Different Types of Dental Care

Many people do not know that dental care is a 2 fold process. In general, dental care is the overall care of healthy teeth, and it consists of Oral Hygiene and Dentistry. This, however, does not mean that individuals with problem teeth will not benefit from oral hygiene or some form of dentistry, of which there are 9. It all depends on the problems you have, and in most cases your dentist will be able to point you in the right direction, to oral hygiene or something in the dentistry field.

Dentistry

The dental industry is a very broad one, and covers fields in Periodontics, Orthodontics, Prosthodontics, and Pediatric Dentistry.

Periodontics

Periodontics, or Periodontology; as it is also known, is the practice of fighting periodontal diseases. These diseases occur in the periodontal tissues and fall under either one of two categories, gingivitis and periodontitis.

Orthodontics

Orthodontics used to be known as Orthodontia, and is the practice that covers the study of improper bites. The solution to many Orthodontic problems are braces. The issues that can arise in Orthodontics are overbite, underbite, crowed teeth, crossbite, openbite, and spaced teeth. Sometimes, if the individual is young enough, the Orthodontist will allow the weight of the tongue to correct minor issues.

Prosthodontics

Prosthodontics, or dental prosthetics, covers the practice of promoting substitute teeth (other known as dentures). Professionals in this field will help you plan your treatment and then rehabilitate your oral functioning, appearance and comfort, whether you have deficient or missing teeth.

Pediatric Dentistry

Pediatric dentistry, or pedodontics, is the practice of dentistry on children from birth through adolescence. This field of dentistry mostly covers preventative dentistry, as well as focusing on proper growth and development.

Oral Hygiene

Oral Hygiene is the practice of keeping your teeth clean and healthy. While this is a daily activity for most people, there is a need for everyone to pay a visit to their Oral Hygienists on a regular basis for a deep clean. The regular visit will also ensure that there are no underlying problems that could be addressed before they get worse. These include gingivitis, dental cavities, and bad breath.

Gingivitis

Gingivitis falls under periodontics. However, the treatment and prevention of gingivitis is also covered by Oral Hygiene. This Periodontal disease is caused by the lack of oral hygiene that leads to plaque buildup. Plaque is the number one cause of most oral diseases, meaning that good oral hygiene is key to a healthy mouth.

Dental Cavities

Dental cavities are also known as caries or tooth decay, and are said to be as common as the flu. Like gingivitis, caries are caused by the lack of oral hygiene causing a buildup of plaque that turns into tartar. In fact, it is not the actual plaque that causes caries in the mouth, but the acidity of the plaque that leads to the eating away of the tooth enamel. Caries are not painful unless they are left untreated for too long, enabling them to affect the actual tooth nerve.

Preventative dentistry is important for a healthy mouth, which means that good daily dental care at home, and paying a visit to your oral hygienist on a regular basis, is recommended.

Source by Jeff Molenda