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Everything You Need To Know About Dentistry

Being a dentist has its perks and hardships. Yes, studying to be any kind of a medical doctor is hard and you will definitely face some challenges, crisis, and struggles, but, it will all be worth it in the end when you become a doctor. A dentist is no stranger to that, because when you see the smiles on the faces of your patients, it’ll feel like all your weariness fades.

But first, what is dentistry? It is the treatment of diseases and other conditions that affect the teeth and gums, especially the repair and extraction of teeth and the insertion of artificial ones. A specialist or doctor that practices dentistry is called a dentist and will be given the title of DMD or Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry

Now, here are some things that you need to know about dentistry; the types of dental specialists, the importance of dentists and dentistry, the benefits of being a dentist, and of course, how and where YOU can study to become a dentist yourself!

6 TYPES OF DENTAL SPECIALISTS

Endodontist: Root canal specialist

Inside the teeth are tiny cavern-like passages called canals that contain sensitive living tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. Endodontists specialize in diagnosing and treating issues within our tooth. For example, if your tooth’s pulp becomes infected you may need a root canal.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon: Oral surgery specialist

This specialist focuses on treating problems related to the hard and soft tissues of the face, mouth, and jaw. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons specialize in treatments that require complex procedures or deep levels of sedation – beyond nitrous oxide or laughing gas. Procedures performed by oral surgeons include tooth extractions, corrective jaw surgery, and cleft lip or cleft palate surgery.

Orthodontist: Alignment specialist

Orthodontics is about correcting teeth and jaws that are out of position. You may see an orthodontist if your jaw isn’t aligned properly leading to an overbite, under bite or cross bite. You may see an orthodontist if your teeth are crooked or misaligned. In these situations, an orthodontist may use braces, clear aligners, palatal expanders, or headgear as part of your treatment plan.

Pediatric Dentist: Kid dental specialist

Pediatric dentists are to a child’s oral health like pediatricians are to their overall health. They’re dentists who specialize in the oral development and care of children from infancy through their teens. Pediatric dentists help your child stay on the path to a lifelong, healthy smile. They provide routine exams and cleanings, habit counseling (stop thumb sucking), fillings for cavities, and diagnosis of oral conditions associated with other diseases like childhood diabetes.

Periodontist: Gum specialist

Periodontal dentistry focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases that affect the gums, and other structures that support the teeth. Periodontists recognize and treat the early stages of gum disease, perform minor surgery to resolve severe gum disease, and restore the appearance of your smile.

Prosthodontist: Replacement specialist

Prosthodontists focus on restoring and replacing lost or damaged teeth. Prosthodontists have a unique understanding of everything that goes into a beautiful, functional, and natural-looking smile. Prosthodontists specialize in porcelain veneers, crowns, dental implants, fixed bridges, dentures, and reconstructive dentistry.

IMPORTANCE OF DENTISTS / DENTISTRY

A Healthy Mouth Is Good For Your Body

Taking good care of your mouth, teeth and gums is a worthy goal in and of itself. Good oral and dental hygiene can help prevent bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease—and can help you keep your teeth as you get older.

A healthy mouth may help you ward off medical disorders. An unhealthy mouth, especially if you have gum disease, may increase your risk of serious health problems such as heart attack, stroke, poorly controlled diabetes and preterm labor.

Teeth that function properly allow good nutrition is critically important to health and well-being. Teeth that function properly are essential for optimal nutrition. Unhealthy teeth and gums can contribute to systemic conditions as bacteria from the mouth can more easily enter the blood stream. A smile also reveals a great deal about a person—not only one’s disposition, but how much value one places on appearance as well. It is an important ingredient for success and self-esteem. A nice smile communicates confidence, attractiveness and friendliness.

Successful dentistry should last for many years in health, provides comfort and function, improves esthetic appearance and often includes a contingency plan in the event that something goes wrong. Dentistry, like the rest of the structures in the human body, may not last a lifetime. Successful Dentistry, however, preserves the teeth for the day when the dental restorations must be remade due to changes in the oral cavity or wear of the materials.

DUTIES OF BEING A DENTIST

Dentists help their patients protect, restore and maintain their oral health. They diagnose and treat diseases, and administer care to injuries and malformations of the teeth, oral tissues and the mouth. Dentists also check a patient's head and neck areas as they relate to oral health.

Your job duties as a dentist include restoring and replacing teeth that have been damaged through disease or injury, and advising patients on proper oral health care to prevent future problems. This includes teaching your patients how to floss, brush their teeth and choose an appropriate diet. Other tasks include applying sealants to teeth, taking molds of teeth, extracting teeth, and performing cosmetic dental procedures to improve a patient's appearance.

Dentists employ a variety of procedures and equipment to prevent and treat oral health problems. You'll use advanced technologies to examine the teeth and mouth, including X-rays and computer-generated imaging. You'll fill cavities and remove tooth decay using brushes, forceps and drills.

In addition to patient care, a dentist's duties may include administrative and business-oriented tasks related to owning or running a dental practice. For instance, you might interact with suppliers and vendors. Depending on the size of the practice, you might also do bookkeeping. Management of personnel, including hiring, training and supervising hygienists, receptionists and other dental staff, may be part of the job.

BENEFITS OF BEING A DENTIST

You can specialize according to your interests

If you opt for a career in dentistry, you can pursue many avenues. For example, you might opt to focus on cosmetic procedures so that you can transform the appearance of a patient’s mouth. Alternatively, you might want to spend most of your time on oral and maxillofacial pathology, researching and managing the major diseases that affect the head, neck, face and jaw.

You will have varied experiences and meet different people

A career in dentistry will guarantee that you will never be bored. Every day, you will see a wide range of patients with unique problems and goals when it comes to their dental health. In addition, you will have a chance to meet very different people from all sorts of backgrounds during a career in dentistry, and part of your job will involve being able to relate to these people in a way that makes them feel comfortable.

You can educate the public

Dentistry is a highly-respected profession, and those who pursue a career in dentistry have a unique opportunity to influence the health of the public (spreading information and advice about maintaining good oral health). For example, in addition to educating your own patients, you may have the opportunity to visit schools and speak to children about their teeth and gums.

You will have a high degree of freedom and flexibility

By opting for a career in dentistry, you are entering a field that will allow you to have a strong influence over the balance of your work and home life. A career in dentistry means that you will have a chance to be your own boss, and you will have a wide range of job opportunities (ranging from work in private practice to a career in dentistry that revolves around research positions in hospitals).

HOW TO BE A DENTIST AND WHERE TO STUDY IN THE PHILIPPINES

To become a dentist here in the Philippines you’ll need to study Dentistry and pass the board exam. Some universities offer a 6-year dentistry course, while some don’t. If you opt to take a pre-med before taking up dentistry proper, it will take longer, which will take up to 8 years.

But, here is a list of top schools and universities in the Philippines offering dentistry courses.

1. University of the East

2. Centro Escolar University

3. University of the Philippines

4. University of the Visayas

5. Our Lady of Fatima University

6. Emilio Aguinaldo College

7. Cebu Doctors' University

8. University of Baguio

9. National University (Philippines)

10. Adventist University of the Philippines

And that concludes my blog about everything you need to know about dentistry. I hope you learned a lot!

References:

https://www.deltadentalwa.com/blog/entry/2018/03/6-types-dental-specialists

https://www.edwardfeinbergdmd.com/adult-dentistry/importance-of-dentistry/

https://www.123dentist.com/four-major-benefits-choosing-career-dentistry/

https://www.thetoptens.com/best-dentistry-school-philippines/

https://learn.org/articles/What_Are_the_Duties_of_a_Dentist.html

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