For students, residents and some professionals, hours are long and sometimes unpredictable, and the training can be expensive. Prosthodontists Prosthodontists specialize in constructing and fitting prosthetic devices. Certain patients may have a deformation that requires a prosthesis to improve their speech, appearance or ability to chew. In more remote communities, general surgeons may conduct procedures that might be referred to a specialist in larger metropolitan areas, he says. Typically, a vocational school degree is the only requirement for this career. The 2 standards are a 4-year residency for a dental degree and a 6-year program for dual medical and dental degrees, he says.