What Dentists Do

Dentistry is an extremely important part of overall health—yet many people skip out on going to the dentist cary north carolina regularly for checkups and cleanings. The reason for this for a lot of people is simply the lack of understanding of what dentists do, and why dentistry is so important. There are actually different fields of dentistry, all with their unique purposes. In order to understand what a dentist does, it’s good to at least have a basic understanding of the two biggest fields of dentistry, and why they are so important.

Fields of Dentistry

Dentistry isn’t just one thing. Instead, there are different services, and different fields of dentistry for those services. Consider the difference between a general practitioner and a surgeon. While they are both doctors, they specialize in different areas of healthcare. There are two very common fields of dentistry that are important to understand, in order to understand what dentists do, and why dentistry is so important:

General Dentistry

General dentists specialize in general dentistry services such as cleanings, checkups and other routine and preventative services. Visiting a general dentist is necessary for the ongoing oral health of a patient. If you haven’t visited a general dentist in the last six months, it is extremely important that you do so. General dentists help to treat and diagnose a variety of oral health issues before they become worse. Without visiting a general dentist for routine checkups, patients risk the loss of teeth, major infections, bone loss and even oral cancer.

General dentists also perform in-depth cleanings that simply aren’t possible with at-home care alone. This stops bacteria from building up and causing decay and infection. Make sure to visit your general dentist at least every six months for a cleaning and checkup. This will help to prevent major oral health issues, and ensure that your teeth and gums stay clean and healthy.

Cosmetic Dentistry

Another popular and important field of dentistry is cosmetic dentistry. While some cosmetic dentistry services are purely aesthetic (like teeth whitening), other services can mean the difference between losing teeth, bone loss, gum disease, teeth crowding and more. If damage has become too severe for a general dentist to handle, a cosmetic dentist will perform restorative procedures to save a patient’s tooth or teeth, and overall oral health.

While a cosmetic dentist does not need to be visited regularly, make sure to set an appointment with a cosmetic dentist if your general dentist recommends you do so. This will help to ensure your ongoing oral health, and the look of your smile.

Do I Need a Dentist?

The answer to whether or not you need to see a dentist is a resounding, “Yes.” If you aren’t currently visiting a general dentist for a routine cleaning and checkup every six months, you need to do so. Schedule an appointment with a general dentist for as soon as possible, then make sure you continue to see them every six months for ongoing services.

Interested in getting started? Conveniently located in Cary, NC, Wake Dental Care is here to help!

Want to read more about general dentistry? Here's some more information on what you should expect at your visit to the dentist.