School of Dentistry

Clinical Experience

How many clinical hours will I have?  Except for the largely didactic fall semester of the first year, approximately 80 percent of all time in the program is devoted to clinical treatment.

Where do I receive my clinical education? Our students have assigned operatories laboratory work stations, and study carrels at UT Dentistry’s Center for Oral Health Care & Research. Maxillofacial prosthetic care is performed in the adjoining Maxillofacial Practice and implant surgical experiences in the adjacent Implant Practice.  Our students also spend a limited amount of time on a clinical rotation to Gateway Community Center in Laredo, Texas.

How many operatories are in the practice where I will work? There are 13 operatories in the Graduate Prosthodontic Practice, three in the adjoining Prosthodontic Faculty Practice, one in the adjoining Maxillofacial Practice and four (including two surgical suites) in the adjacent Implant Practice.

What types of procedures will students be expected to perform to complete the program? You will maintain a practice that involves fixed, removable and implant treatment procedures of progressive complexity. You will be expected to complete full mouth rehabilitations at an altered occlusal vertical dimension supported by natural teeth, implants&nbsp, and a combination of teeth and implants. You will fabricate dentures, crowns, and implant restorations in the laboratory using conventional and virtual technologies. You will surgically place implants to a level of competency.

Who supervises and teaches? All of our faculty members are clinically active board-certified prosthodontists. The Maxillofacial Practice is under the direction of a Maxillofacial Prosthodontist who maintains a private clinical practice and her academic role.  The Implant Practice is under the direction of a prosthodontist in an active surgical and restorative practice.

Who are my patients? Patients are members of the San Antonio and surrounding communities. We have an abundance of patients for all types of prosthodontic care.

What else should I know? Our program is focused on collegial multidisciplinary treatment. We have residencies at UT Dentistry in all specialty areas, except Oral Pathology, and maintain an excellent working relationship with each other and offer quality patient care.