Welcome to our Practice
The team at your service
The prosthodontic services at our practice are provided by Dr Paul van Zyl (Stellenbosch University) and Dr Ian Grundlingh (UWC). Oral hygiene services are provided by Mrs Jeanne Retief (Stellenbosch University).
The well-established practice of Dr Paul van Zyl and partners provides advanced prosthodontic or restorative dentistry. This includes crowns and bridges, removable dentures, root canal treatment, dental implants, TMJ disorder treatments, and maxillofacial prosthodontics.
Prosthodontics, perhaps more than any other dental specialty, combines expertise and technology to offer you restorative dentistry options not possible before. This means that removable dentures can now be replaced by fixed prostheses and implant-supported restorations.
Firstly, what is prosthodontics?
According to the Academy of Prosthodontics South Africa (APSA), prosthodontists are dentists who have specialised in the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and maintenance of clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth and/or oral and maxillofacial tissues using biocompatible substitutes or prostheses. Often prosthodontists serve as the ‘architects’ of a dental treatment plan. To do this, they collaborate with general dentists, specialists and other health care professionals.
Prosthodontists typically offer the following services:
Replacing missing teeth by means of dental implants or dentures.
Restoring or enhancing the appearance and function of teeth by means of crowns, overlays or inlays and veneers, root canal treatment, and the correction of occlusal (bite) problems, and jaw joint and muscle problems.
Treating facial and oral defects like cleft palates and defects resulting from trauma or tumour resection by means of maxillofacial prostheses.
We use the latest technology
We have invested in the latest technology to make procedures and treatment as safe and convenient as possible for you:
We specialise in implants and use the highest quality materials – such as Straumann, Osstem, Megagen, Southern Dental Implants, MIS and Paragon. We also have many years of experience with older implant systems, enabling us to help patients maintain older prostheses.
We use both digital scanning and physical impressions in restorative dentistry. We use the 3-Shape TRIOS intra-oral digital scanning and full digital workflow to enable precision treatment. We also use traditional analogue restorative procedures, where rubber impressions and stone casts are made to produce laboratory-made restorations.
We have the latest radiographic equipment on the premises. This includes panoramic X-rays and CBCT scans.
We offer all our procedures under magnification. This includes the Zumax dental microscope to facilitate in endodontic or root canal treatments.
The sophisticated air filtration systems in our treatment rooms help to ensure a safer environment.
The building that houses our practice is also home to dental laboratories and other dental specialists. We all function individually with separate staff and administration systems, but share a big portion of the unique equipment dedicated to specialist dental care. For our patients, this translates into economies of scale and one convenient service point for the treatments they need.
We follow a multidisciplinary approach
The patient’s restorative treatment plan is usually drawn up by the prosthodontist. Referrals to other specialists may be necessary. This may include:
An oral & maxillofacial surgeon:
This surgeon is used for bone augmentations where insufficient bone is available to place dental implants in the ideal restorative positions. These positions are planned by us, the prosthodontists, and we guide the surgeon with analogue or digitally manufactured surgical templates to be used during oral surgery. The surgeon can also perform jaw correcting surgery should that be part of the treatment plan.
A periodontist:
Periodontists manage gum diseases like periodontitis that destroys the attachment of the teeth to the jaws. In certain cases, periodontist treatment is necessary before we can undertake extensive restorative treatment. Periodontists can also do corrective gum surgery like surgical crown lengthening, should this be necessary.
An orthodontist:
Orthodontists are used in our treatment plans if we have teeth that need to be moved. This can be due to misaligned jaws, teeth that have tilted or erupted due to other missing teeth in the dental arches or to make space for our restorative materials in teeth/dentition that have been worn extensively.