Dental science, sometimes called dental medicine and dental surgery, is a field of medicine which includes the study, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and prevention of dental diseases, disorders, abnormalities, and diseases of the oral cavity. Dentistry has many subspecialties: orthodontics, endodontics, dentofacial, periodontics, pediatric dentistry, head and neck dentistry, and orthodontic surgery. These subspecialties are further divided into specialized areas. An example of such specialization is the division of orthodontics into orthodontic surgery, orthodontic diagnostics, pediatric orthodontics, prosthodontics, craniofacial surgery, jaw surgery, oral radiology, maxillofacial surgery, oral pathology, pediatric dentistry, and oral radiology.
Dental health is essential to good overall health. Poor dental care can lead to serious disease, such as cavities, infection, abscesses, swelling, bone loss, improper tissue growth, speech problems, jaw pains, fever, fatigue, and even blindness. Dental health is also associated with body weight, since having a cavity or toothache in the mouth indicates that your body is carrying too much waste material for its digestive system to handle. This means that excess weight may be a contributing factor to your current condition. Proper nutrition through a healthy diet and regular dental care can help your body digest food properly and eliminate wastes and toxins so you can keep a healthy mouth and full smile for years to come.
A regular regimen of dental care is more than just flossing and brushing your teeth. Dentists today believe in “preventive dentistry,” which aims to do everything possible to keep your teeth and mouth free of disease before any problems arise. The primary goal of preventative dental care is to remove the existing cavities and plaque before they have time to build up. This is accomplished by thorough cleaning of your teeth, often times with the use of an ionic water system. This process is not only pleasant but it is cost effective.
To become a dentist, you must attend dental school and pass all required state and local examinations. Dental school can take several years, depending on where you live, so you should start thinking about attending when you are in your early twenties. Once you have completed the required course work, you will sit for the state licensing exam. Once you pass this test, you will be ready to apply for a dental license. As stated earlier, dental school is required, so dentists must go back to school for a second time to complete their degree.
As a new dentist, you may need to choose between two paths to become a practicing dentist: general dentistry or advanced dentistry. General dentistry deals with treating minor dental issues, while advanced dentistry addresses more complicated dental issues. Advanced dentistry involves training in more advanced procedures like cosmetic dentistry and orthodontics. If you want to become a cosmetic dentist, you may need to get additional training.
Dentists can choose to go through additional training after graduating from dental school if they wish to become a surgical dentists. Surgeons can perform a number of tasks, including surgeries, extractions, sutures, bridges, crowns and more. However, the majority of them stay in the field of dentistry, because surgery can be risky and the recovery time can be long.