Who is a Dentist?

 Who is a Dentist?
A dentist is a doctor who cares for your teeth. He is also called a Dental Surgeon. Dentists are trained extensively at Dental schools to look after the health of your teeth. Dentists have to undergo courses for 5-6 years at the dental school after which they acquire the degree Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) or Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS). On completion of this course the dentist has to go through a year of further training and practice called the house surgeonship before he can practice individually or set up his own practice.

Are there dental specialist?

Once the Dentist completes the graduate program he can specialize in a certain aspect of Dentistry. This requires him to undergo further training for 2-4 years. These specialization courses are postgraduate programs that give the dentist the masters degree called MDS or MS. So we can have dentists who specialize in gums or braces and so on.

What are the specializations in Dentistry?

Dentists can specialize in a number of fields such as restorations, braces, gums, dentures, radiology, surgery etc.

1. Orthodontist

An Orthodontist is a dental specialist who specializes in treating crooked teeth by using braces of different types. He also supervises the growing jaw bones and developing dentition and tries to prevent or intercept abnormalities of the bite. Thus the orthodontist can be said to be the dentist who can improve your smile.

2. Prosthodontist

A prosthodontist is a dentist who specializes in making dentures or prostheses. He replaces teeth that are lost due to dental decay, gum diseases or old age. The prosthodontist has a number of different artificial dentures in his armamentarium. By replacing lost teeth he reestablishes your ability to bite and chew and also maintain normal facial appearance.
The prosthodontist can also make artificial replacements for facial areas that are lost by injury or disease.

3. Periodontist

A periodontist is a dental specialist who looks after the gums and helps you maintain good oral hygiene. He can also undertake specialized surgeries of the gums and structures around the teeth.

4. Endodontist

An endodontist specializes in root canal treatment. Dental decay that is neglected often spreads deep inside the tooth and reaches the pulp tissue in the core of the tooth. The endodontist specializes in removing infected and inflamed pulp and filling the area left after its removal.

5. Restorative Dentist

He specializes in removing dental decay and filling cavities. There are a number of different materials that he can use to fill the cavities.

6. Pedodontist or Pediatric Dental Surgeon

He specializes in treating children. He supervises the developing dentition, advises the mother on how to look after the infant's dental health, undertakes preventive measures to prevent dental disease in children and treats all dental problems in children.
The good care that a pediatric dental surgeon extends can give the child a lifetime of strong healthy teeth.

7. Oral Surgeon

He is basically a surgeon who does surgeries of the dental and facial structures including the jaw bones. He can extract teeth, remove the wisdom teeth that are deep inside the jaw, perform surgeries of the jaws and face to make them look nice or to treat diseases affecting them.

8. Oral Physician & Radiologist

An oral radiologist specializes in diagnosing oral diseases by examining and using diagnostic aids such as X-rays.

9. Preventive and Community Dentist

They are dentists who undertake community-based programs for preventing dental diseases. They also educate the people on the care of teeth and help in increasing the dental awareness. They also undertake studies to find out the prevalence of dental diseases and effectiveness of dental treatment procedures.

10. Forensic Odontologist

Teeth are the strongest structures of the human body. The teeth and its arrangement are unique to each individual just as a fingerprint. The forensic odentologists are often called to solve mysteries of crime and accidents to identify the person based on clues offered by the teeth.