General Dentistry
You can think of your general dentist as the “quarterback” of your oral health care team. Because their specialized skill set is so diverse, they may often be able to provide services that you would find at a prosthodontic clinic. It really depends on what the general dentist feels comfortable doing or not doing in their own practice that determines whether a treatment like dental implants or oral surgery is outsourced to another provider. You can trust your general dentist with this decision, as they have the educational and professional experience to know what will be best for your individual treatment needs as a patient.
Most often, when you go to the dentist for a checkup you’ll be seeing a general dentist, or an oral health practitioner who studied oral health on a broad but beneficial scale. At the very least, all clinically practicing dentists must have completed and received a degree in Dental Surgery (DDS) or Dental Medicine (DMD). These academic credentials are virtually the same area of expertise, so those with DDS and DMD degrees work in extremely similar environments.
A general dentist is likely to spend their days working with dental assistants, medical device technicians, dental hygienists, and other personnel in the office like receptionists and patient recordkeepers. The services their office offers may include, but are most certainly not limited to:
- Annual or semiannual dental checkups
- Preventative measures for oral and dental diseases
- Diagnosis and treatment of common tooth, jaw, and gum conditions
- Recurring tests, such as X-rays, to evaluate current oral health
- Performing common surgical and cosmetic procedures on areas of the teeth, mouth, jaw, and face