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Who are dentists?

Dentists are healthcare providers who care for the teeth and mouth. They assist in maintaining good oral health and promoting dental hygiene. Dentists can also identify and treat issues affecting the teeth, mouth, and gums. They also fill cavities, remove decay from teeth, extract damaged teeth, put fillings or sealants, order X-rays or other diagnostic tests, and keep track of teeth and jawbone growth. Dentists also routinely screen their patients for mouth cancer, dental decay, and gum problems. 

A dentist generally heads a team of oral health practitioners comprising dental assistants, lab technicians, and dental hygienists. Dentists are trained in using modern technology, such as lasers, drills, etc., to perform dental procedures. To prevent the spread of germs, dentists wear gloves, masks, safety glasses, and other protective equipment when interacting with their patients.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry advises that children should have their first dental visit by the time they get their first tooth or no later than their first birthday. The goal of the first dental visit is to direct your child on the path to good oral health during their years of development. Thus, you must consult the best pediatric dentist near you who is trained to provide personalized guidance based on your child's unique needs.

Education and training of dentists

To begin practicing as a dentist, they complete an undergraduate biology, chemistry, math, or health program. After earning a bachelor of science degree, they enroll in a dental school after appearing for dental admissions tests. They complete two years of biomedical science and two years of clinical practice. After clearing specific examinations and earning their Doctor of dental surgery (DDS) or Doctor of dental medicine (DDM) degree, they can gain their license.

Dentists can subspecialize and become experts in endodontics, dental public health, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, prosthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, radiology, periodontics, etc.

A guide to the subspecialties within dentistry

The various subspecialties of dentistry focus on specific aspects of oral health, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of dental and oral conditions:

• Orthodontics: It specializes in the alignment and positioning of teeth and jaws. Dentists often use braces, retainers, or other orthodontic devices to correct improper bites. They improve the aesthetics and function of the teeth.
• Oral and maxillofacial surgery: It involves surgical procedures related to the mouth, face, and jaw. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons may perform extractions, implants, corrective jaw surgery, and treat facial trauma and related disorders.
• Periodontics: It specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions and diseases affecting the gums and supporting structures of the teeth. Periodontists often perform scaling, root planing, and periodontal surgery.
• Endodontics: It focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of dental pulp-related issues. Root canal therapy is a typical procedure that endodontists perform to save teeth with infected or damaged pulp.
• Prosthodontics: It deals with restoring and replacing missing teeth and oral structures. Prosthodontists may create and fit dental prosthetics such as crowns, bridges, dentures, and dental implants.
• Pediatric dentistry: It focuses on children's oral health from infancy through adolescence. Visiting the best pediatric dentist near you can help you manage your child's dental health.
• Oral medicine and oral pathology: It involves diagnosing and managing oral diseases and oral manifestations of systemic diseases. Oral pathologists research the causes and effects of dental ailments.
• Public health dentistry: It concentrates on the community aspect of oral health, including the assessment of oral health needs, implementation of preventive programs, and promotion of dental health at the population level.

These subspecialties represent just a portion of the diverse and evolving field of dentistry. New areas of specialization may emerge as dental science and technology continue to advance.

What is tooth sensitivity, and how can it be treated?

Does brushing, eating, or drinking cause sharp and temporary pain in your teeth? If yes, you might have sensitive teeth. They occur due to tarnishing of the tooth enamel or exposed roots. Discomfort in the tooth may also result from cavities, cracked or chipped teeth, gum disease, or a worn tooth filling. Your dentist can assist you in identifying the cause of toothache and how you can mitigate it. 

Your dentist may prescribe:

• Fluoride: To reduce pain and strengthen your enamel, the dentist may put fluoride on the sensitive spots. They might also recommend using a fluoride toothpaste for daily brushing.
• Desensitizing toothpaste: This can help block pain due to sensitive teeth with routine application. You can ask your dentist which product would be suitable for you. Most of them are available over the counter.
• Surgical gum grafts: This procedure is helpful for tooth sensitivity that arises due to an exposed root. If such a need arises, your dentist can take gum tissue from other parts of your mouth and attach it to the site of gum tissue loss. It can protect the roots and thus reduce sensitivity.
• Bonding or desensitizing: This alternative procedure to treat exposed tooth roots involves applying bonding resin to the sensitive area. Your dentist may undertake this after administering a local anesthetic.
• Root canal: If the pain caused by sensitivity is severe and no other treatment is helping, your dentist may proceed with a root canal. It helps treat issues affecting the dental pulp or the soft inner core of the tooth. Root canals are known to be the most effective remedy for sensitive teeth.

How to prevent tooth sensitivity?

Tooth sensitivity is a condition that can occur in intervals when you have poor oral health. So, once you have your tooth sensitivity under control, it would be helpful to take the following precautions to prevent a recurrence:

• Brush your teeth twice a day.
• Switch to a soft-bristled toothbrush.
• Use fluoride toothpaste and floss daily.
• Be gentle on your teeth while brushing rather than scrubbing vigorously.
• A mouth guard can help if you grind your teeth.
• Avoid consuming carbonated beverages, citrus fruits, wine, etc. 
• If consuming acidic liquids, use a straw to minimize contact with your teeth.
• Drink water to readjust the mouth's acidity levels after drinking or eating an acidic item.

How to treat gum disease?

If you spit out blood while brushing your teeth, you must visit a dentist near you. The bleeding may indicate gum disease.

When only your gums are infected, the condition is called gingivitis. If the gum disease is not treated, the infection can reach your gumline and further into your bone, causing a more severe gum disease known as periodontitis.

Gum diseases can also increase your risk of other chronic diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis, pneumonia, heart disease, etc. Hence, treating it early is the best.

