Dentistry

Dentistry is a field in medicine that works to prevent, diagnose, and treat conditions and diseases of the mouth and teeth. Common dentistry procedures include dental fillings, dental crowns, root canals, and dental bridges. There are nine specific areas of dentistry including orthodontics and prosthodontics. Individuals who practice dentistry are called dentists. Dentists may perform family dentistry, general dentistry, laser dentistry, and other forms of dentistry. Dentists who perform cosmetic dentistry procedures are commonly referred to as cosmetic dentists.

Dentists

A dentist is an individual who practices dentistry. A dentist is qualified to perform the following dental procedures:

Dentists also educate people on how to properly care for their mouths so their patients have good dental hygiene and dental health. Dentists can also write prescriptions for medications such as antibiotics and use dental sealants (protective coatings that help prevent tooth decay).  Some dentists also specialize in sedation dentistry, a technique used to create a calm and relaxing experience for patients that experience anxiety or stress upon visiting a dentist.

A person can find a dentist that specializes in a specific dental care area by browsing a dentist directory online, this directory can also help you find a cosmetic dentist.  

Dentistry Areas

Dentists may serve as general practitioners and treat, diagnose, and restore damaged or missing teeth and provide preventative oral care. However, there are nine dentistry areas that specialize in specific conditions and treatments.

Oral surgery: Dentists performing oral surgery correct and treat conditions and injuries in the mouth and jaw such as TMJ (temporomandibular disorder).

Orthodontics: Orthodontics is an area of dentistry that deals with tooth and oral structure development. Orthodontists treat irregular and abnormal dental development. Orthodontic treatment may also include treating dental bite problems with dental braces.

Pediatric dentistry: Pediatric dentistry is an area of dentistry that focuses on treating children and adolescents. Pediatric dentists help children to develop healthy oral hygiene habits.

Endodontics: Dentists in the field of endodontics deal with nerve diseases and diseases of other dental tissues.

Prosthodontics: Prosthodontics is an area of dentistry that focuses on replacing missing natural teeth.

Periodontics: A dentist in the field of periodontics focuses on diagnosing and treating diseases of the oral mucous membranes, gums, and bones that support the teeth.

Oral Radiology: Oral radiology is a new field of dentistry that uses radiologic imaging to study diseases and conditions of the mouth, teeth, jaw, and face (oral cancer, oral herpes, etc.).

Oral pathology: Dentists in the field of oral pathology deal with diseases of the mouth, and study the diseases to identify the causes, effects, and progression.

Dental public health: Dental public health is a type of dentistry that treats a community rather than individual patients to prevent and control periodontal disease (gum disease).

Common Dental Procedures

At some point in their lives, most people will need one or more common dental procedure such as a dental filling or a root canal. These common procedures can be performed quickly and less painfully thanks to new technological advances in the field of dentistry and new methods such as sedation dentistry.

Root Canals: Root canals are performed to remove diseased or damaged tissue within a tooth.

Dental Fillings: When a tooth has decay, a dentist removes the decay and fills in the tooth with porcelain or composite resin materials. In the past, dental fillings were made of silver or gold, but today, dental fillings are inconspicuous and match the tooth’s natural color.

Bonding: Bonding repairs cracked and chipped teeth. A composite material is applied to the tooth surface and then molded and shaped to fit the tooth. It is then polished to disguise the crack or chip in the tooth.

Dental Bridges: Dental bridges are used to replace missing teeth with artificial tooth that is held in place by material that warps around other supporting teeth.

Dentures: People often get dentures to replace missing or damaged teeth that can not be repaired or restored with other common dentistry procedures.

Dental Crowns: Dental crowns are used to repair decayed teeth. Crowns cover the entire surface of the decayed tooth to add stability and strength.

Dental Implants: Dental implants serve as functional and esthetic replacements for teeth that have been lost due to poor oral hygiene or trauma. Missing teeth have, in the past, been replaced by dentures or dental bridges; however, dental implantation has been on the rise in recent years. Dental implant cost - A single implant typically costs between $1,000 and $5,000.

Dental Braces: Braces help correct a person’s bite and realign teeth for a healthy, straight smile.

Laser dentistry: Laser dentistry is a relatively new dental practice that replaces drills and other common dental equipment in place of a laser. Lasers can be used to remove decay from teeth, perform surgeries, tooth whitening and a number of other common dental procedures.

Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry is a type of dentistry that focused on improving the appearance of a person’s smile. Cosmetic dentistry can give a person a whiter, straighter, and healthier looking smile though the use of dental implants, dental veneers (composite and porcelain veneers, teeth whitening, and other procedures.

For comprehensive information about the field of dentistry and other dentistry procedures, visit Consumer Guide to Dentistry.