General Dentistry
What does a General Dentist do?
A General Dentist is certified to practice all areas of Dentistry. Dr. Smith together with his team and you, the patient, will create and manage a dental plan with the goal of providing and maintaining the highest degree of oral health possible for you. Planning your treatment has two objectives:
- Finding all the factors that contribute to deterioration of your Oral Health
- Determining the best method of improving your Oral Health
What is General Dentistry?
Although modern day dental practice focuses on prevention, many interventions are still needed. The majority of dental care is performed to prevent the most common oral diseases which are cavities, also called caries or tooth decay, and periodontal disease, also known as gum disease or pyorrhea.
Common office dental care involves restoration of teeth as a treatment for cavities, extraction or surgical removal of teeth which cannot be restored, scaling of teeth to manage periodontal problems and root canal treatment to treat abscessed teeth.
All dentists train and qualify as a dental surgeon. This training enables them to can carry out the majority of dental treatments such as restorative (fillings,crowns, bridges) and prosthetic (dentures), as well as root canal therapy, gum therapy, and extraction of teeth.
Additional licensing is needed in order to carry out more complex treatments such as sedation, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and implants. A general dental office visit may include the following:
- Health History
- Soft tissue Examination
- Periodontal Examination
- Set of Individual x-rays (Radiographs)
- Panoramic x-ray
- X-ray of the TM joints
- Mounted Diagnostic Models