Some common symptoms of gum diseases are red and swollen gums, bad breath, sensitive teeth, and gums becoming smaller and wiggly or shifting teeth.

Here are some treatments for gum disease:

1) Dental cleaning: Your dentist will remove the tarter and plaque built up above and under the gumline.

2) Root planing: This is a type of deep cleaning where you are under a local anesthetic. The tartar and plaque are scraped from above and below your gum line, and the rough spots present on your tooth are smoothened, also known as planing.

3) Medications: If you visit a dentist near you to treat the pain in your gum, they may offer you medications such as an enzyme suppressant tablet, antibiotic gel, or antibiotic microspheres.

4) Flag surgery: The dentist will lift your gums backward and clean the tartar. In a few cases, irregular surface areas of the damaged bone are smoothened to prevent bacterial growth. The dentist will then place your gums in a way that makes sure the tissues fit around your tooth perfectly.

5) Bone grafts and soft tissue grafts: In bone grafting, the dentist uses fragments of your bone or a synthetic or donated bone to replace the one destroyed due to your gum disease. This helps in the regrowth of the bone. In soft tissue grafting, the dentist reinforces thinner gums or fills the places where your gums have shrunk. The tissue is grafted from the roof of your mouth and stitched into the affected area.

How often should you visit a dentist for checkups?

It is best to visit a dentist at least once a year, though many dentists advise scheduling checkups every six months. Why? Semi-annual appointments help you and your dentist to maintain clean and healthy teeth.

Plaque—a sticky film formed when bacteria, acid, food particles, and saliva mix—develops continuously and accumulates on your teeth within 20 minutes of eating. If not removed, plaque hardens into tartar (calculus) within a day or two. Tartar can cause cavities and gum disease.

While brushing and flossing at home remove much of the plaque, they don't eliminate it entirely. Only a dentist can remove hardened tartar using specialized tools. Regular dental cleanings are a must to prevent tooth decay and gum diseases.

What happens during a dental cleaning?

A dental cleaning typically includes scaling and polishing your teeth. Your dentist or hygienist may also suggest other diagnostic or preventive treatments. These are the common steps in a dental cleaning:

• Scaling

Your dentist or hygienist will use manual tools called scalers to eliminate tartar and plaque from your teeth. They may also use an ultrasonic scaler that vibrates and sprays a water jet. While you might hear scraping sounds, the process shouldn't cause pain.

• Polishing

A soft rubber cup along with a special paste or pumice are used to polish your teeth. This step removes biofilm from your teeth and minimizes plaque buildup without harming the enamel.

• Preventive treatments

Depending on your oral health, your dental provider may recommend treatment options like dental sealants or fluoride applications. Sealants can protect the deep grooves or crevices in back teeth (molars or premolars) from cavity-causing bacteria. Fluoride treatments strengthen enamel and lower the risk of cavities. These treatments benefit both children and adults. Ask your dentist if they are the right option for you.

• Dental X-rays

The majority of people require new dental X-rays every six to 36 months. If you have an oral health issue that requires ongoing monitoring, you may need X-rays more frequently. Routine X-rays help identify and treat dental problems early.

• Treatment recommendations

If your dentist or hygienist identifies any concerns during your cleaning, such as cavities or gum disease, they will explain your treatment options in detail.

Finding a top-rated dentist in Redmond

In these times, it can be hard to find a suitable healthcare provider for yourself, especially in the sea of practitioners out there. Before deciding upon one, it thus becomes essential to know relevant information about them. Whether you want to see a general dentist or the best pediatric dentist near you, Zocdoc can be the right place to begin with. Using its easy-to-navigate and user-friendly interface, you can enter the details of your address or symptoms, and a list of practitioners in your vicinity will appear. 

By browsing this list, you can learn about their educational qualifications, licensure, experience, areas of expertise, awards, and accreditations. You can also acquaint yourself with the languages they speak, the insurance plans they accept, whether or not they treat children, etc.

When you choose an in-network practitioner, you can trust Zocdoc to keep all information about your health insurance safe according to the industry's best practices. For any insurance-related questions, contact Zocdoc's patient help center.

After you have narrowed down your options, you can use patient reviews to make an educated choice about your future dentist. After you have decided upon a practitioner of your choice, you can book an in-person or virtual consultation directly on the platform - quickly, securely, and at no additional cost. 

Dental health statistics in Redmond, Washington

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2021 revealed that there were approximately 2,410 dentists active in Washington. The Washington State Department of Health assessed the effect of Washington State's oral health workforce on access to care in 2017. Their report found that between 2007 and 2016, the state's dental workforce increased by around 8.5%. The number of women dentists also rose from 18% to 30%.

The department also concluded that in 2016, there were about 74 dentists per 100,000 people—greater than the national average of 61 per 100,000. The report also indicates that in King County, where Redmond is located, there were around 2,296 licensed dentists, i.e., nearly 109 per 100,000 population. The average age of dentists practicing in the state was 48.4. About 29.5% of all dentists in the state were women.

Based on a 2020 National Library of Medicine survey about oral health among adults found that nearly 17% of individuals with teeth said their oral health was terrible/poor. Additionally, the three most often reported difficulties were significant tooth loss (18%), oral problems (17%), and oral discomfort (13%) in 2017.

Sources

Washington State Department of Health

National Center for Biotechnology Information

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Mayo Clinic[1]

WebMD[1]

European Journal of Paediatric Dentistry

Cleveland Clinic[1]

Mayo Clinic[2]

Cleveland Clinic[2]

Cleveland Clinic[3]

Cleveland Clinic[4]

Cleveland Clinic[5]

Harvard School of Dental Medicine

WebMD[2]

Penn Dental Medicine

The content herein is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medical information changes constantly, and therefore the content on this website should not be assumed to be current, complete or exhaustive. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, please call your doctor or 9-1-1 immediately.