It is no secret that dentists of all kinds play an important role in the global healthcare industry. Whether an orthodontist, periodontist or general dentist, these medical professionals are a key factor to bodily health and function. Each of these oral care doctors provide an important service to ensure our maximum oral hygiene and health. For many years, humans as a whole overlooked the importance of oral hygiene and health. Uneducated on the repercussions of not maintaining good dental health, cases of gum diseases such as gingivitis rose exponentially. People soon realized how much the health of their teeth and gums affected the quality of their lives and the medical industry was called upon to increase dedication to proper research into the discovery and implementation of correct dental and oral care procedures and methods.
Fast forward to our modern-day society, we now have a wide variety of specialized dentistry fields – each of whom focusing on the health of individual’s dental care. With so many different professionals all dedicated to the health of your teeth and gums, it can often be a tough task to decipher which dentist is the right fit for whatever oral ailment it is that you’re suffering with.
The best way to discern how to choose the right dentist in Newcastle based on your needs is to identify what your oral issue is and then identify which type of dentist operates within that dental field. To do this you need a full understanding of the many avenues of dentistry and the services provided under each one. To assist you in making this choice we are going to take a look into the different types of dentistry and the purpose thereof.
General Dentistry
The most common field in dentistry, your general or ‘family dentist’, is tasked with taking care of your oral health on a frequent basis. This is the dentist you would choose for your biannual check-ups and their services include procedures such as teeth-cleaning, dental X-rays and minor cosmetic and medical repairs such as repairing chipped or cracked teeth and treating gum disease.
Orthodontist
Not just a one trick pony, orthodontists’ special skills don’t just include engineering braces. Their main focus is on the realignment of the teeth, jaw bones and various other supporting facial structures both for cosmetic and medical reasons. They also design personalized dental hardware such as mouthguards, headgear and face masks that correct developmental issues as well as your common braces and retainers. This dentist specializes in correcting the human bite.
Oral And Maxillofacial Surgeon
The cheeks, gums, lips, hard palate, tongue and facial tissues all fall under the specific aspect of oral care that oral and maxillofacial surgeons specialize in. Medically trained in hospitals after the completion of their dental schooling, these dentists perform the more complex dental surgeries such as surgical jaw corrections, cleft palate or cleft lip surgeries, surgical jaw correction and sleep apnea treatments. They are in charge of laying down a steady foundation for any future dental work whether it be cosmetic or medical.
Periodontist
Periodontists specialize in the health and care of your gums. Assisting you in identifying, treating and preventing various gum diseases and issues, they are the dentists that are qualified to perform treatments such as cosmetic skin grafting on gums, installing dental implants and treating gum inflammation and pain.
Prothodontist
Supplying protheses in the oral healthcare field, this field of dentistry is responsible for working hand-in-hand with dental labs to create quality customized false teeth applications such as teeth implants, crowns, bridges, veneers and dentures which all contribute to replacement of decayed, damaged or missing teeth.
Endodontist
This field of dentistry is solely focused on the pulp of your teeth. The area of the tooth referred to as the pulp is found below the gumline. It is the inner part of the tooth protected by hard enamel. When a root canal is performed due to damage or decay of the inner tooth commonly caused by injury or trauma, an endodontist is the medical professional most frequently found in charge of the procedure.
With the understanding of exactly what type of dentist it is you need based upon your needs, choosing the right one for you should be a breeze. Newcastle has been blessed with so many dental healthcare professionals dedicated to serving its community with the utmost care and professionalism. Newcastle City Dental is proud to be among those establishments. Contact us today to book your next appointment.
