A dentist is a doctor who treats injuries and diseases of the teeth, jaws and the maxillofacial area in general. Depending on the specialization, the functions of a dentist can differ significantly: who heals the teeth, who prosthetics, who is engaged in monitoring and prevention. There are many specializations. Since the names of medical professions do not always sound clear, let’s try to figure out what a dentist does in a particular specialization.
A dentist doctor (insured person) is legally required to give a physical disability (including death) to a patient due to not using a considerable amount of professional attention in carrying out medical services in Dental offices. The dentist has an obligation of means in the performance of his profession: he must provide attentive care in accordance with the data acquired from science, both at the stage of diagnosis and the choice of treatment and in the execution of care. It is up to the patient to prove the fault of the professional. For this, he will have to go to court and ask for an expertise. The expert’s report will allow the judges to decide.
The dentist-therapist
conducts examinations, diagnostics and general treatment – fills and restores teeth using direct methods, removes nerves, prepares the oral cavity for prosthetics. Such a doctor also treats various diseases: caries, fluxes, periodontitis, gingivitis, pulpitis and inflammation of the nerves.
The orthodontist is engaged
in the correction of teeth, more precisely, their incorrect positioning in the oral cavity: teeth can grow too close or far from each other, or simply uneven – this doctor corrects these shortcomings. It is he who prescribes braces, plates and trimers.
A dental surgeon
An orthopedic dentist restores and implants (prosthetics) teeth: the first option is used if it is possible to save the tooth, the second – if it is no longer possible to save it. Works in a team with dental technicians.
removes teeth, operates on the jaws, joints and face due to injuries, defects, tumors and various diseases, as well as prepares the oral cavity for operations performed by an orthopedic dentist and removes implants.
The dental hygienist conducts examinations of the teeth and oral cavity, advises on their hygiene and the prevention of diseases, polishes the teeth and removes plaque and hardened formations.
The periodontist
treats the gums as well as the soft tissues surrounding and holding the teeth. It should be consulted for bleeding gums, tooth mobility, bad breath, plaque and calculus on the teeth.
The pediatric dentist deals with children and performs virtually all the functions of a dentist-therapist, as well as some others, including the extraction of teeth and a number of operations.
History of the profession:
People have started trying to heal their teeth since time immemorial. At least, the “father of medicine” Hippocrates at the turn of 4-5 centuries BC. already offered to relieve a toothache literally with a hot iron. Toothbrushes existed in the Middle East by 500 CE, and the first fillings are mentioned in China in 659 CE.
In Russia, dentistry as a separate branch of medicine appeared under Peter I (although teeth were treated, of course, earlier), who himself tried to perform the functions of a dentist. And in 1881, the first school of dentists was opened in St. Petersburg.
The main job responsibilities of a dentist:
- reception and treatment of patients;
- conducting preventive examinations and sanitation of the oral cavity;
- maintaining medical records.
- There may be specific responsibilities for specific specialties of dentists. So, for example, the duties of an orthopedic dentist may include working with optics, micro-invasive prosthetics techniques, etc.