A board-certified prosthodontist in Midtown East
Most dentists offering implants and cosmetic work are general dentists. Dr. Kunal Lal is a specialist in the replacement and reconstruction of teeth, certified by the American Board of Prosthodontics, who spent eight years teaching the subject at Columbia and three of them running the programme.
245 E 50th Street, New York, NY 10022
- 2006
- Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics
- 2005 to 2008
- Program Director, Graduate Prosthodontics, Columbia
- 2002 to 2010
- Assistant Professor of Clinical Dentistry, Columbia
- Published
- On computer-guided implant planning and placement
What a prosthodontist does
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A recognised specialty
Three years of training beyond dental school, recognised by the American Dental Association.
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Board certified
A four-part examination beyond the specialty itself. Dr. Lal completed his between 2002 and 2006.
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Plans backwards
The finished result is designed first, then the treatment works back to it.
A prosthodontist is a dental specialist in the replacement and reconstruction of teeth. The specialty is recognised by the American Dental Association and requires three years of training beyond dental school.
Board certification is a further step that most prosthodontists do not take. It is examined in four parts, and Dr. Lal completed his between 2002 and 2006.
The practical difference is planning. A prosthodontist designs the finished result first and works backwards to get there, which is why complex cases, full arches and treatment that has already failed once tend to be referred to one.
Dr. Lal's full credentialsWhat the practice does
Full-Arch Implant Reconstruction
A fixed, permanent set of teeth anchored to dental implants, for patients who have lost or are losing all the teeth in a jaw. Planned and placed by a board-certified prosthodontist in Midtown East.
Read more Implant DentistrySingle-Tooth Dental Implants
Replace one missing tooth with an implant and an all-ceramic crown, without touching the healthy teeth on either side.
Read more Implant DentistryMultiple-Tooth Implant Bridges
A fixed bridge anchored to dental implants replaces several missing teeth in a row, with stability a removable partial denture cannot offer.
Read more Implant DentistryComputer-Guided Implant Surgery
Implant positions planned in software against the finished restoration, then placed through a surgical guide. Often flapless, with immediate loading where the case allows.
Read more Restorative DentistryFull-Mouth Reconstruction
Rebuilding a worn, damaged or failing bite as one coordinated plan rather than a series of separate repairs, including correction of unsuccessful previous dental work.
Read more ProsthodonticsDental Crowns
Custom ceramic crowns that restore a broken, worn or heavily filled tooth, made to match the teeth around them.
Read moreMost fillings with no drill and no injection
The Solea laser removes the two things people actually dislike about dentistry. For most routine fillings there is no drill, and in many cases no anaesthetic, so you leave without a numb face and go straight back to your day.
How the laser worksWork that has already failed once
Correcting unsuccessful dental treatment is a routine part of a prosthodontic practice. If something has broken repeatedly, never felt right, or never looked the way you were told it would, the useful first step is finding out why, because repeating it more carefully is rarely the answer.
Full-mouth reconstruction
Dr. Kunal Lal
BDS, MS, DDS
Dr. Lal earned his master's in prosthodontics and his DDS at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, then stayed to teach. He supervised twelve graduate residents in clinic and worked across a division of more than twenty dentists.
He has published on computer-generated surgical templates for implant planning and lectures nationally on guided implant surgery. He also founded the Digital Dentistry Forum, a continuing-education study club for dentists working with digital workflows.
The techniques used in this practice are the ones he teaches other dentists.
Read the full biographyMidtown East, Manhattan
The practice is at 245 E 50th Street in Turtle Bay, between Second and Third Avenue, convenient to Midtown, Murray Hill, Sutton Place and the Upper East Side.