The 6 Dental Care Providers
Author: South Coast
Category: Health
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Being a specialist dentist or even just a dental assistant is not an easy task. You need to have enough knowledge about dentistry before you can perform the duty of such positions.
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, prevention, and cure or treatment of the diseases of the maxilla, mouth, and face of a person. It also refers to the evaluation of the mandible or soft and hard tissues of the jaw and treatment of diseases like oral cavity and other dental problems. Dentistry is a branch of stomatology and is considered as a vital care for overall oral and dental care. Aside from specialist dentist and dental assistant, other professional healthcare providers are dental technicians, dental therapists, and dental hygienists.
Between the dental specialist and dental assistant, dental specialist is the one who have more knowledge about dental care. Dental specialist is a dentist who had undergone a postgraduate training in one of the most recognized dental specialties, DMD, or DDS.
On the other hand, the dental assistant's role is to help the dental care provider during dental treatments through the following:
? Passing or holding the instruments;
? Retracting tissues;
? Suctioning to help better vision in the operating field;
? Mixing materials and assisting in maintaining dental record keeping; and
? Sterilization of the instrument and equipments.
In some countries like Ireland, dental assistants are also responsible for teeth whitening procedures. A dental assistant is a part of dental auxiliary, a dentist supporting team that helps during any dental treatment. Other dental auxiliaries are dental therapists, dental hygienists, and dental technicians. Dental therapists are professional dental care providers that specialize in treating the oral hygiene and teeth of the children. They are usually tasked to do the following procedures:
? Examine the kids' teeth;
? Take radiographs;
? Scaling and cleaning children's teeth;
? Administering restricted techniques of local anesthesia;
? Provide sealants; and
? Restoring primary teeth and administering vital pulp treatment.
Dental hygienists are professional dental care providers who mainly deal with preventive dental care. They are usually but not limited to specializing oral hygiene techniques. Like dental therapists, dental hygienists work in assisting the dentist. They are also licensed to administer restricted techniques of local anesthesia. Other common procedures administered by hygienists include root planning, cleaning, radiographs, and sealants.
Meanwhile, the main role of dental technicians is to fabricate dental appliances, including removable prosthesis like dentures as prescribed by a specialist dentist. Dental technicians also perform fixed restorative work or fixed prosthodontics, the technique used for restoring teeth.
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Keywords: specialist dentist
View Count: 147
Date Submitted: 3/10/2010
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