Dental Specialists and When to Visit Them
Dental specialists are dentists who specialise in treating specific dental conditions or people. General dentists, on the other hand, can treat the majority of common dental conditions. Here are examples of dental specialists and when you might need to visit them:
Pediatric Dentist
These are dentists who specialise in children's teeth ailments. They mainly monitor your child's teeth development to maintain a path to a lifelong and healthy smile. The reason you want your child treated by a pediatric dentist is the kid-friendly dental clinic environment and the age-specific knowledge the dentist offers.
You can expect services like dental exams, teeth cleaning and filling of cavities. The pediatric dentist also offers you advice as a parent to help you in guiding your child on good dental hygiene practices.
Periodontists
These are dentists who specialise in conditions that affect the gum. This includes preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases that affect the gum. Examples of gum disease include gingivitis and periodontitis.
Periodontists can also offer dental treatments like dental implants, which involve gum surgery and drilling of dental implants into your jawbone. Dental implants are a treatment for missing teeth.
Endodontists
If you have one or several teeth that have decayed to the extent that a deep hole has formed and it has reached the pulp cavity (the part of your tooth that houses nerves and blood vessels), you need to see a specialist known as an endodontist.
Endodontists are specialists who offer root canal treatments. A root canal is when you need your pulp cavity to be emptied, filled with a resin and sealed. Emptying the pulp cavity means removing the blood vessels and nerves in the tooth. This is done to prevent gum infection. Once the pulp cavity is filled and sealed, the endodontist restructures your damaged crown by filling it with a dental filling.
Orthodontists
These are dentists who treat overbites, crossbites, underbites, crooked teeth, and misaligned teeth. They mostly offer treatment options like braces, palatal expanders, and aligners. Some ill-positioned jaws or teeth may require the use of headgears; an orthodontist is also qualified to provide headgear dental treatment.
Cosmetic Dentist
These are dentists who offer dental treatment for dental conditions that affect your facial appearance or your smile. These conditions may include missing teeth, crooked or misaligned teeth, discoloured teeth, etc. This shows you that you can come across dentists who specialise in different dental specialties. For example, a cosmetic dentist can have the qualifications of an orthodontist, periodontist, and prosthodontist.
Prosthodontists
These are dentists who specialise in the replacement or restoration of damaged or missing teeth. They offer treatment options like dental implants, dentures, and dental bridges.
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