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Dental Specialties and Patient Needs

When looking for a dentist San Antonio Texas can be as confusing as any other major metropolitan area. Complicating matters further is the fact that dental qualifications and specialties are varied just as they are in medicine.

What’s more, dental schools confer two distinct degrees in the field of general dentistry. They are the Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) and the Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.). Don’t be confused by this. Both degrees require four years of the same dental school requirements. These degrees signify the same kind if dentist.

What is different is a Dental Specialist. These would have formally met the Requirements for Recognition of Dental Specialties and National Certifying Boards for Dental Specialists.

The American Dental Association recognizes 9 areas of specialization. They are Dental Public Health, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, Prosthodontics.

Dental Public Health specialists are focused on the prevention and control of various dental diseases. These are the dentists that work for large public health agencies and help plan, and implement new oral health care programs.

Endodontists deal with injuries to the roots and pulp of teeth. These are the guys and gals that give you root canals. Which may be painful but they do mean well and are providing you with a valuable service.

Oral and Maxillofacial Pathologists are dentists who usually work in the laboratory. They spend lots of time devoted to tissue specimens under microscopes studying the causes and effects of diseases of the mouth and of course coming up with cures.

Oral and Maxillofacial Radiologists specialize in taking and studying x-rays of your teeth, jaws, face, and head. They can identify how many wisdom teeth you will have or look for minor defects that can lead to conditions like TMJ syndrome.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are the guys and gals that get to diagnose and surgically fix/treat problems of the hard and soft tissues of your head, face, neck and jaws. Usually for a dentist to become a surgeon he or she must also obtain a doctor of medicine degree in a six year combined program. These surgeons can remove wisdom teeth, attach bone grafts, and repair oral tissues and the structures that surround them as long as it affects your mouth and teeth.

Orthodontists and Dentofacial Orthopedists are the people you see about getting your teeth straightened or your jaw properly aligned. They can attach braces and other devices that will over time adjust the structure of your mouth for optimal use and appearance.

Pediatric Dentists specialize in the treatment of your children. They’re able to help keep your kids calm and know how to deal with special issues concerning baby teeth.

Periodontists diagnose and treat periodontal diseases or diseases of the gums. These dentists are also the dentists that put in your dental implants

Prosthodontists replace missing teeth with prostheses such as permanent or removable dentures and implants. Some Prosthodontists can specialize in replacing lost parts of the face, such as eyes, nose and ears.

As you can see there are wide variety of dentists available to those in the San Antonio, TX area as well as places abroad. Many dentists can cross specialize in two or more areas thus increasing the benefits they can provide to patients.