What Are the Duties of a General Dentist?
A general dentist can repair all the problems with your teeth. Dentists are the first line of repairing damaged teeth or problems like oral diseases. If the diseases that have arisen are within the scope of the duties of a general dentist and he can solve them, then nothing, but if your oral problems are acute and do not respond positively to basic treatments, you need to see a dentist who specializes in this field.
As a professional dentist at M2 Dental says, the duties of a general dentist are very broad, and most of them can solve all the basic problems of the patient’s teeth unless heavy surgeries or orthodontics cause the patient to refer to a specialist.
What Is General Dentistry, and Who Is Called a General Dentist?
Many think dentists only solve teeth-related problems (scaling or filling teeth) and have nothing to do with oral and dental diseases, but this is not the case. Dentistry is a branch of medical science and includes. The study is on the following:
- Diagnosis of oral diseases
- Prevention of the spread of disease
- Find a cure
- A study on problems of the oral cavity
- A study on the patient’s oral mucosa
- Eliminate the cause of oral ulcers on the tongue or adjacent tissues
- Diagnosis of infection and related diseases and their treatment
Therefore, it is not the case that the duties of a general dentist are only focused on teeth; They have studied all aspects of dental diseases and can do everything related to mouth and teeth well. Since dentists must diagnose the disease, they should also have information about the bone tissue of the jaw and the adjacent muscles to diagnose the disease in the first place and try to fix it.
Dentistry is a broad field, and those who study in one of the specialized branches of dentistry can work in different fields. But first, they have to pass the general dental course. At the end of these 7 years, a person who becomes a general dentist can start his treatment clinic.
What the General Dentist Should Do?
Confirmation of oral and dental health:
Confirmation of oral and dental health is one of the tasks that general dentists must do. Usually, they do this with basic tests, or, if necessary, they must take pictures of the person’s teeth.
X-ray examination:
X-ray examination is one of the things that a general dentist must do. They usually do this with special devices. X-rays will help the dentist better to see the damage to the teeth or gums. And then work on them.
Repair of dental cavities and abnormalities:
Usually, many people cause damage to their teeth due to various reasons such as improper handling or drinking hot and cold liquids or cavities or fractures created on their teeth; the general dentist can repair these cavities and Fix dental fractures and repair them using special materials.
Dental scaling:
Another duty of a general dentist is to remove the plaques created on the teeth using special sandpapers. Dental plaques can damage the gums and cause infection.
Referral of the patient to a specialist:
One of the broad duties of general dentists is to refer the patient to a specialist dentist if necessary so that he can treat the disease.
This happens when the procedure is outside the duties of a general dentist. For example, if the infection caused is more than necessary, or if extensive surgery on the gums or jaw is needed to restore the teeth, the general dentist will refer the patient to a specialist dentist.
