Licensed Dentists
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Dentists and Oral Health
As per estimates, 3/4th of all adults suffer from dental diseases. Dentists diagnose, evaluate and treat these diseases. They perform corrective surgery on gums and supporting bones to treat gum diseases. They use the latest radiographic and imaging equipment to check and monitor the patient’s oral health.
Prevention is the best way to manage oral care. Dentists can carry out regular dental checkups and advise measures to prevent the advent of oral health problems. Dentists are assisted by trained dental hygienists in providing preventive dental care.
Licensed Dentists
All practicing dentists in the United States should be licensed to work in this profession. The norm is that the dentist you plan to visit to address your oral health issue will be a licensed dentist. However, if you still wish to reconfirm this, you can check a dentist’s licensure through your state dental board’s website (most have an online search facility). Each state dental board provides certain public record information about dentists.
General and Specialist Dentists
Practicing licensed dentists can be categorized into two – general dentists and specialists.
Licensed general dentists have knowledge in a wide array of areas of clinical dentistry. Specialists focus on one specific area of dentistry and often have more knowledge than general dentists in that area. In normal circumstances, you should visit a general dentist. He will diagnose the disease, and if within his / her expertise, will treat it. In case the general dentist is not able to diagnose / treat the disease, the patient will be referred to a specialist.
Specializations in Dentistry
There are nine recognized specialties for dentists in the United States. Most state licenses permit dentists to engage in both general and specialized practice. These specialties include:
- Public health dentistry (providing dental care within the community)
- Endodontic (dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the dental pulp)
- Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (dealing with the identification of disease affecting the oral and facial regions)
- Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (detecting oral illnesses using radiology images)
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (dealing with the correction of a wide spectrum of diseases, injuries and defects affecting oral and facial regions)
- Periodontics (treating gum diseases, bone regeneration and surgical implant procedures)
- Orthodontics and Dentofacial (deals with prevention, interception and correction of abnormalities of the oral and facial region)
- Pediatric Dentistry (dental problems of children and teenagers)
- Prosthodontics (treatments like dentures, implants and crowns)
Common Dental Treatments & Procedures
Some of the common dental ailments for which individuals visit licensed dentists are listed below:
- Dental fillings are used to treat tooth cavities. Fillings are also used to repair cracked, broken or worn-down teeth.
- Endodontic or root canal therapy is a sequence of treatment for the pulp of a tooth which results in the elimination of infection and protection of the decontaminated tooth from future microbial invasion.
- Dental crowns and bridges conceal treated / damaged teeth.
- Braces are fixed to align the teeth.
- Dentures are false sets of teeth that replace missing original ones.
- Bleaching teeth or whitening by various chemicals is currently very popular.
Neglecting oral care could lead to serious illnesses. You should visit a licensed dentist immediately on experiencing a dental problem and get it treated. A visit to a dentist every six months is highly essential for preventive dental care.
