Dental Specialty Overviews
General Dentist
- Traditionally, a General Dentist is the first line of defense when it comes to taking care of your oral hygiene. They provide exams and cleanings, primarily focusing on addressing tooth decay, filling cavities, and provide instruction on day-to-day care of your teeth such as brushing and flossing.
Periodontist
- Traditionally, a Periodontist is a specialist that primarily focuses on treating gum disease as they specialize in the health of soft and hard tissues in the mouth. Patients are generally referred to see a Periodontist when gum disease becomes to advance to be treated by a General Dentist. A good General Dentists can spot gum disease in the early stages, but as the disease becomes more advanced a Periodontist may opt for advance treatment such as scaling and root planing which is essentially a deep cleaning where they remove the plaque and tartar above and below your gumline and then begin to smooth out the root of the tooth to help the gums reattach to the teeth.
Oral Surgeon
- Traditionally, an oral surgeon is a specialist that primarily focuses on treating surgical issues such as tooth extractions, dental implants, facial trauma, oral pathology, and bone grafting. Oral surgeons receive more training than other specialists notably in the use of anesthesia. They train four years or more in a hospital beside medical residents.
Referral Pathways
- General Dentists may refer advance gum disease cases to Periodontists
- General Dentists may refer tooth extractions to Oral Surgeons
- Oral Surgeons may refer gum disease cases to Periodontists
- Periodontists may refer extractions to Oral Surgeons
- Oral Surgeons may refer implant restoration work to General Dentists
Cross Over
- Dental Implants
Procedures
Subepithelial Connective Tissue Graft
Gum grafting for patients with gum recession, uses tissue from inside their mouth (usually the hard palate)