What is restorative dentistry?

To answer this question, as is so often the case, it is perhaps more pertinent to consider what it is not! It is not routine dentistry, very definitely not ‘cosmetic’ or ‘aesthetic’ dentistry and is not those elements of primary care dentistry presently deemed as only deliverable in the private sector.

This misconception has to some extent been fuelled by the expansion in recent years of various courses and training programmes designated as ‘Restorative Dentistry’ but promulgating cosmetic dentistry, implants as an early alternative to natural teeth, and the potential mutilation of healthy dental tissues in the pursuit of an aspirational cosmetic ideal at odds with preservation and protection of natural tooth tissue.

This results in it often being misunderstood at all levels, not only by the general public as patients, but also colleagues within the profession from primary care even to those working in some of the other specialties and, particularly in more recent times, those commissioning dental services.