Key takeaways
- Ontario's Denturism Act defines the work as removable dentures: assessing arches, and designing, making, repairing, and fitting them.
- A fixed All-on-4 bridge is not a removable denture.
- The College of Denturists of Ontario describes implant-supported denture fabrication inside that removable scope.
- At this clinic the implant surgeon places the implants. Tom Szarski, DD, is the denturist. The on-site lab builds the teeth.
| Question | Where the answer comes from |
|---|---|
| What is denturism? | Denturism Act, 1991: assessment, and removable dentures |
| Does that include a fixed All-on-4 bridge? | No. The Act's fitting and dispensing language is for removable dentures |
| Where do implant-supported dentures sit? | The College of Denturists of Ontario describes that fabrication inside denturist practice. The implants are still a surgical act |
| Who places implants at Renew? | The implant surgeon. The denturist and the on-site lab build and fit the teeth |
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See which role matches your questionWhat does the Denturism Act actually cover?
Section 3 of the Denturism Act, 1991, says the practice of denturism is the assessment of arches missing some or all teeth, and the design, construction, repair, alteration, ordering, and fitting of removable dentures. Section 4, on fitting and dispensing, is also about a removable denture.[1]
Read that twice before you hear "the denturist does the implants." The statute names a removable appliance. It does not name drilling a fixture into the jaw, and it does not name a bridge that stays screwed in place.
The College of Denturists of Ontario describes the scope in the same frame and includes fabrication of implant-supported dentures among the removable services a denturist is educated to provide.[2] An implant-supported denture that the patient can take out is still a denture. The implants holding it are not the denturist's statutory act.
Who places the implants, then?
The implant surgeon places them. This site's team page is the place that introduces the people in the building: meet the team. Dentists who refer a patient use for dentists.
Tom Szarski, DD, is a denturist and the founder. He is not a dentist and not a physician. Calling him doctor would misstate the licence.
If you are comparing a removable snap-on denture with a fixed arch, the practical difference is in snap-on dentures versus All-on-4. Why people pick the fixed arch in the first place is in why people choose All-on-4. The fixed treatment hub is All-on-4 dental implants.
Why the fixed teeth are a shared job?
A fixed full arch needs a surgeon to place the implants and a lab to build a prosthesis that does not come out at night. Those are different regulated jobs. Renew's model is that they happen in one building: the implant surgeon, the denturist, and the on-site lab. The denturist does not become the surgeon because the lab is downstairs.
The quiz can point at which kind of tooth replacement people in a similar situation explore. It cannot change anyone's scope of practice.
Sources
- Denturism Act, 1991 — Government of Ontario
- Scope of practice — College of Denturists of Ontario
- Meet your dentist — Renew Implant Centre
Frequently asked questions
Can a denturist place dental implants in Ontario?
The Denturism Act defines the practice as assessment of arches missing some or all teeth, and the design, construction, repair, alteration, ordering, and fitting of removable dentures. Placing an implant into the jaw is not that definition.
Who makes a snap-on denture?
A snap-on denture is still a removable denture that clips onto implants. Removable denture work is the denturist's statutory scope. The implants themselves are placed by the implant surgeon.
Who makes a fixed All-on-4 bridge?
A fixed bridge does not come out, so it is not the removable denture named in the Denturism Act. At Renew the implant surgeon places the implants and the on-site lab builds the teeth with the denturist.
