dental surgeon, dental general practitioner

The dental surgeon ensures the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pathologies related to the mouth, teeth and maxillary bones.

The most common medical acts performed by the dental surgeon are:

– Scaling , which consists of eliminating dental plaque that forms on the surface of the teeth despite brushing;

– Fillings and composites used to treat cavities caused by bacterial attacks on dental enamel;

– The devitalization of the roots which consists in eliminating the pulp tissue of the tooth in the event of severe caries;

– The placement of crowns to treat weakened or fractured teeth;

– The installation of dental prostheses to replace a series of several missing teeth if the installation of a crown proves impossible;

– Tooth extraction when it is no longer possible to keep the tooth.

If the dentist is the doctor most naturally called upon for dental care, there are other specialties.

The endodontist, the dental pulp specialist

Endodontics treats the inside of the tooth , the dental pulp. Although some common procedures, such as root devitalization, are performed in the dental office, sometimes the dental surgeon calls on an endodontist. The specialist is authorized to carry out a specific treatment, sometimes impossible to perform with the naked eye, in particular circumstances:

– Mineralized channels;

– A complex anatomy;

– A perforation or a dental fracture;

– A pulpal pathology.

The orthodontist for the correction of the alignment of the teeth

An orthodontist is a dental surgeon who specializes in dentofacial orthopedics. It corrects the alignment of the teeth and the structural anomalies between the teeth and the jaws to allow a harmonious development of the jaw. Its intervention also makes it possible to treat any functional disorders related to chewing, breathing, swallowing, sucking, speaking or skeletal movements (opening, closing of the jaw). On the ameli.fr website , it is stated that orthodontic treatment is commonly prescribed during childhood and adolescence due to greater malleability of the jaw than that of adults.

The stomatologist, or maxillofacial surgeon

Doctor and surgeon, the stomatologist specializes in the oro-facial sphere. It intervenes in pathologies of the mouth, teeth and jaw . According to Femme Actuelle , the medical acts he performs most often are:

– The treatment of cancers of the oral cavity (mouth, jaw or tongue) and benign or malignant dental tumours;

– The operations of calculations of the salivary glands;

– Inflammation of the oral mucosa, called stomatitis;

– Oral surgeries such as bone grafts;

– The making of facial prostheses;

– Acts of restorative, reconstructive or cosmetic surgery of the face;

– The placement of dental implants.

The periodontist for gum treatment

The periodontist is a dental surgeon who specializes in the treatment of the supporting tissues of the tooth: the gums and the bones . It is generally involved in the treatment of periodontal diseases, or gum diseases, such as redness, bleeding, inflammation (such as gingivitis), abscesses, loosening and even bad breath. The main medical acts performed by the periodontist are:

– Curettage or resurfacing, which consists of an in-depth cleaning of tartar from the teeth under anesthesia;

– Restoration of gums or dental supporting structures through surgery;

– Bone filling;

– Periodontal surgery and soft tissue or bone grafts.

The pedodontist, the children’s dentist

The pedodontist is a pediatric dentist. It supports dental care for children and adolescents . L’Assurance Maladie has set up the M’T Dents program so that children can benefit from free appointments with the dentist every three years, from the age of 36 months and up to 24 years.

The pedodontist is trained in pedagogy to educate the youngest in oral care and treat this particularly sensitive public with gentleness and delicacy. It reassures the child and fights against the fear of the dentist. Most often, it works on cavities or abscesses in the gums. It plays an important role in orthodontic monitoring and detects teeth alignment problems from an early age. It also repairs teeth broken as a result of shocks.