I should probably know this. Prosthodontists.

[SugarNaCl]

Of course it may be too early to speculate what type of specialty may be most interesting to me but I met a prosthodontist where I work and I was intrigued. Anyhow, my question is this. Do dentists that specialize in prosthodontics generally just deal with this branch (like the one I met) or is it more common for a specialist to act as a general dentist when needed and in their specialty when needed? I think the techniques are interesting generally and in the specialty and I don't want to pigeon-hole myself in the future should I be fortunate enough to get into a specialty of choice.

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[TMJ0000]

You could work as a GP but it is sort of considered unethical because once you specialized you are limited to your specialty but I've seen prosthodontists doing GP work too.

 

[djeffreyt]

Like the above poster said...you are not required to limit your practice, but you should not practice something that you are not skilled in. After 2-3 years of specialty school, if you have not touched a cavity or done a crown, it would be unwise to start a practice doing those things if you don't feel you can still do it within a reasonably good standard of care.

Besides, monetarily it isn't always a good option.

 

[sonylarkhi]

If you are advertising yourself as a prosthodontist, you are not supposed to do the duties of a GP. Plus, as a prosthodontist, if you start doing gp duties, the referring dentists will sort of get pissed at you and you won't get as many referred patients. Prostho can also do implants too with special training, so the realm of prostho specialty is pretty wide anyway.