Most people know that a visit to their dentist is important for avoiding toothaches, bad breath and other dental issues. However, poor oral health can also affect your overall physical wellbeing.

Today’s dentists do much more than fill cavities and extract teeth. They promote healthy lifestyles and educate patients on best practices for maintaining optimal oral hygiene.

Prevention

The role of a dentist is to prevent oral diseases and injuries by providing education, diagnosis and treatment. In addition, they provide patients with advice and guidance about good oral hygiene to help maintain a healthy mouth and body.

Dentists promote good oral health by encouraging regular brushing and flossing to eliminate bacteria in the mouth that can lead to gum disease or tooth decay. They may also perform dental procedures to address these problems, such as filling a cavity or removing a tooth.

A dentist’s supporting team includes dental hygienists, dental assistants and dental technicians. They assist them in a number of dental care tasks, including preparing and placing fillings, administering anesthetics, cleaning and polishing teeth and performing X-rays. Dentists supervise their team members and ensure that procedures are carried out correctly and safely. This is especially important because many dental procedures involve actual manipulation of the teeth and gums, which can cause complications such as infection, temporary or even permanent nerve damage, prolonged bleeding, hematomas and pain.

While some dentists are general practitioners who treat a diverse patient population, others specialize in specific demographics or treatments. For example, some dentists focus on reconstructive dentistry to treat severe problems such as impacted or missing teeth. Another specialty is forensic dentistry, which involves examining teeth and jaw bones for identifying victims of crime.

Most dentists agree that good oral hygiene is essential for overall health, and they try to educate their patients on the best practices for maintaining a healthy mouth. They are also skilled communicators, as they must convince patients that a lack of dental hygiene can result in serious problems such as swollen or bleeding gums, gum disease and tooth loss.

A career as a dentist requires extensive education and training. After graduating from a four-year dental school, dentists must pass state exams to become licensed to practice in their chosen area of specialization. They must also continue their education through professional development courses, seminars and workshops. This allows them to keep up with new technology, techniques and medical advancements.

Early Detection

Oral health is a gateway to overall physical wellness. It impacts everything from a person’s ability to eat, communicate and maintain healthy social and emotional relationships, to their ability to work or participate in activities of daily living. Poor oral health can lead to painful, disabling and expensive health conditions that affect quality of life.

Although dentists cannot formally diagnose diseases in the same way that doctors can, they are trained to recognize signs and symptoms of a number of conditions. They may also be able to alert patients to the need for further examination and treatment from other healthcare professionals, which can prevent or reduce complications and improve outcomes.

Regular visits to the dentist can reveal many signs and symptoms of various diseases that can be treated or prevented with early diagnosis. These conditions include cardiovascular disease (due to bacteria that enter the body through the gums), osteoporosis (a bone-weakening disease) and certain cancers, as well as inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or dry mouth syndrome.

When people don’t take good care of their teeth and gums, the bacteria from the mouth can get into the bloodstream and travel to other organs in the body, which can cause serious health problems. For example, research suggests that bacteria from the mouth increase a person’s risk of a heart attack or stroke due to inflammation caused by gum disease and can result in clogged arteries.

While the underlying cause of these diseases is usually multifactorial, including lifestyle choices and other health conditions, it is often possible to avoid or treat them with early detection. Regular checkups, screenings, and self-examination can provide the best means of identifying abnormalities in the body.

While some people are concerned about the costs of dental insurance, the investment in oral care and early detection can save them from years of costly illness and disability. In addition, finding a plan with an extensive network of providers can make the process of getting the right dental treatment for your needs easier and more affordable. Learn more about dental benefits by visiting Guardian’s website.

Referrals

When it comes to oral health, the dentist is an essential member of any healthcare team. They are responsible for maintaining oral hygiene and conducting preventive dental care. They also diagnose and treat oral conditions as well as identifying systemic diseases that sometimes show up in the mouth first. Noblesville Family Dentistry with 192 patient reviews, attests to how good and credible their services are.

Depending on the situation, a patient may need a referral to see a specialist. A patient referral is a communication from a primary care physician to a specialist asking for that provider to accept the patient for evaluation and/or treatment. This is an important step in the health care process, and it helps streamline new patient paperwork for all involved.

Dentists work with a variety of tools and equipment, including laser and digital scanners, x-ray machines, probes, drills and other dental instruments. They use personal protective equipment to shield themselves from potential hazards in the workplace. They usually work in clinics or private dental practices and are required to maintain a sterile working environment. Most of them work 7-10 hour days and have set office hours to meet with patients.

Most people can maintain good oral health with proper at-home dental hygiene and routine cleanings every six months. However, those with a higher risk for oral problems may require more frequent visits. A dentist can evaluate their oral health and recommend a cleaning schedule that is best for them.

Many dental specialists are trained to perform a wide range of treatments for specific conditions. After graduating from a four-year dental school, they complete two to three years of residency training in their field of specialization. These specialists are also licensed by their state to practice dentistry.

According to surveys, many dentists are happy with their careers. Some stay in general practice, while others have found satisfaction in specialty fields. The profession is challenging in the early stages, as dentists build a client base and establish their reputations. The number of hours a dentist works declines after about 10 years, as they develop a solid client base and establish a degree of expertise. In addition, they may become involved in professional associations and philanthropy as their careers progress.

Education

Dental school is a challenging and expensive endeavor. But for many people who go on to become dentists, the satisfaction of helping patients and restoring their oral health makes it well worth the investment. Those thinking of becoming dentists should spend their high school years working or volunteering in the health care industry to get exposure to the profession and find out whether they truly have what it takes to become a doctor of dental surgery (DDS) or a doctor of dentistry (DDM).

A dentist is trained to diagnose, treat and prevent conditions involving a patient’s gums, teeth and jawbone. They can perform routine cleanings, fill cavities and provide root canal therapy, as well as take X-rays of the mouth and head, administer anesthesia, and prescribe medications such as antibiotics, fluorides, pain killers and sedatives/hypnotics. Many dentists are general practitioners, while others choose to specialize in particular demographics or treatments such as endodontics or oral surgery.

Increasingly, research has found that an individual’s overall health is linked to their oral health. In addition to treating infections, inflammations and diseases of the oral cavity, dentists help their patients maintain overall health by encouraging proper brushing, flossing, diet and regular visits for professional cleaning and evaluation.

Some dentists also work with researchers in fields such as oral cancer and systemic disease, and they often play a role in educating the public about the importance of good dental hygiene and regular visits to the dentist. Many people who don’t see their dentist regularly suffer from undiagnosed and under-treated conditions such as swollen gums, tooth decay and periodontal disease, which can lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and preterm birth.

Many people avoid visiting their dentist due to anxiety or fear of the procedures. The good news is that the majority of dentists offer a variety of dental sedation options to keep their patients comfortable during treatment. Those who still feel nervous about visiting the dentist may be able to find relief by asking for a referral from their physician to an oral surgeon or seeking an alternative treatment such as a dental filling.