[Team communication needed in treatment for fixed prosthesis. 1) Opinion from dentist's standpoint]

It is important that a dentist and a dental technician share information about form and function of the restoration to be provided for the patient. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the methods and the contents of communication that a dentist establishes with a dental technician in treatment for fixed prosthesis. The communication is not one-way in which a dentist directs some work content to a dental technician; rather, it is a two-way communication of exchange that includes dental technician's knowledge and skill toward the dentist. A dentist must communicate with a dental technician to express four factors of biocompatibility, function, esthetics and biomechanics in the fixed prosthesis. Provisional restorations are used for embodiment as early as possible, and each other's communication enables smooth sharing of the image of the final prosthesis. It is necessary to inform the dental technician of the contents that are required for fabrication of fixed prosthesis and that cannot be obtained from the model. The fixed prosthesis satisfactory for the patient can be made through cooperation between dentist and dental technician. Furthermore, the strong relationship of mutual trust can realize more reliable fixed prosthesis.