Posted by Dr. V on Dec 16 2021, 04:35 AM
Have you ever been referred to a dental specialist by your regular dentist? A patient might be referred to a dental specialist in various circumstances - when they require oral surgery or extensive dental work or procedures that need expertise beyond the dentist's dental training.
Your regular dentist will provide you with good routine dental care and treatments, such as comprehensive dental exams, teeth cleaning, and dental fillings. However, they may refer the patient to a specialist for specific services. Usually, dentists would have strong relationships with the oral specialists in their area and will communicate all your dental requirements and transfer your dental records to them to help maintain the patient's oral health.
If you have severe dental pain or infection because of the infection, damage, or disease of your tooth's pulp, your general dentist may refer you to an endodontist who is a root canal specialist.
An oral and maxillofacial surgeon diagnoses and treats problems connected to the patient's hard and soft tissues of the face, mouth, and jaw. Besides, they perform complex oral surgeries and other procedures that need more deep levels of sedation beyond nitrous oxide or laughing gas.
An orthodontist treats and corrects the alignment and position of your teeth and jaws. They fix problems like crooked or misaligned teeth and overbite, underbite, or crossbite resulting from a misaligned jaw with the help of braces, clear aligners, palatal expanders, etc.
A pediatric dental specialist is one who is specialized in taking care of the dental care of children from infancy through their teens.
A periodontist focuses on helping people maintain their gum health by preventing, diagnosing, and treating conditions that affect the gums and other supporting structures of the teeth.
Prosthodontists are specialists in restoring and replacing lost or damaged teeth to create an aesthetic, fully functional, and natural-looking smile.
Your general dentist will refer you to a dental specialist only when they feel that their patient needs difficult and complex dental treatment beyond their expertise.
Dental specialists have undergone additional education and training to specialize in a particular dental area to gain expertise in that specific part of dentistry. Hence, getting dental treatment performed by a dental expert can guarantee that the patient receives the best possible dental care and treatment.
To learn more about the dental treatments we offer at Northeast Dental Associates, contact us at (832) 818-8132 or visit our office at 19411 Mckay Drive, Suite 150, Humble, TX 77338.
