The title question sounds simple but it genuinely isn’t, and a lot of patients get confused because both providers work in dental offices, both handle teeth, and both can place implants in some cases. The difference is in training depth and case complexity, and understanding that distinction can save you from starting treatment with the wrong fit for what you actually need. At Jiyoung Kim DDS in Encinitas, patients can find the right solution for missing teeth by matching their needs to the provider’s training and experience. Choosing between a general dentist and a prosthodontist affects planning, outcomes, and the complexity of care you can receive in one office.
Jiyoung Kim DDS Dental Implants & Family Dentists handles tooth replacement cases across a range of complexity, from single missing teeth to full arch reconstruction. Jiyoung Kim DDS evaluates each case based on what the specific situation calls for, not a one-size approach. Here’s what you need to understand before your first consultation.
What a General Dentist Does and Where Their Training Comes From
Four years of dental school. That’s the baseline for every licensed dentist in the United States. During those four years, students rotate through a broad curriculum: fillings, extractions, basic oral surgery, crowns, dentures, orthodontics, and preventive care. The breadth is intentional because general dentistry is designed to be primary care for most people through most of their lives.
After dental school, most general dentists go directly into practice. Some complete a one-year general practice residency, which expands clinical experience across settings, but it’s not required. There’s no mandatory specialty training beyond what dental school covers.
That foundation handles a lot. Cleanings, fillings, single-tooth implants in uncomplicated situations, basic bridges and crowns, routine extractions. For the majority of patients, a competent general dentist covers everything that ever comes up. And some general dentists invest heavily in continuing education, particularly around implants, doing hundreds of cases over years of practice. Credentials and case volume matter alongside the degree.
What a Prosthodontist Does and How Their Training Differs
A prosthodontist finishes dental school and then completes three more years of full-time residency training focused specifically on tooth replacement, bite restoration, and complex reconstructive cases. That’s a minimum of seven years of post-undergraduate dental education before they see their first private practice patient.
The residency isn’t generalist training compressed into three years. It’s concentrated on the scenarios that sit at the outer edge of what general dentistry handles: full arch implant cases, severely worn dentition, patients who’ve lost so many teeth that their bite has fundamentally changed, full mouth reconstruction where every tooth in the mouth needs to be addressed as part of a coordinated plan.
According to the American College of Prosthodontists, there are roughly 3,000 practicing prosthodontists in the U.S. compared to around 200,000 general dentists. That ratio tells you something about how narrow and specific the specialty is.
The core clinical areas prosthodontists are trained in include implant prosthetics at the full arch level, occlusal rehabilitation (which means restoring how all the teeth function together as a system), complete and partial dentures, and managing temporomandibular disorders that are connected to missing or damaged teeth.
The Real Difference When You’re Actually Missing Teeth
This is where it gets practical.
One missing tooth, good bone, healthy adjacent teeth, stable bite. That case is well within what a skilled general dentist handles every day. There’s no reason to seek a specialist referral for a single straightforward implant.
Change the picture. Several missing teeth. Bone that has resorbed over years of wearing a denture. A bite that has shifted and collapsed because posterior teeth were lost and never replaced. A patient who needs eight or ten restorations coordinated across the full mouth to restore function. Now the case requires something different. Treatment planning for full mouth rehabilitation demands a detailed understanding of how all the teeth work together, how changes in one area affect the rest, and how to sequence treatment across multiple procedures over time without creating problems along the way. That’s specifically what the prosthodontic residency trains for.
The practical question isn’t “who does implants.” It’s whether the complexity of your specific situation matches the training and experience of the provider you’re seeing.
“When a patient comes in missing multiple teeth with a bite that has drifted over years, I’m not just looking at where the gaps are. I’m looking at how the entire mouth is functioning and what needs to happen to get it stable and functional in a way that lasts. That level of planning is what the additional training really prepares you for.” — Jiyoung Kim DDS
When a General Dentist Is the Right Starting Point
General dentists handle tooth replacement successfully every day and for a lot of patients that’s exactly the right fit. You probably don’t need a specialist if you have one or two missing teeth in an otherwise stable, healthy mouth, if your bone is adequate and your bite hasn’t shifted significantly, if your general dentist has substantial implant experience and a track record of good outcomes, or if your case doesn’t involve reconstructing the function of the entire mouth.
The degree isn’t the only indicator of capability. A general dentist who has placed and restored several hundred implants over a 15-year career has meaningful expertise that goes well beyond what the dental school curriculum covers. Ask about case volume. Ask to see before and after examples. Those things matter.
When Specialist Training Is Worth Seeking Out
Some situations genuinely warrant more specialized training and experience. Consider a prosthodontic consultation when you’re missing most or all of your teeth, when previous implant treatment has failed and you need an honest reassessment of why and what to do next, when your bite has changed significantly from years of missing teeth, when you’re exploring full arch options like All-on-4 or implant-supported full arch prosthetics, or when your general dentist recommends a referral.
A referral to a specialist isn’t a problem. It means your dentist is being honest about the complexity of your case and pointing you toward the right resource for it. That’s good judgment, not a failure.
What a Tooth Replacement Evaluation Actually Involves
The process is similar whether you start with a general dentist or a prosthodontist. Clinical exam, medical and dental history review, and imaging. For implant cases, a cone beam CT scan is typically needed because it shows bone height, width, and density in three dimensions in a way that flat X-rays can’t. That information is what makes the treatment plan specific to your anatomy rather than a generic template.
Complex cases often involve multiple providers working in sequence. An oral surgeon for implant placement and any bone grafting. A periodontist if gum disease is part of the picture. A restorative provider for the final crowns or prosthesis. Knowing who is responsible for which part of your treatment and why helps the whole process feel coordinated rather than fragmented.
Patients on Their Experience
“I feel so fortunate to have found Dr. Kim. I’d been dealing with an imperfect smile since a childhood dental trauma and was in need of a skilled prosthodontist. During my initial visit Dr. Kim and her staff provided a comprehensive treatment plan; they were upfront about costs and the necessary steps to improve my smile. Dr. Kim implemented state-of-the-art tools and exhibited incredible patience and kindness during the process of fitting me with new crowns. I am so happy with the end result; Dr. Kim’s skill and artistry have enabled me to smile with confidence!”
— Carolyn Swayze
“Dr Kim is a perfectionist. She is the best prosthodontist/dentist I have ever been to. The hygienist is also excellent. I use Dr Kim for all my dental needs and would not hesitate to refer her.”
— J Wolf
“Dr Kim is exceptional. I have been a patient of Dr. Kim’s since she began her practice here in Encinitas well over a decade ago. Her work is impeccable. She is careful, meticulous and patient. I trust her skill, talent and her experience. I grind my teeth a lot and I have presented her with challenges that she has always been able to meet. She has often arranged her time to fit me in when I have had minor emergencies so that I didn’t have to wait. I know that she cares about me and that she cares about her work and I always feel very secure knowing that she is in charge. I am very happy to have Dr Kim as my dentist and I would highly recommend her to anyone who is in need of a dentist or a prosthodontist.”
— Darryl Cifarelli
Getting the Right Match for Your Situation
Missing teeth affect eating, speaking, and how you carry yourself. Getting assessed by someone whose training matches the complexity of your case makes the treatment more predictable and the result more durable.
Jiyoung Kim DDS Dental Implants & Family Dentists sees patients for tooth replacement consultations ranging from single implants to full arch cases. Patients come from Leucadia, Cardiff, and Olivenhain for both. Call (760) 388-6065 to schedule an evaluation and get a clear read on what your situation calls for.
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