For a dentist to practice his trade they will have completed four years of undergraduate school focusing on the health sciences and then another four years in the dental sciences. Nine specific branches or disciplines are recognized by the ADA, or American Dental Association. There are quite a few different things a dentist can do regarding your appointment. Let us start with the general family dentist who focuses on maintaining preventive care to the specialized areas that are necessary to either address specific issues or to introduce a treatment or solution.
What to Expect from your Family Dentist?
The health industry strongly recommends that you see your general dentist at least twice a year. These preventative examinations will include a full evaluation of the condition of your teeth and gums. They start with several x-rays to monitor any issues below the gumline. A history will be built and summarized of your exams, so any changes are recorded and addressed. Then they probe the teeth to see if any enamel has become soft resulting in cavities. They will check your bite pattern which is particularly important in the development of children. Next, they will examine your gums and the pockets around every tooth. Healthy pockets should have a certain depth. If they find a pocket that exceeds the desired depth it is an indicator of gum disease. Your family dentist will always perform an oral screening checking your tongue, lips, cheeks, and neck for any sign of oral cancer.
Finally, your dental practice will clean your teeth, removing unwanted buildup of plaque. This plaque is the primary source of cavities and gum disease.
Specific Procedures that are Common
You may want to have your teeth whitened at the dental office. Their results far exceed any at-home kits. What many of us do not realize is that your teammate in your oral health care appreciates the value of your smile. Your smile is the foundational in establishing your personality through your level of self-esteem and self-confidence. Teeth whitening is a remarkably simple improvement. Your dentist may suggest that a gap be addressed between two teeth, or a chip or crack be covered up. If the exam found a cavity your dentist will remove the diseased tissue and fill the hole with a dental filling. If you have developed gum disease the dentist might refer you to a periodontist who can specifically correct the soft tissue. They might need to do deep scaling and root planing to remove the plaque that is the sole source of the disease. An endodontist could be necessary for a root canal procedure if you have a cracked tooth that has developed an infection. An orthodontist will specialize in the alignment of the teeth, usually with the application of orthodontic braces that will move the teeth.
We did not even get into cosmetic dentistry with visually pleasing porcelain veneers, or the treatments associated with dental implants, or dental bridges or the variety of denture solutions available today.
Your oral health plays a huge and unappreciated role in who you are. It is also in an essential part of your entire body makeup. Your dentist is an invaluable member of your personal health team.