TYPES OF DENTISTS – WHEN TO VISIT WHOM? – ELITE DENTAL CARE

TYPES OF DENTISTS – WHEN TO VISIT WHOM?

Who doesn’t love to adorn a charming smile and impress the people around? Even people like the company of those who have cheerful smiles and spread positivity around. But a few dental nemeses like cavities, plaque, gum diseases and tooth decay become a hindrance in our endeavor of maintaining the cheerful smiles on the face.

Do these dental enemies come without an invitation? Absolutely no!
They own a great deal of self-respect and do not visit your oral cavity unless you invite them with improper oral hygiene practices. And once they visit you, they hardly leave unless you seek the help of the saviors.

Who are those dental saviors? You call them dentists, right?
Dentists are the doctors who treat you for your dental ailments. They are the friends and saviors of your dental health.

You would have also heard different names like endodontist, orthodontist or pedodontist. When a dental doctor is called a dentist, you might be wondering who are these different types of doctors?

Dental health is quite a vast subject, and various specialists specialize in particular areas of dentistry.
To understand better, let’s dig around more on different types of dentists, and when should you visit which dentist.

TYPES OF DENTISTS

1. GENERAL DENTIST
General dentists are the ones whom you regularly visit for your dental check-ups. These are the first dental doctors whom you visit usually for toothache and other dental issues. They perform dental cleanings, diagnose the dental ailments, take dental x-rays, perform dental fillings, repair chipped teeth, whiten your teeth and also educate you about dental health care. When you have severe dental problems that require further treatments, they recommend the specialists of the particular treatment procedures. They guide you on what steps must be taken further and how you can approach for dental insurances and other formalities.

2. PEDODONTIST
A Pedodontist is an exclusive children’s dental health specialist who diagnose and treat dental ailments in children. Children are quite sensitive to visiting doctors, and hence extra exclusive care is required to treat them. A pediatric dentist is involved in routine dental check-ups, dental cleanings, fillings and dental treatments of children.

3. ENDODONTIST
Endodontists are simply the root canal specialists. They treat the infected nerves or pulp of the tooth. When the cavities damage the inner tissues and pulp of the tooth, the endodontist drills a portion on top of the tooth, removes the infected tissue and cleans and shapes the canals. Finally, they place a rubber material to seal the canal and prevent further bacterial infection followed by a temporary filling. Then the general dentist fits a crown on the tooth to render the normal functioning of the tooth. Thus an endodontist performs the root canal surgeries.

4. ORTHODONTIST
Orthodontists straighten your teeth, correct the position of teeth and jaws, place braces and also deal with dentofacial orthopedics to correct a bad bite or malocclusion. A bite is when the upper and lower layers of teeth come together to bite or chew on the food, and a bad bite is a condition when this function is disrupted. To correct bad-bite issues, dental devices like braces, veneers, retainers, mouthguards are used. Orthodontists are concerned with correction of teeth alignment, placing of mouthguards and other dental devices, jawbones correction and supporting other facial correctors for both dental function and cosmetic reasons.

5. PERIODONTIST
Periodontist focuses on the problems associated with patients’ gums and tissues(periodontal diseases) that support the teeth. They treat excessive gum bleeding, inflammation and pain. They reduce the excess gums, even out the gums to aid the aesthetics, adding gum grafts to areas where gums are recessed, installing dental implants and all the extensive work to be performed on the gums.

6. PROSTHODONTIST
Prosthodontists deal with providing dental prostheses. Prosthesis means replacement of a body part and dental prosthesis deals with the replacement of missing or damaged teeth. Prosthodontists enhance the visual appearance of your smile by placing false dental prostheses like crowns, bridges, veneers tooth implants, partial dentures and full dentures. They ensure the perfect fit for the prostheses.

7. ORAL SURGEON
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons perform more invasive oral surgeries in the gums, lips, cheeks, hard and soft palate, tongue and facial tissues. They facilitate tooth extraction, surgical jaw corrections, cancerous tissue extraction, facial infections, reconstructive surgeries and sleep apnea treatments.

These are a few dentists whom you can visit for various dental treatments. At Elite Dental Care, we provide you one-stop solution for all your dental needs with an association of different types of dentists. Visit us to enhance your dental health and reserve your cheerful smiles forever.