Who is a dentist?
A dentist is a healthcare professional trained in maintaining the overall health of our teeth, gums, and tissues in the mouth. They treat, diagnose, and prevent oral diseases and their related conditions. Dentists promote good oral hygiene and prevent the proliferation of germs and bacteria in the mouth.
Dentists play a significant role in detecting diseases like oral cancer and symptoms that indicate other severe health conditions at their early stages. Dentists often help patients identify medical conditions that first appear in the oral cavity before showing signs in different body parts. For this purpose, they use modern equipment like X-rays, drills, lasers, scalpels, and other medical tools. They usually wear protective gear like masks and gloves to avoid spreading infections.
Dentistry is a challenging profession, and a dentist performs various tasks that include:
- Evaluating the oral health of patients while suggesting preventive care for better dental hygiene
- Performing different clinical procedures like dental fillings, crowns, extractions, implants, and corrective surgeries
- Using advanced equipment and reviewing X-rays and diagnostics
- Monitoring the growth of jawbones and teeth
- Giving anesthesia for performing oral surgeries
- Conducting regular health screenings
Education and training of a dentist
Becoming a dentist involves education and training that parallels a medical doctor's. The journey begins with an undergraduate biology, chemistry, health, or math program, culminating in a bachelor of science degree. Clearing the dental admissions test is mandatory when applying to dental schools.
The training process includes:
- Two years of intensive biomedical science studies and hands-on clinical practice.
- Gaining a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DDM) degree.
- Obtaining a dental license through successful completion of written and practical examinations.
Additionally, dentists can seek certification by taking the National Board Dental Examination. Depending on their chosen area of specialization, dentists may embark on a postgraduate residency program lasting from one to three years.
Dentists can opt to specialize in various fields, each necessitating a postgraduate residency:
- Dental public health: Focuses on preventing oral health issues within communities through education and policy development.
- Endodontics: Specialization in treating conditions affecting the dental pulp and the surrounding tissues. Endodontists specialize in performing root canal treatments.
- Oral and maxillofacial pathology: Concentrates on diagnosing oral diseases and identifying potential oral cancers.
- Oral and maxillofacial radiology: The focus is on capturing and interpreting radiographic images for diagnosis and treatment planning.
- Oral and maxillofacial surgery: This field involves surgical procedures on the face, mouth, and jaw.
- Orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics: This branch includes correcting misaligned teeth and jaws for improved function and aesthetics.
- Pediatric dentistry: This field focuses on providing oral health care for children and adolescents, including preventive measures.
- Periodontics: Specialization in treating gum diseases and dental implant procedures.
- Prosthodontics: Concentration on restoring and replacing missing teeth with prosthetics such as crowns, bridges, and dentures.
This comprehensive education and training process equips dentists with the expertise and skills to provide specialized oral healthcare services, ensuring that all patients receive optimal dental care.
Why should you consult a dentist regularly?
Dentists do not just clean your teeth; they ensure good gum health, check for oral abnormalities, and identify symptoms that indicate serious health issues. Consider visiting a dentist near you for regular checkups to maintain good oral hygiene. Here are a few reasons why you should see a dentist at regular intervals:
- Detecting oral cancer: When not detected early, oral cancer symptoms can make future diagnosis very difficult. However, if you visit a dentist regularly, they can notice any symptoms associated with the disease and help in quality management.
- Removing plaque and cavities: Even when you brush and floss often, there are still high chances of plaque and tartar accumulating on the teeth. Usually, cavities do not show symptoms until after tooth decay. Regular dental cleanings help prevent plaque, tartar, and cavities in your teeth.
- Prevent gum diseases: Plaque and tartar cause tooth cavities and affect the gums and surrounding tissues. The tartar buildup on your teeth may cause an infection known as gingivitis that slowly leads to the gum line receding from its normal position. Extreme conditions result in teeth loosening and falling out.
- Monitoring your habits: Addictive or harmful practices such as chewing ice, eating hard sweets, drinking excessive coffee and red wine, biting your nails, and smoking can affect oral health. Regular dentist consultations can monitor and prevent these issues.
- Detecting underlying problems: Your dentist can detect dental problems that may not be visible to the naked eye with equipment like X-rays, scanners, lasers, etc. Dental issues can often be due to underlying medical conditions.
Surgical procedures performed by dentists
Oral surgery encompasses a variety of procedures involving the teeth, gums, jaw, and adjacent structures. These include tooth extractions, dental bone grafts, gum grafts, and corrective jaw surgery. You may need to undergo dental surgery for multiple reasons, such as badly broken teeth, gum disease, extensive tooth decay, etc. Some of the oral surgeries are as follows:
- Dental bone graft: The roots of your teeth play a prominent role in keeping your teeth and jaws healthy. They stimulate the nerves, signaling your brain to send nutrients to the jaw. However, when a tooth is missing, these signals are not sent, leading to a lack of nutrition for your jaw. It can result in bone deterioration over time.
A dental bone graft addresses this issue by restoring volume to your jawbone, providing a solid foundation for future dental implants. Occasionally, a bone graft is incorporated into periodontal surgery to address gum disease and further support dental health.
