Dentist-stay in good health
Although a dentist only cares for the oral cavity, caring for the mouth, teeth, and gums is just as important as keeping the rest of the body healthy. These health care providers are more than just doctors. They have special training on the education and prevention of oral diseases, which can have an affect on one's overall health.
A dentist is a health care provider who focuses on the maintenance,
diagnosis and treatment of the mouth, gums, and teeth. Although at-home care of the oral cavity is fairly simple, a dentist provides added protection against disease with a complete cleaning and examination of the mouth. Since many health conditions and diseases can start in the mouth, twice yearly visits with the dentist are necessary to insure good overall health.
There are many different disciplines within the field of dentistry. Pediatric dentists focus on oral care for children. Much of this work includes supervising the emergence of baby teeth and the growth of adult teeth. Additionally, children tend to develop more cavities, so their main focus will be on developing habits, such as daily brushing, flossing, and the use of mouthwash, to prevent cavities and other oral diseases, Likewise, much of the dentist's job will be to educate their patients on developing good overall oral health habits and watching for any issues related to the development of the adult teeth. A geriatric dentist focuses on treating older patients over the age of 65. These patients tend to develop problems with oral ulcers, mucosal lesions, and periodontal disease. Many of these issues can lead to tooth loss and so a geriatric dentist's main focus is the prevention of tooth decay and loss, as a result of these age-related issues. Both pediatric and geriatric dentistry is considered a specialty. Therefore, these health care providers have additional education and training beyond dental school, which qualifies them to work with both the general population, as well as their respective age groups.
A general dentist is qualified to work with the general adult population. These are the health care providers that are charged with a basic teeth cleaning and examination twice yearly. However, there are a number of oral care needs they are also qualified to perform. Root carries, or cavities are a fairly common oral health concern with an easy fix. Luckily, filling cavities is also a basic part of the education of a general dentist. Additionally, the dentist can perform basic dental surgery for common issues, including the removal of teeth and scaling, which helps to treat periodontal disease.
Oral health is a mirror of overall health, and keeping the oral cavity healthy is just as important is a healthy heart. Therefore, visiting a dentist twice yearly carries the same weight as visiting an internal medicine doctor once a year.
