What is General Dentistry?
It is a dental specialty, which involves in preventing, diagnosing and treating of a wide range of dental conditions, disorders and diseases that affect the teeth, gums and the maxillofacial region or the face and jaw region of the body.
The dentists who are trained in this specialty are known as General Dentists. They are similar to the General Physicians in the medical field. These dentists are the first dental physicians that a patient usually approaches, on experiencing any dental problem. The general dentists usually study for 4-5 years to become a dentist. These general dentists can then go for post-graduation and get specialized in a specific specialty.
Some of the popular specialty fields that a general dentist usually pursue are:
- Dental Public Health
- Conservative Dentistry
- Endodontics or Endodontology
- Geriatric Dentistry or Geriodontics
- Oral and Maxillofacial pathology
- Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
- Orthodontics
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Periodontology
- Prosthodontics
General Dentistry Activities
The general dentist usually perform the following tasks:
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Dental Hygiene Plan
Try to create a customized dental hygiene plan with respect to the patient. This plan will include dental examination, tooth cleaning, tooth scaling, X-ray and other diagnostic tests. General dentists usually use this plan as a battle plan to prevent, diagnose and treat dental issues at an early stage before the issue gets aggravated.
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Restorative procedures
The dentist might incorporate some restorative procedures in the treatment plan to help prevent dental issues like tooth decay, diseases of the teeth, mouth, gums and tongue. The general dentist makes use of these procedures to repair the effects caused by tooth decay, the trauma, defect or diseases in these areas of the mouth.
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Prosthetic Procedures:
General dentists usually perform prosthetic services like dentures etc.
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Endodontic Procedures
They can perform procedures like root canal therapy.
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Periodontal Procedures
They can also perform procedures for the therapies related to the gums.
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Tooth Extraction Procedures
These procedures include extraction of tooth in children, mostly the temporary teeth and also tooth extraction in adults in cases of wisdom tooth etc.
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Prevention of Oral Diseases
The general dentists usually diagnose and treat oral infections and diseases. Some of the systemic diseases like osteoporosis, diabetes, celiac diseases and even cancer provide early indications in the oral cavity.
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Cosmetic Services:
Some general dentists undergo special training in cosmetic services. Some of the service these dentists provide include teeth whitening, porcelain veneers etc.
Authored By Dr Sanjay N - Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Bangalore