- Tooth extraction: It is recommended for several reasons, including severe tooth decay, dental injuries, or issues related to wisdom teeth. While dentists generally strive to maintain natural teeth, extractions sometimes become necessary to uphold overall oral health. Dentists often recommend wisdom tooth removal to mitigate risks of cavities, bone loss, and other oral issues.
- Dental implants: Dental implants act as a dependable and durable solution for replacing missing teeth. The dentist surgically implants small threaded posts typically crafted from medical-grade titanium/zirconia into the jaw to substitute natural tooth roots. After healing, dental implants can be further restored with dental crowns, bridges, or dentures, providing a stable and long-term solution for tooth replacement.
- Periodontal surgery: For individuals with moderate to severe periodontitis, dentists may recommend a gum disease treatment. This procedure involves incisions along the gum line, temporarily displacing the tissue away from the teeth. The surgeon then cleans the tooth roots thoroughly, eliminating accumulated plaque and bacteria under the gums. Finally, the gum tissue is repositioned and secured with sutures.
- A gum graft: This may be necessary in cases where gum recession occurs due to periodontitis. During this procedure, the surgeon uses donor tissue to reinforce the area of tissue loss. This tissue can be sourced from the roof of the mouth or obtained from a certified tissue bank.
What can you expect during a dental appointment?
A dental visit doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Dentists and hygienists strive to ensure a comfortable experience, often offering amenities like TV, movies, or sedation options for certain procedures. Whether it’s your first visit or a routine checkup, your appointment plays a vital role in maintaining good oral health and a brighter smile.
Plan ahead by allocating enough time from work or school to ease any anxiety. When scheduling your appointment, inquire about the estimated duration of the exam and cleaning, mainly if it has been a while since your last visit. Booking an appointment later in the day can help you unwind afterward. If you have dental insurance, verify whether your dentist is in-network to manage costs and clarify potential charges. Arrive early to complete any required paperwork and bring your ID and insurance details.
During your visit, a dental hygienist will remove plaque/tartar from your teeth using special instruments. If you experience discomfort, let them know so they can adjust accordingly. The dentist will thereafter polish your teeth using a rotating brush and flavored paste, followed by a rinse. The dentist may take X-rays to detect any underlying dental issues. Additionally, the dentist will check your teeth and gums using a periodontal probe to identify concerns and discuss necessary treatments or preventive care.
If it has been long since your last checkup, your cleaning may be more thorough and include additional procedures. The dentist may take X-rays to check the condition of your gums, teeth, and bone structure. Removing tartar buildup may cause mild discomfort but is essential for maintaining oral health. If they detect any issues, the dentist will guide the best course of action to address them effectively.
Where can you find the best dentist near you in Aurora, Colorado?
Oral health problems can develop quickly and aggravate over time. By visiting a dentist regularly, you ensure that you maintain good dental hygiene and avoid degrading your oral health. It thus becomes imperative to find the right dentist to help you achieve this quickly. But where can you find the best dentist in Aurora, Colorado? Zocdoc is your answer!
You can find the best nearby dentists on Zocdoc by entering your symptoms, location, and insurance plan. Each dentist's profile provides detailed information such as their education, practice location, gender, languages spoken, and whether they offer consultations for children.
You also get access to verified patient reviews and ratings for the listed doctors. Once you have selected a dentist who suits all your requirements, you can book an appointment immediately. Depending on their availability, you can make an appointment with the best dentist in your vicinity even on weekends, before 10 A.M. and after 5 P.M.
When selecting an in-network provider, you can trust the security of your health insurance with Zocdoc. We adhere to industry best practices to safeguard your information. You can visit our website for more information about our data and privacy practices.
On Zocdoc, you can link your medical, dental, and vision insurance plans to your account, but you can use only one plan per appointment. You can mention your secondary insurance details in the appointment notes if you have multiple insurance plans. Alternatively, if your healthcare provider uses Zocdoc's Intake forms, you can enter your secondary insurance information directly through the form. If you have any insurance-related questions, you can contact Zocdoc's patient help center for assistance.
Booking in-person or online appointments with dentists near you on Zocdoc is simple, secure, and free of cost!
Oral health-related statistics in Colorado and the US
According to a National Library of Center Medicine report published in 2017, caries was the most prevalent chronic childhood condition in Colorado, affecting roughly 40% of kindergarteners and around 55% of third graders. The report also showed that frequent 100% fruit juice intake is directly attributed to childhood caries. Caries is known to be a diet-mediated disease, as sugars fuel the disease process.
According to The Journal of Dental Hygiene report, between 2006 and 2015, more than 49 million Americans resided in dentally underserved places.
According to a 2024 study on medical-dental integration, community health centers in Colorado and three other states incorporated oral health services into pediatric primary care. Between September 2020 and August 2023, participating health centers provided 91,604 preventive oral health services to children ages 0 to 40 months, including 59,403 services in Colorado alone. More than half (55%) of the participating community health centers selected a model that embedded a dental hygienist into the medical care team.
Sources
WebMD[1]
WebMD[2]
123DENTIST
American Dental Education Association
The National Library of Medicine
The Journal of Dental Hygiene
Cleveland Clinic
JDR Clinical & Translational Research
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