Maintaining the health and hygiene of your teeth is extremely important for your overall health and well being. There can be different types of problems that may arise with your teeth. The entire profession of dentistry is evolved and has branched out to many areas. It is important to have an insight about the different type of dentists out there so you know that you are referring to the right doctor. The same dentist cannot handle all kind of ailments. Depending on the specific need you have you can make your choice from the following list of doctors.
Varied Type of dentists
General Dentists: These are most common family dentists who take care of the general oral health and hygiene. Their procedures often include regular dental cleanups, dental x-rays, tooth decay treatments, artificial fillings and repairs of missing, chipped or cracked teeth. The general dentist is also qualified to offer services related to small dental procedures such as root canals, gum care, extractions, crowns, bridges or fillings.
Periodontist: The main focus of this section of dentistry is gums. These are gum specialists who focus on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases affecting the gums. This type of dentist is responsible for identifying and treating gum diseases at early stages, performing minor surgeries, treating extreme pain or inflammations, dental implant installations, cosmetic skin grafting and restoring smiles.
Orthodontist: The general idea is that an orthodontist puts braces. However, in reality their expertise is much beyond than that. Orthodontists are alignment specialists who specialise in correcting jaws and teeth that are out of alignment. If your jaw misaligned or is suffering from cross bite, under bite or overbite, then this type of a dentist will help you get rid of that. They use aligners, braces, headgear or palatal expanders to treat your condition. Using the various devices with time bone structure is improved.
Paediatric Dentist: Just like paediatricians specialise in children’s overall health, paediatric dentists specialise in their oral health of children. This is similar to general dentistry but the primary focus is on child’s teeth. With specialisation in children’s oral care and development, they care for your child’s teeth right from their infancy into their teens. Their services include habitual counselling, cavity fillings, routine cleanings and dental exams, oral condition diagnosis, stopping thumb sucking etc.
Prosthodontist: These specialists are experts at oral prostheses or replacing and restoring damaged, decayed or lost teeth. They make use of dentures, fixed bridges, dental implants, crowns and porcelain veneers to give you a naturally beautiful smile.
Endodontist: These are root canal specialists who focus on identifying and treating problems related to the root canals. Root canals are tiny passages inside the teeth that consist of blood vessels, nerves and sensitive living tissue known as pulp inside the teeth.
Oral Pathologist: This type of dentist specialist is well-versed with the study of different tooth related disease and their causes. They are qualified for offering different kind of surgeries and works closely with ENT (ear, nose and throat specialists).
Oral Surgeon: These surgeons are specialists in undergoing surgeries for treating issues related to jaw, mouth and face. These experts are called for complex oral procedures. Mostly, they are required for corrective jaw surgeries, cleft lips, cleft palate surgeries, etc.
Now that you are aware of the different types of dental specialists, you need to choose the one whose job perfectly relates to the procedure you want to be carried out. However for a common man it is difficult to decide. If you are confused then visiting your family dentist will help you get the right recommendations about further specialised dental help.
