How Many Different Kinds of Dentists are There?

Each profession has specializations and dentistry is no different. Dentists have to undergo years of hard training to achieve expertise in their field of specialization. In this article, I will be discussing different forms of these specializations, in other words, different kinds of dentists.

General dentist:

A general dentist is the one who takes care of your oral health on a regular basis. The adjective 'general' is given to this type of dentists because they deal with all the general problems associated with dental health. They are involved in various forms of preventive dental care work, such as dental cleaning, imparting knowledge about proper health care, and so on. They are also engaged in restorative dental care and thus are responsible for works like artificial fillings, teeth whitening, and teeth repair.

Pediatric dentist:

These dentists deal with the oral health care of demographics ranging from infants to teenagers. The primary task of this type of dentist is to guide the dental growth and development. In order to make this task go smoothly, pediatric dentist work in close coordination with pediatrician or other dental specialists.

Orthodontist:

This type of dentist is responsible for properly aligning the misaligned teeth, jawbones, and other facial structures. These changes are made for either utilitarian reasons or aesthetic reasons or both. They accomplish their task by using various instruments like braces, dental alignment trays, retainers, headgears, and so on. Orthodontic changes happen gradually and thus for accomplishing the treatment, an extended contact with this form of dentists become a necessity.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeon:
The core focus of these dentists revolves around the tissues located in and around the mouth. Some of the tissues that these dentists deal with are gums, lips, hard or soft palate, tongue, cheeks, and facial tissues. These dentists are called surgeons because after their course of dentistry they undergo training in surgery from a hospital. Due to this reason, these types of dentists are allowed to perform invasive surgeries.

Periodontist:

Periodontists are concerned with prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of gum related issues. Some of the activities commonly conducted by this form of dentists are treating gum inflammation and pain, treating periodontal diseases, and installing dental implants.

Prosthodontist:

They are responsible for providing oral prostheses and hence are responsible for replacing damaged, decaying, or missing teeth.

Endodontist:

Endodontist specializes in dealing with tooth's inner enamel and inner dentin layer. Endodontists are most famous for performing root canals.