About Dental Specialists

While the general dentist is well-known to most as the practitioner you sees for routine mouth care, more serious oral issues often require the care of dental specialists. There are a number of dental specialties, each with their own specific area of expertise in maintaining oral health.

Identification

Dental specialists are professionals who have undergone the education necessary to become general dentists, and then have gone on to complete at least two additional years of training to become experts in a particular specialty. Even though they are trained in the practice of general dentistry, most dental specialists practice only within their specific field of expertise. Patients that are seen by dental specialists are generally referred by general dentists to receive care for complex oral health issues that are beyond the scope of a general dentistry practice.

Types

The American Dental Association officially recognizes a number of dental specialties. These are Dental Public Health, Endodontics, Periodontics, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Prosthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology and Surgery.

Function

Dental Public Health specialists promote dental health through community efforts, working towards the prevention and control of dental diseases. Endodontics is concerned with the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of human dental pulp and associated tissues. Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology investigates the causes and effects of oral diseases. Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology is concerned with producing and analyzing diagnostic images. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons handle difficult tooth extractions and perform a variety of other surgical procedures associated with the mouth and facial area. Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics includes the diagnosis and correction of abnormalities in mouth and tooth development and structure. Prosthodontics rehabilitates and maintains oral function and appearance by replacing missing or decayed teeth. Periodontics specializes in the prevention and treatment of the supporting tissues of the teeth, and Pediatric Dentistry specializes in the treatment of infants and children.

History

Dental specialists are relatively new on the health care scene, with the first specialty recognized in 1976. Dental health has been proven by research over the years to be essential to overall health and well-being, placing a new emphasis on oral care and giving rise to the specialties that address varying aspects of dental health.

Benefits

Among the many benefits of having so many skilled dental specialists available is a greater level of overall dental health among the population. Conditions and diseases that would result in the loss of teeth years ago can now be treated successfully, avoiding the need for tooth extraction. Those patients for whom tooth extraction is unavoidable will find a much more functional and attractive array of options for replacement than was available a few years back, and the options for straightening crooked teeth or repairing discolored or damaged ones have expanded exponentially.