San Francisco and Marin CA
Dentists
Dentists are medical professionals who are trained to treat conditions of the teeth and most conditions of the mouth. Becoming a dentist requires a significant amount of education – typically, a four-year college degree followed by dental school, which usually also takes four years. The graduate from dental school is now a qualified general dentist who can treat patients of all ages and perform all aspects of dentistry, from routine checkups to root canals.
However, some dentists choose to concentrate on particular aspects of dentistry. The American Dental Association formally recognizes a few of these. What are they?
Endodontics
Endodontist comes from the Greek words endo (inner) + odontes (teeth), and that is essentially what endodontics is: the medicine of the inside of the tooth. These specialists are experts in the healthy insides of teeth, especially the pulp, and how to treat pulp that has become diseased or damaged. The treatment most commonly associated with endodontists is the root canal, a surgical procedure designed to clear out diseased pulp to save a tooth.
Periodontics
Periodontists deal with what is “around” the tooth (from the Greek peri – “around” + odontes), meaning the gums. Periodontists are gum specialists who specialize in diagnosing and treating gum disease and the supporting structures of the teeth, such as the jawbone. Periodontists are most likely to be the specialists performing deep cleaning (or scaling and root planning), which is designed to rid the teeth of plaque and tartar and stop gum disease before it leads to tooth loss. Likewise, in many cases a periodontist will install dental implants since an implant is grafted to the jawbone, which is within their area of specialization.
Prosthodontics
Prosthodontists (prosthesis – “in place of” + odontes) are specialists who treat teeth that have been badly damaged or replace those that have been lost. Like periodontists, prosthodontists can install dental implants (often the two consult with each other); they can also create dentures and install crowns (not infrequently over teeth repaired with root canals by endodontists), bridges, and veneers.
Orthodontics
Orthodontics specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of misaligned or badly positioned teeth or jaws. Orthodontics employs nonsurgical techniques towards producing proper alignment of teeth, bite, and jaw such as braces and retainers and Invisalign, with the overall aim of producing a healthy bite and a visually appealing smile.
Pediatric Dentistry
Pediatric dentists attend to the same range of conditions of the teeth and mouth as general dentists but have undergone special training to be able to focus on the unique dental needs of children. This training allows them an understanding of teeth and how they develop as well as insights into how dentistry can affect child behavior and psychological and physical growth, allowing them to practice dentistry in a way most likely to reduce anxiety.
Oral And Maxillofacial specialists
The American Dental Association recognizes three specialists in oral and maxillofacial dentistry, which deals with a wide range of issues related to the soft tissues of the mouth, face, and jaw.
The three specialists are:
- Oral and maxillofacial surgeon
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are among the most highly trained dental specialists, often undertaking four to six years of additional training after dental school. They perform a large number of procedures designed to restore health to the face, mouth and jaw, including surgical extractions of teeth that cannot be pulled, resetting of broken jaws, performing facial reconstructive surgeries, repairing cleft palates, and removing cancerous tumors of the face, neck, and mouth. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons may also perform dental implants, especially if a bone graft into the jaw is required before the implant can be installed.
- Oral and Maxillofacial Radiologist
Oral and Maxillofacial Radiologists specialize in the various techniques for such diagnostic tests as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) computed axial tomography (CAT) scans, salivary ultrasounds, and all manner of x-rays and other radiographs, and are trained in the unique challenges in interpreting these scans in the head and neck.
- Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
Oral and maxillofacial pathologists specialize in the diagnosis of various diseases of the mouth and jaw, most frequently cancers but also various congenital, viral, and bacterial illnesses.
Dental Anesthesiology
Dental Anesthesiology specializes in delivering anesthetics to manage pain and anxiety during dental, oral, and maxillofacial surgeries or extensive diagnostic procedures.
Oral Medicine
Oral medicine specializes in the diagnosis and (non-surgical) treatment of various conditions of the mouth, including disease of the mucous membranes, disorders of the salivary glands, and oral manifestations of systemic diseases.
Orofacial Pain
Orofacial Pain specializes in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of pain in the jaw, mouth, face, head and neck, based on an understanding of the physiology of these areas, the medical causes of the pain, how it can be prevented, and how it can be relieved. It often looks into such maladies as temporomandibular muscle and joint (TMJ) disorders, problems with jaw movement, and headaches.
Dental Public Health
Dental Public Health is a dental specialization responsible for investigating trends of dental health as it affects the entire population and for devising policy recommendations for political leaders so as best to improve and preserve dental health for the entire community.
Dental specialization
A general dentist should always be the first to be visited to maintain or restore dental health. If, however, certain kinds of circumstances arise, the general dentist can refer patients to a wide variety of specialists who will be uniquely qualified to provide the best care that the situation warrants.
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