Common Family Dentistry Procedures

Family dentists can do many things. While you may think of them as people who only do a few things, there are many family dentistry procedures that take extensive training and are highly specialized. With a quick online search and maybe a few calls, you should be able to find exactly the right family dentist for you and your family’s needs.

General Dentist

We’re all familiar with the general dental appointment – the cleaning. Using a variety of tools, floss, and some industrial gels and tooth pastes, family dentists will clean and evaluate the health of teeth. During this exam, your dentist will take a look at the health of your gums – checking their color and sensitivity – as well as your tongue and other mouth tissue. They will clean all surfaces of your teeth – including in between them – and check for weak spots, stains, and other indicators that your teeth need additional work. Additionally, a general dentist can often put a sealant on teeth to help keep them protected.

Pediatric Dentistry

Children have unique dental needs. Because of their smaller mouths and the fact that they’re still growing, there are many reasons to ensure that children receive not only proper cleanings, but regular checkups on how their teeth are growing and developing. Oral health affect people throughout their entire lives, so good habits developed young will become life-long benefits.

Some children have unique needs with cleft palates, crowded teeth, or issues when baby teeth fall out and new teeth grow in. Pediatric dentists are specifically trained to notice and monitor specific growth development milestones.

Endodontist

An endodontist is an advanced dental specialist who can perform procedures such as root canals. These more advanced procedures can require specialized equipment and training.

Radiologist

One of the most common family dental procedures is taking X-rays. In order to ensure that teeth are growing correctly and aren’t suffering from damages or issues that can’t be seen with the naked eye – including cracks or infections that could be going on in the jaw, under the gums, or within the tooth – can be identified with X-rays. Many family dental practices offer basic and advanced radiology services, for both regular and emergency dental services.

Pathology

Don’t assume that one type of dental infection or problem is the same as another. Gum disease, staph infections, and abscesses can all have different bacteria which require different approaches to eradicate them. Your family dentist will commonly collect a sample – through a swab or blood draw – to send to a lab. With a thorough analysis, your dentist will know exactly how to approach the issue.

Oral Medicine

Are you having a dental problem? Infections, injuries, and abnormal tooth growth can cause pain and issues in your mouth. But not all medications will work for this specific body area. If you need specialized medicine for oral pain or infection, your family dentist might be the right person to do that. With specialized topical anesthetics or oral antibiotics, your dentist can help you find the right medicine for your situation.

Teeth Whitening

It’s a common family dentistry procedure to include some mild cosmetic dentistry. Many people have stained or discolored teeth, affected by years of drinking dark-colored sodas, coffees or teas, smoking cigarettes, or poor nutrition. Although teeth may still be strong when discolored, many people want their teeth to remain as white and pearly as possible. Teeth whitening can be performed in the office or the dentist can prepare a kit for the person to use at home, depending on the type of tooth whitening preferred. Teeth can be whitened using a hydrogen peroxide mixture, blue laser light, and other techniques.  

Dentures

When teeth become too weak or damaged to safely use to chew, or if someone loses several teeth, they may choose to have an entire set of fake teeth made. Dentures are molded fake teeth that can be temporarily worn in the mouth to hold conversation, eat food, and most other oral activities. While it’s common in family dentistry procedures to measure and take a mold for dentures, most dentists don’t make the dentures themselves but send the measures off to a lab.