruction and implant-supported restorations, and — for a prosthodontist who completes a further 12-month program — prosthetic rehabilitation of missing or defective oral and facial structures.
| Comparison | General dentist | Prosthodontist |
|---|---|---|
| Typical restorative case | Single crown, routine bridge, simple partial or full denture | Full-mouth reconstruction, multi-unit implant prosthetics, maxillofacial prosthetics |
| Training beyond dental school | None required for this scope | CODA-accredited residency, 34-month minimum (45 with integrated maxillofacial training) |
| Board certification | Not applicable to this scope | American Board of Prosthodontics (ABP) — voluntary |
| How the patient arrives | Existing patient of record | Often on referral for complex cases |
What the prosthodontics residency adds
Both start the same way: a bachelor's degree, then four years of dental school for a DDS or DMD, then licensure.
A general dentist can begin practicing restorative dentistry there.
A prosthodontist continues into a CODA-accredited residency in prosthodontics — a minimum of 34 months, or 45 months for a program with integrated maxillofacial training (CODA Standards 4-1 and 4-2) — that also requires engaging in scholarly activity (Standard 6).
See what the prosthodontics residency requires for the full accreditation detail.
After residency, some prosthodontists pursue certification from the American Board of Prosthodontics — voluntary, and mid-transition between a legacy exam structure and a new one, but a credential general dentists weigh when deciding who to refer complex cases to.
See how ABP certification works for both pathways.
Which restorative and prosthetic cases a GP refers
There's no fixed rule for where a general dentist's restorative scope ends and a referral begins — it moves with each dentist's training, comfort, and equipment.
But the American College of Prosthodontists' own definition of the specialty, quoting the ADA, points to the pattern: prosthodontics covers "the diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation, and maintenance of oral function, comfort, appearance, and health of patients with clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth and/or oral and maxillofacial tissues using biocompatible substitutes." General dentists commonly keep single-tooth crowns, straightforward partial dentures, and routine bridgework in house.
What tends to get referred: full-mouth reconstruction, prosthetic rehabilitation spanning many implant-supported units, and complex removable or fixed prosthetics — and, for a prosthodontist who has completed the additional 12-month maxillofacial prosthetics program, rehabilitation of missing or defective oral and facial structures.
A GP with more restorative training or a lighter surgical caseload simply refers less of the above; one focused on general practice refers more.
The referral relationship, and the lab in between
Prosthodontics, like endodontics and periodontics, runs mostly on referral rather than on patients booking a specialist directly — a general dentist identifies a case beyond routine restorative care and sends it to a prosthodontist for diagnosis, treatment planning, and rehabilitation.
See general dentist vs. specialist for how that referral pattern works across all the dental specialties, not just this one.
Neither role rebuilds a tooth alone.
Once a prosthodontist (or a general dentist, for routine cases) designs a crown, bridge, denture, or implant restoration, a dental lab technician fabricates the physical piece to that specification — the dentist plans and fits the case; the lab builds it.
And once a prosthodontist's treatment is complete, the patient is typically referred back to the general dentist for ongoing care, the same two-way handoff other referral-driven specialties rely on.
Where pay is tracked — and where it isn't
General dentists and prosthodontists are tracked under separate U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational codes — SOC 29-1021 for general dentists, SOC 29-1024 for prosthodontists — but there's no published median wage for the prosthodontist code in our data.
That gap makes a side-by-side pay comparison something this article won't attempt.
See which dental specialty pays the most, which lays out which dental SOC codes do and don't have a published figure and compares the ones that do.
This article is general career information, not clinical, legal, or financial advice. Referral patterns, training requirements, and scope of practice vary by dentist, region, and practice.