A dentist is a doctor who diagnoses and treats problems considering all kinds of teeth, oral cavity and tissues in the mouth for all different age groups of people. The doctor gives the right advice and tips care to help prevent future teeth related problems. To be a dentist, one needs to have 4 years of training at a dental school right after college.
What are the Diverse Services Offered by a Dentist?
One needs to be a graduate with a Doctor of Dental Surgery or a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree. They also need to get passed the required boards for the position that they practice in. A well-trained and experienced dentist is one who has gained expertise in the following domains:
- Diagnose all possible diseases of teeth, gums, tissues, filling and extraction of teeth, oral health or any sort of pain related to the mouth. The dentist knows how to treat these conditions and gives the proper instructions on brushing, rinsing of mouth, flossing, and taking the overall care of our oral health.
- The dentists also help in dealing with issues such as tooth decaying, or in filling up cavities, examining of X rays, placing protective plastic sealants on children’s teeth, straightening of teeth, repairing of the fractured ones, going for root canals and many more.
- Often teeth problems are serious issues and might involve a few corrective surgeries or operations on gums and supporting bones to help treat the gum diseases.
- In cases when a particular toothneeds a replacement, a dentist then uses the method of extraction of the defected tooth. For replacement of the removed or defected tooth, dentists make models and take proper measurements for dentures. To make the process easier and relaxing for the patient, they use or administer anesthesia. This provides relief to the patients till the time operation or the surgery has been conducted. Post surgery, pain relieving medications and antibiotics are prescribed by them.
- Dentists use a variety of equipment, right from x-ray machines for examining the dental problems in details, to using drills for extracting the defected ones, or the mouth mirrors, probes, forceps, brushes, scalpels, lasers, digital scanners, and all other possible technologies for the examination.
- The dentists who practice privately oversee a variety of tasks right from bookkeeping to buying equipment or supplies. They help in employing and supervising all dental hygienists, assistants, laboratory technicians, as well as the receptionists.
These days dental public health clinics are in great demand and more and more dentists are contributing as much as they can in this. These clinics help in the promotion of dental health with the help of organized community efforts. The clinics often conduct health camps and focus on educating the public through these camps or the group dental care programs. The programs are aimed towards achieving the goals of preventing and controlling dental diseases on a larger platform. These public health clinics are also sometimes initiated by the government in order to provide free services to public such as finding a dentist, conducting fluoridation or oral health, and providing oral health resources or materials to them
Regular checkups and consulting with a good dentist can help in the identification of cavities or other dental conditions at the earliest. If not treated on time, dental problems can be dangerous as they cause troubling symptoms and often lead to more-serious problems. And the pain that is associated with these problems is often difficult to tolerate. This is the reason why it is always advisable to take care of your teeth and brush regularly and properly. Sooner you seek care, the better are the chances of reversing the earliest stages of tooth decay, thereby preventing the upcoming problems.