Many different types of oral health care providers
could become involved in the care of your teeth, gums, and mouth.
Below is a brief description of these various health care
providers:
General dentist -- This is your primary
care dental provider. The dentist diagnoses, treats, and manages
your overall oral health care needs, including gum care, root
canals, fillings, crowns, veneers, bridges, and preventive
education.
All practicing general dentists have earned either a DDS or DMD
degree (doctor of dental surgery or doctor of dental medicine,
respectively). There is no difference between the two degrees or
the curriculum requirements that dentists must meet. Some schools
simply award the one degree, while others award the other.
Generally, three or more years of undergraduate education plus
four years of dental school are required to become a general
dentist. Additional post-graduate training is required to become a
dental specialist, such as the those listed below.
Dental public health clinics -- Dental
public health clinics promote dental health through organized
community efforts. The clinics serve to educate the public through
the administration of group dental care programs with the goal of
preventing and controlling dental diseases on a community-wide
basis. Dental public health clinics offer such services as finding
a dentist, developing dental care programs for schools, providing
information on fluoridation in the community, answering common
questions about oral health, and providing other oral health
resources and support materials to their community.
Endodontist -- This dental specialist is
concerned with the causes, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of
diseases and injuries of the human dental pulp or the nerve of the
tooth. This specialist might perform simple to difficult root canal
treatments or other types of surgical root procedures.
Oral and maxillofacial radiologist -- This
oral health care provider specializes in the production and
interpretation of all types of X-ray images and data that are used
in the diagnosis and management of diseases, disorders, and
conditions of the oral and maxillofacial region.
Oral medicine -- This is the specialty of
dentistry that provides for the care of the medically complex
patient through the integration of medicine and oral health care.
This includes the diagnosis and management of oral diseases
including oral cancer, lichen planus, candidiasis, and aphthous
stomatitis. Oral medicine also evaluates complex medical patients
prior to open-heart surgery, chemotherapy, and cancer therapy, as
well as hospital inpatients.
Oral pathologist -- This is the oral
health care provider who studies the causes of diseases that alter
or affect the oral structures (teeth, lips, cheeks, jaws), as well
as parts of the face and neck. Oral pathologists examine and
provide a diagnosis of the biopsy, tissue, or lesion sent to them
by other oral health care providers.