Prosthodontics, also known as dental prosthetics or prosthetic dentistry, is the area of dentistry that focuses on dental prostheses. It is one of 12 dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA), Royal College of Surgeons of England, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. The ADA defines it as "the dental specialty pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of the oral function, comfort, appearance and health of patients with clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth or oral and maxillofacial tissues using biocompatible substitutes." History Dental prostheory was pioneered by French surgeon Pierre Fauchard during the late 17th and early 18th century. Despite the limitations of the primitive surgical instruments, Fauchard discovered many methods to replace lost teeth using substitutes made from carved blocks of ivory or bone. He also introduced dental braces to correct the position of teeth using gold wires and silk threads. Training According to the American College of Prosthodontists, a prosthodontist is a dentist who: Specializes in the aesthetic (cosmetic) restoration and replacement of teeth. Receives three to four years of additional training after dental school. Restores optimal appearance and function to your smile. The planning, surgical placement (subcrestal prosthodontics) and restoration of implants and rehabilitation of occlusion with prostheses all fall under the field of prosthodontics. The American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) ensures standards are maintained in the field. Becoming a prosthodontist requires an additional three years of postgraduate specialty training after obtaining a dental degree. Recently, the ADA's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) passed the updated educational standards for all prosthodontics programs in the United States that now mandates surgical placement of dental implants (subcrestal prosthodontics) at an in-depth competency level (on par with other surgical dental specialties) Training consists of rigorous clinical and didactic preparation in the basic sciences, head and neck anatomy, biomedical sciences, biomaterial sciences, implant surgery, function of occlusion (bite), TMJ, and treatment planning and experience treating full-mouth reconstruction cases, and esthetics. Due to this extensive training, prosthodontists are required to treat complex cases, full-mouth rehabilitation, TMJ-related disorders, congenital disorders, and sleep apnea by planning and fabricating various prostheses. There are only 3,200 prosthodontists in comparison to 170,000 general dentists in the United States. Prosthodontists have been consistently ranked at