Dental therapist

A dentist-therapist is a medical specialty in the field of dentistry, which includes medical actions aimed at treating dental diseases.

These diseases are considered the most common human diseases: over 90% of the population of our planet suffers from them. Treating teeth and helping to keep them healthy is the task of every dentist.

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Who is a dental therapist?

A general dentist is a dentist who is well known to everyone, and to whom the vast majority of people go with great reluctance. But today, thanks to new methods, technical innovations and anesthesia methods, modern dentistry has become virtually painless.

To perform most medical procedures, a dentist-therapist uses various types of anesthesia, and uses modern materials for filling teeth. And extensive knowledge in the field of dental anatomy, pharmacology and hygiene allows dentists to prevent dental diseases and successfully cope with their complications. The main thing is to contact qualified specialists in time.

When should you see a general dentist?

You should contact a general dentist without further ado if you have:

• the color of the tooth enamel has changed;
• whitish and yellow spots or stripes appeared on the teeth, as well as areas with darkened enamel;
• short-term pain sensations occur when consuming sour, sweet or cold foods and drinks;
• aching pain appears in a specific tooth, which becomes stronger when lightly tapping on the tooth or when pressing on it;
• cavities appear in the tooth (often with softening of significant volumes of dentin) and prolonged pain is experienced - spontaneous or from some irritants;
• swelling, redness, painful lumps or ulcers appear on the gums, oral mucosa or tongue.

These are the main, but far from all, symptoms that serve as a signal of when to contact a general dentist.

What tests should you take when visiting a general dentist?

When asked what tests need to be taken when visiting a general dentist, the dentistry clinics themselves answer differently. Many say that a general blood test, leukocyte tests, and ESR should be done. But first and foremost, a blood test for hepatitis C and B, HIV, and syphilis. And this is a necessary preventive measure that will help make dental procedures as safe as possible. After all, it is no secret that there is a real risk of contracting hepatitis when treating teeth today... And the results of preliminary tests will help the patient prove the fact of infection.

But clinical tests are usually done not before dental treatment, but before complex prosthetics, in particular, with the help of dental implants.

However, a dental therapist will certainly prescribe a bacteriological analysis (bacterioscopy) for diseases of the oral mucosa or a blood test for platelets for severe bleeding gums.

What diagnostic methods does a dentist use?

Like any other doctor, a dentist-therapist cannot make a diagnosis without examining the patient, that is, a visual examination of his oral cavity.

The nature of the pathology and the degree of its severity determine which diagnostic methods the dentist-therapist uses to choose the right treatment path. Both to confirm the preliminary diagnosis and to carry out treatment, it is necessary to clarify the condition of the root canal, alveoli and the depth of damage to the tooth tissue. For this purpose, an X-ray examination is mandatory.

Conventional dental radiography (intraoral close-focus or targeted) allows you to simultaneously obtain an image of a maximum of three or four teeth and study the condition of their hard tissues, root canals, and jaw tissues surrounding the teeth. Orthopantomography, a general dental radiography, allows you to obtain an overview image of both jaws at once.

The following may also be used to make a diagnosis:

• fluorescent diagnostics (to determine the condition of hard dental tissues);
• electroodontodiagnostics (to determine the degree of pulp sensitivity and its damage);
• thermal testing (to determine the degree of sensitivity of the nerve);
• stomatoscopy (examination of the oral mucosa using optical instruments that provide multiple magnification of the image).

Based on the analysis of the results of all diagnostic procedures, the dentist-therapist begins treatment.

What does a dental therapist do?

The list of what a dental therapist does includes a fairly wide range of special medical procedures that relieve the patient from dental diseases such as caries (the most common among all human diseases), pulpitis, periodontitis, etc.

The dentist-therapist carries out:

• diagnostics of dental diseases;
• pain relief during the treatment process;
• removal of pathological dental tissue;
• mechanical and antiseptic treatment of the carious cavity;
• closing the cavity by filling.

The most important part of the work of a general dentist is endodontics - treatment of dental (root) canals, which is carried out in cases of deep tooth decay. The root canal, through which the tooth is nourished and innervated, must be cleaned, properly treated and filled. And only proper treatment of dental canals makes it possible to save the tooth.

What diseases does a dental therapist treat?

Please pay attention to what diseases a dentist-therapist treats:

• caries;
• stomatitis (lesion of the oral mucosa);
• alveolitis (infection and inflammation of the tooth socket);
• halitosis (bad breath);
• wedge-shaped defects of teeth (damage to the hard tissues of the teeth in the cervical region, not associated with caries);
• pulpitis (inflammation of the dental pulp);
• periodontitis (abscess near the apex of the tooth root - in the periodontal tissue);
• dental hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity of dental tissues to irritants - mechanical, chemical or temperature);
• fluorosis (damage to tooth enamel due to excess fluoride in the body);
• deposits on the surface of teeth (tartar);
• bruxism (grinding of teeth due to involuntary clenching of the jaws);
• glossitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the tongue).

It should be noted that in general dentistry there is a separate therapeutic direction - periodontology, which focuses on inflammatory diseases of the gums (catarrhal, hypertrophic and ulcerative gingivitis), as well as on pathologies of the tissues surrounding the tooth - periodontosis and periodontitis. The treatment of these dental diseases is now carried out not by a dentist-therapist, but by a special doctor - a periodontist.

Advice from a dental therapist

The most popular advice from a general dentist concerns such an important issue as proper dental care. And here the type of toothpaste a person uses to brush their teeth is of great importance.

All existing toothpastes - depending on the dental problems being solved - are divided into three types: hygienic, medicinal and medicinal-prophylactic. It is clear that hygienic toothpaste, which has cleansing and deodorizing properties, is suitable for the care of absolutely healthy teeth (which, unfortunately, does not happen very often).

Medicinal and medicinal-prophylactic pastes can help prevent caries, for which purpose fluoride and its compounds (fluorides) are added to their composition.

Medicinal and prophylactic toothpastes can reduce gum bleeding and relieve inflammation. Such pastes contain extracts of various medicinal plants, enzymes, propolis, etc. And such pastes are most often used for gingivitis and periodontosis, as well as for the prevention of these pathologies.

To reduce the formation of tartar, you need to use toothpastes that contain pyrophosphates or zinc compounds. And to reduce the sensitivity of tooth enamel, there are pastes containing potassium nitrate, potassium citrate or strontium chloride.

Regular dental care, choosing the right dental hygiene products and paying close attention to your oral health will help ensure that you don't need a dental therapist for as long as possible.