A Complete Guide to Common Types of Dental Services and How They Work
Several types of dental services exist. Although patients need to be well informed to ensure they select the right dentist, practices also need to choose the right practice management system to achieve peak efficiency within their businesses.
Understanding the different types of dentists and their procedures can help you improve the way you manage your practice. Let’s run through the list of dental services and the dental professionals they pertain to.
The Different Types of Dentists
From diagnostic dental services to orthodontists, everyone needs a practice management system that works for them. Cloud 9 operates to provide the browser-based management suite that matches several types of dental work.
These are the high-level descriptions of the seven dentists you will likely encounter.
General Dentists
General dentists are the most commonly used dentists by ordinary Americans. On their list of dental services, you will find teeth cleanings and basic routine dental examinations.
Typically, the general dentist is the starting point for more specialized work. General dentistry is the initial port of call for anyone with an oral healthcare problem.
Pedodontists/Pediatric Dentists
The oral healthcare needs of children and teenagers differ from those of adults. Due to the fact the teeth and jaw continue to grow, this type of dentistry focuses on the growing pains that could cause problems later in life.
Pediatric dentists will handle basic examinations, but they can also train to carry out more specialized procedures.
Orthodontists
Orthodontists offer a dental procedures list that concentrates on teeth and jaw alignment. Anyone who has problems with gaps in their teeth, crooked teeth, or problems with clenching will visit an orthodontist.
They specialize in creating tailor-made wires, braces, and mouthguards to realign and protect the teeth to construct the perfect bite.
Periodontists
Gum problems are a common issue experienced by children and adults alike. Periodontists focus on treating gum disease. They also provide proactive action to prevent progressive gum disease from arising in the first place.
Endodontists
Pain in the tooth?
The chances are you are experiencing problems with the nerve-endings in the tooth. Endodontists are qualified to perform root canals when a patient has been diagnosed with tooth decay.
Oral Pathologists/Surgeons
Diseases of the teeth and jawbone can cause severe degradation in a person’s bite and quality of life. These types of dental services focus on performing surgery and may even collaborate with ear, nose, and throat doctors (ENTs) to prevent a resurgence of the disease.
Prosthodontists
Blunt trauma caused by accidents to the teeth and jaw can lead to severe problems functioning in daily life. If you know someone who had an accident involving a chipped tooth or a broken jawbone, the chances are they visited a prosthodontist.
Prosthodontists also provide cosmetic dentistry services, such as crowns, dentures, bridges, veneers, and even general teeth whitening.
A Comprehensive List of Dental Services
While managing any practice, you will need to categorize the various types of dental procedures and create a list of dental procedures you can present to your patients and staff.
Read through this comprehensive dental services list for more information on how types of dental services are traditionally categorized.
Cosmetic Dentistry Services
The popularity of cosmetic dentistry services has led to an upsurge in the number of dentists offering these procedures.
Teeth whitening, the removal of discolorations, teeth shaping, tooth bonding, and dental implants are just some of the cosmetic dentistry services offered. The goal of cosmetic dentistry services is to improve the appearance of teeth.
Endodontic Procedures
Endodontic procedures revolve around providing patients with painless root canal therapy. These procedures are required when a tooth has been infected, damaged, or diseased beyond repair.
Endodontic procedures focus on the sensitive interior of the tooth. Many modern dentists provide these procedures within their practices to boost their patient intakes and prevent outsourcing.
Pediatric Dental Services
Cleanings, examinations, and filling in cavities are all part of the types of dental services offered by pediatric dentists. These dentists specialize in oral healthcare for infants and teens. Most of their services are mirrors of those provided by general dentists to adults.
Periodontal Treatments
A valuable dental service to offer at your practice is periodontal treatment. These treatments concentrate on the supporting structures of the teeth.
Services revolve around tissues like the periodontal ligament, cementum, gingiva, and alveolar bone. They also support patients by treating both early and late-stage gum disease.
Anyone with a history of severe gum disease requires a specialist dentist to handle their oral healthcare.
Orthodontic Services
Many patients suffer from a minor misalignment of the teeth and jaw. If your patients have an overbite, crossbite, underbite, or misalignment, they will need orthodontic dental services to deal with the issue.
Some examples of orthodontic services include braces, retainers, headgear, and fixed-space maintainers.
Diagnostic Dental Services
General dentists are the first line of defense for mouth problems. They provide diagnostic and preventative services for maintaining a high standard of oral health.
Diagnostic services include x-rays, fluoride treatments, routine cleanings, oral exams, and the application of sealants.
Prosthodontic Services
Missing or damaged teeth result in a broken smile, which can damage the confidence of your patients. Offering prosthodontic services means you have the power to give your patients a perfect smile.
Whether fitting artificial teeth to fill in the gaps or restoring oral functionality via reconstructive surgery, prosthodontic services are highly specialized services that can restore a person’s grin.
Prosthodontic dentists also have experience in certain cosmetic treatments, such as crowns and implants.
Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery
Complex procedures usually require deep sedation to carry out. Severe injuries to the mouth and diseases could lead to hard and soft tissue damage. These injuries may not be contained to the mouth but could also impact the jaw, neck, and face.
Restoring function is the goal of these dental services. Specialized procedures performed by these dentists include tooth extractions, removing dangerous tumors, fixing cleft palates, and corrective surgeries to the jaw.
Practices that offer these services can set themselves apart from the competition and boost their businesses.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a veteran business owner or you’re looking into how to start a dental practice, it’s crucial that you be familiar with the types of dental services and what you can offer. You must set your practice apart from the rest by providing the services your patients need.
Cloud 9 is the browser-based practice management system that streamlines how you own and operate your specialty dental practice. Take advantage of the benefits of the cloud and get the most out of your staff while slashing costs.
To learn more about why thousands of practices have already adopted Cloud 9 as their orthodontic practice management software of choice, request a demo now.
