Did you know that dentists alike their medical counterparts go through intensive training for 3 years?
This aligns with the Dental Council of India
This degree is referred to as Masters of Dental Sciences, a super specialty degree post-BDS alike to MD/MS which stands for Masters of the field of study post MBBS degree.
Being a patient empowers you to choose the best-trained dentist for your treatment. This article aims to end the quest for your search.
Why should you select the best dentist?
Hypothetically, you’re getting a new phone.
On one hand, you have an old Nokia handphone which allows you to make a basic calling and messaging requirements. On the other hand, you have the latest smartphone with immaculate video calling and 5G options.
Which one will you choose?
Undoubtedly the smartphone because this technology enhances your quality of life.
Dentistry is the science employing the application of evolving technology for patient healthcare delivery. Dentists employ applications of CAD (computer-aided design) and cone-beam CT which improvises treatment precision significantly. It’s amazing how dentistry is evolving exponentially with even applications involving AI.
With the advent of revolutionizing technology, you should make sure you’re seeking the best available treatment option for yourself and your loved ones.
How to select the best dentist?
Word of mouth is mostly the commonly adopted practice for selecting a doctor natively. Although the credentials of the doctor shall also help you invariably to get an impartial idea while the selection process.
Often people look at the specialty and are unable to make out the kind of treatment the dentist specializes in.
For this, educating yourself equips you to be in a better position to evaluate your choices.
Hence, it’s imperative to know the kind of work each specialty goes through while training intensely for years.,
This clear knowledge shall help you seek appropriate guidance and treatment under them.
Read further for in-depth knowledge to know more about the clinical specialties.
Conservative and Endodontic Dentist
They can primarily be known as the ‘brain surgeons’ of the tooth. This analogy stems from them saving the tooth effortlessly by desensitizing the nerves causing pain inside the tooth. This specialty concerns physiology, pathology, and morphology of teeth, dental pulp, and peri-radicular tissues. Specialists in this field learn didactic ways for treatment tooth conservation inside the oral cavity. They are trained to use innumerable microsurgery instruments like the microscope, flex tips, sluggers, and lubes for enhanced visibility and precision.
Prosthodontics
These specialize in providing you ‘ third dentition’ which are namely called dental implants.
Implants are generally called the third dentition because of their renowned lifelong durability and efficacy. They deal specifically with diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of missing teeth and oral and maxillofacial tissues using highly biocompatible substitutes.
Their work also enables you to get various dentures and crowns after root canal treatment. Their work also includes Digital Prosthodontics. Scanning, Designing, Milling
Pediatric Dentists
In dentistry, also known as ‘jack of all trades’. This is an age-defined specialty focussing on treatment for infants ranging from 1-14 years of age. They also tend to people with special healthcare needs like patients suffering from mental retardation and stunted growth.
A child’s pain often translates to the agony of parents as well. Diagnosing and treating an infant’s pain requires immense psychological and behavioral expertise. Parents always want the best treatment for their children. They often work closely with pediatricians and general physicians also.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Their vast range of treatment modality ranges from removal of impacted teeth to dealing with cases involving cleft babies and head and neck cancers.
This specialty also handles the diagnosis and treatment of severe infections, injuries, and defects. Hence playing an important role in maintaining functional and esthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region.
Highly skilled in dealing with trauma and fracture cases of the jaws and sometimes pan facial. They work along with pathologists to diagnose and treat various cysts and tumors also.
Periodontists
These are the dentists you should habitually visit twice yearly, especially when you think you’ve got nothing wrong with your current dental hygiene.
Prevention is the best cure. They help you to stay problem-free by timely scaling appointments. Also, help to detect oral cavity problems in the earliest stages.
Majorly diagnose and treat tissues that surround and support the teeth. They make sure that the foundation of our teeth is solid ad healthy. Their work involves various mucogingival surgeries, graft placement, guided bone regeneration, and implants.
The advancement in treatment delivery in this field is magnanimous. They employ laser for efficient delivery of painless and relatively quick treatment.
Orthodontics
They aim for the prevention and correction of malocclusion and dentofacial incongruities. Malocclusion mainly refers to the incorrect bite pattern of an individual which goes beyond having an imperfect smile.
Malocclusion poses major problems for patients like speech difficulties, jaw problems, and terrible oral hygiene. These problems compound altogether to cause bigger problems later.
The latest treatment modalities involve clear and lingual braces that cannot be seen and noticed by anyone. This aesthetic component has kept many teenagers from opting for the earlier obsolete treatment options.
Speaking about treatment options, there are many in the market offer delivery of these aligners at home, however, it’s safer to consult an orthodontic specialist before resorting to any of these.
Oral Medicine and Radiology
These are the dentists specializing in diagnosing rare disorders often general practitioners rarely interpret. They employ the use of X-rays and various imaging techniques for diagnosis and treatment and jaws and mouth.
Also, use radioactive materials and radiations for successfully diagnosing syndromes. Early stages involve oral manifestation for over 120 medical syndromes. Oral Cavity literally forms the window to see inside the entire body.
They play a crucial role hence in the use of Orthopantomographs, Cone beam CT’s, Sialography, and various imaging techniques.
These include the clinical specialties of the MDS degrees practiced by the dentists. There are innumerable clinical courses for implantology and Digital Smile Designing courses (DSD) for continuing education for general dental practitioners.
The other factors for selecting the best dentist can suggestively be the doctor’s experience, the wide range of case handling, patient outcomes, and his demeanor obviously.
However these form the guidelines for selection, the ultimate test shall be one on one consultation with your doctor. Have faith in your doctor and trust the treatment likewise.
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