The Role of General Dentistry and The Professionals Involved

There is a reason general dentistry is separate from, say, the duties of a physician. The teeth are a very unique part of the body. They are in fact the only exposed bones we have, and that makes their care something that takes a great deal of skill and knowledge. Dentists go to school for a long time to learn that knowledge and develop that skill. Without a dentist's care, it is all too easy for a set of teeth to fall into disrepair, rot, and cause health problems that can extend throughout the body. Here are some of the duties involved in the field. Diagnosis One of the major roles of general dentistry and the professionals in the field is to perform maintenance and diagnosis on their patients. Because regular cleaning benefits the teeth so well and because problems can arise very quickly, the ADA recommends going in for a checkup and cleaning every six months. This gives a dentist the chance to give your teeth a good inspection, making sure that nothing is developing in the way of cavities, incoming wisdom teeth, or other issues that need to be resolved sooner than later. Procedures Upon diagnosing a problem, the next duty of someone involved in general dentistry is to address it with a procedure of some kind. For a cavity, that procedure could be anything from a filling to a root canal to extracting the tooth altogether. For a cracked tooth, the procedure could be implementing a crown. For missing teeth, the answer could be dentures or dental implants. The list is endless when it comes to the variety of procedures a dentist working in this field must be ready to tackle, often several times a day. Administration For the most part, general dentistry takes place not in a hospital but in a private clinic devoted to the practice. Because this turns many dentists into small businessmen as much as they are health care providers, they must wear an administrative and promotional hat as well as their surgical cap. Though there is always the option of hiring help to handle those tasks, a dentist just starting out may find himself doing much of it himself while waiting to see profit enough to justify hiring a full staff. Education Especially when it comes to children, the role of those involved in general dentistry must include education. Patients often have no other outlets from which to learn the proper care of their teeth. Therefore, a dentist must make it his business to teach them when they come in for their appointments.