General dentistry is one of the most common types of dentistry. Pediatric pedodontists or dentists specialize in dental care and treatments for children and young people. Orthodontists specialize in aligning teeth and jaw, using wires, braces, retainers, and other devices. Think of general dentistry as the family doctor or general practitioner.
This is the person you go to for annual or semi-annual checkups and the person you would go to with general teeth-related concerns or questions. They provide relatively simple examinations, cleanings, bleaches, fillings and repair work. The general dentist will refer you to a specialized doctor if the problem requires it. Some specialized dental providers also provide general dentistry services.
In addition to benefiting from their additional training and experience, you have the advantage of having an established relationship with your doctor when you need to perform more specialized work. The second most common dentist for most Americans is an orthodontist. An orthodontist, who comes from the Greek word for “straight”, specializes in straightening teeth using the most modern methods. While most people's experience with orthodontics comes in preteens and teens, orthodontists also treat many adults.
An adult may not have had corrective orthodontics when they were young, or their teeth may have misaligned over the years. In addition, an orthodontist often treats chronic ailments such as TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder). An endodontist is often connected to root canals, which have a bad reputation, but are actually important in helping to save teeth. The endodontist's specialty is the inner layers of the teeth, mainly the pulp in the center.
Pulp is what keeps the tooth healthy and connects teeth to the body through blood vessels and nerves. Diseases or damage to the pulp can permanently injure or kill a tooth. While you may not have heard of a prosthodontist, this specialty strives to give your smile a better look and feel. If you have broken, damaged, or missing teeth, a prosthodontist rebuilds them with replacement material.
Your doctor can design custom dentures that fit your needs, including bridges, crowns, veneers, and dentures. Some prosthodontists also repair damage to the jaw or face. A periodontist could treat a case of gum disease or periodontitis with physical remedies such as scraping or straightening. In more urgent cases, they can also perform surgeries to treat infected or damaged teeth.
The work of an oral surgeon, as the name suggests, involves surgery. Jaw and gum surgery can be used to repair serious damage, birth defects, or treat cancerous growths. Sometimes, the extraction of a particular tooth is more complex than normal, so an oral surgeon can take care of the delicate work required. Dentistry is more than just basic oral care.
There are cases of tooth loss, dental fractures, tooth decay and many other serious dental problems that need to be addressed. To this end, there are many branches of dentistry that focus on a specific niche in practice. Periodontists specialize in treating diseases related to the gums. Periodontists also specialize in dental implant procedures, which are artificial teeth.
When a tooth is lost due to periodontal disease (periodontitis), an implant (artificial tooth root) is placed in the patient's jaw. More specifically, they specialize in tooth replacement procedures and the placement of dental restorations, such as implants, crowns, dentures, veneers, and bridges. During root canal treatment, periodontists extract infected dental pulp from the roots of a tooth. The tooth is then restored with a dental crown.
General dentists also perform root canals, but not as often as endodontists. Pediatric dentistry, analogous to pediatrics in medicine, deals with the dental care of children and adolescents. Periodontics deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases of periodontal tissues, the tissues that surround and support teeth. These tissues consist mainly of the gums and jaws and their related contiguous structures.
Advances in periodontics have focused mainly on treatment techniques. Bacterial plaque, a soft layer of bacteria-rich substances that adheres to teeth, is thought to be the factor responsible for most of the destruction of the gums and tissues surrounding teeth. Periodontists advocate the removal of such plaque through a specific regimen of controlled hygiene. Prosthodontics is concerned with the restoration and maintenance of oral function, comfort, appearance and health by replacing missing teeth and adjoining tissues with artificial substitutes or prostheses.
Prosthodontists have special training in the construction and placement of fixed (stationary) and removable appliances to replace missing teeth. They also build obturators, prosthetic devices designed to close defects in the palate in cases of cleft palate. A subspecialty of prosthodontics is maxillofacial prosthetics, which involves the creation of appliances, compounds of latex, silicone, or other modern materials, designed to replace parts of the face and jaws that have been lost due to surgery, illness, congenital disorders, or accident. General and Specialty Dentistry Clinic provides quality oral health care to adults and children 8 years of age and older, including x-rays and cleaning.
Our dentists also offer a full range of specialized care, such as root canal treatments, gum disease treatment, and facial pain relief. General Dentist A general dentist is your primary care dental provider. This dentist diagnoses, treats, and manages your general oral health care needs, including gum care, root canal treatments, fillings, crowns, veneers, bridges, and preventive education. All practicing general dentists have earned a DDS or DMD (Doctor of Dental Surgery or Doctor of Dental Medicine) degree.
There is no difference between the two degrees or the curricular requirements that dentists must meet. Some schools simply grant one of two grades. Typically, three or more years of undergraduate education plus four years of dental school are required to become a general dentist. Additional postgraduate training required to become a dental specialist.
General and cosmetic dentistry generally involves the teeth, gums, and the maxillofacial region (jaw and face). Dentistry and oral health go hand in hand with overall health, as having healthy teeth and gums can prevent diabetes, heart disease, and other preventable conditions. General dental services prevent, diagnose and treat a wide variety of diseases, conditions and disorders, some of which are not even specific to oral or oral health. If left untreated, progression of oral disease can lead to pain, tooth loss, and costly treatments to restore function.
It can also negatively affect your overall health. Pediatric dentists are similar to general dentists because they offer a wide range of dental services and treatment options. Family dentists and general dentists offer many of the same services as dental specialists, but they don't focus on a single area of dentistry. .
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