Dentist-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: they suffer from over 90% of the population of our planet. Curing your teeth and helping to keep them healthy is the task of every dentist.

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Who is a dentist-therapist?

The dentist-therapist is a well-known dentist, to whom the majority of people go with great reluctance. But today, thanks to new techniques, technical innovations and methods of anesthesia, modern dentistry has become virtually painless.

For the majority of treatment procedures, the dentist-therapist uses various types of anesthesia, modern materials are used to fill the 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 call qualified specialists on time.

When should I go to a dentist-therapist?

To the dentist-therapist without long deliberation it is necessary to address, when at you:

• the color of tooth enamel has changed;
• Whitish and yellow spots or bands appeared on the teeth, as well as areas with darkening of the enamel;
• there are short-term painful sensations with the use of acidic, sweet or cold foods and drinks;
• in a particular tooth appear no aching pain, which becomes stronger with a slight tapping on the tooth or with pressure on it;
• there are cavities in the tooth (often with softening of significant amounts of dentin) and suffer prolonged pains - spontaneous or from any stimuli;
• on the gums, on the oral mucosa or on the tongue there are swelling, redness, painful tightness or ulceration.

These are basic, but not all symptoms, which serve as a signal for when to contact a dentist-therapist.

What tests should I take when I call a dentist-therapist?

On the question of what tests to pass when addressing a dentist-therapist, dentists themselves respond in different ways. Many say that it is necessary to conduct a general blood test, tests for leukocytes, ESR. But - in the first place - a blood test for hepatitis C and B, HIV and syphilis. And this is a necessary preventive measure, which will help to protect dental procedures as much as possible. After all, it's no secret to anyone that when treating teeth today there is a real threat to catch hepatitis ... And the results of pre-tested tests will help the patient to prove the fact of infection.

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

However, the dentist-therapeutist will certainly prescribe bacteriological analysis (bacterioscopy) with diseases of the oral mucosa or blood test for platelets with severe bleeding gums.

What methods of diagnosis does the dentist-therapist use?

Like any other doctor, the dentist-therapist can not diagnose without examining the patient, that is, visual inspection of his oral cavity.

The nature of the pathology and degree of its severity depends on what diagnostic methods the dentist-therapist uses to choose the correct way of treatment. And to confirm the preliminary diagnosis, and for the treatment required to clarify the condition of the root canal, alveoli and the depth of damage to the tooth tissues. For this purpose, an X-ray examination is mandatory.

Conventional radiography of the tooth (intraoral close-focus or sighting) allows one to simultaneously obtain an image of a maximum of three to four teeth and to study the condition of their hard tissues, root canals and jaw tissue surrounding the teeth. Obtain a panoramic image of both jaws at once, allowing an overview radiograph of the teeth - orthopantomography.

For the diagnosis can also be used:

• luminescent diagnostics (for determining the condition of hard tooth tissues);
• Electroodontodiagnosis (to determine the degree of sensitivity of pulp and its damage);
• thermal testing (to determine the degree of sensitivity of the nerve);
• dentistry (examination of the oral mucosa with the help of optical instruments, giving a multiple increase in the image).

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

What does the dentist therapist do?

The list of what the dentist-therapist is engaged in, includes a rather wide range of special medical manipulations that relieve the patient of such dental diseases as caries (among all available human diseases - the most common), pulpitis, periodontitis, etc.

The dentist-therapist carries out:

• diagnostics of dental diseases;
• anesthesia of the treatment process;
• removal of pathological tissues of the tooth;
• mechanical and antiseptic treatment of carious cavity;
• closure of the cavity by sealing.

The most important part of the dentist's work is endodontics - treatment of the dental (root) canals, which is carried out in cases of deeply penetrating tooth decay. The root canal, through which the nutrition and innervation of the tooth occurs, must be cleaned, appropriately processed and sealed. And only the proper treatment of the dental canals makes it possible to save the tooth.

What diseases does the dentist-therapist treat?

Pay attention to what diseases the dentist-therapist treats:

• caries;
• stomatitis (damage to the oral mucosa);
• alveolitis (infection and inflammation of the dental hole);
• halitosis (bad smell from the mouth);
• wedge-shaped defects of the teeth (lesions of hard tooth tissues in the cervical region, not associated with caries);
• pulpitis (inflammation of the pulp of the tooth);
• periodontitis (abscess near the tip of the tooth root - in the periodontal tissue);
• hyperesthesia of teeth (acute sensitivity of dental tissues to irritants - mechanical, chemical or temperature);
• fluorosis (damage to tooth enamel with excess fluoride in the body);
• deposits on the surface of the teeth (tartar);
• bruxism (gnashing of teeth with involuntary contraction of jaws);
• glossitis (inflammation of the mucous tongue).

It should be noted that in general dentistry there is a separate therapeutic direction - periodontics, which focuses on inflammatory diseases of the gums (catarrhal, hypertrophic and ulcerative gingivitis), as well as on the pathologies of tissues surrounding the tooth - periodontal disease and periodontitis. Treatment of these dental diseases is now not engaged in a dentist-therapist, and a special doctor - a periodontist.

Tips of the dentist-therapist

The most popular advice of a dentist-therapist concerns such an important issue as proper dental care. And here the great importance is what kind of pasta a man brushes his teeth.

All existing toothpastes - depending on the dental problems being solved - are divided into three types: hygienic, therapeutic and therapeutic-preventive. It is clear that hygienic paste, which has cleansing and deodorizing properties, is suitable for caring for absolutely healthy teeth (which, unfortunately, happens not so often).

Pastes curative and therapeutic and preventive can contribute to the prevention of caries, for which they add fluoride and its compounds (fluorides).

Curative-prophylactic toothpastes can reduce bleeding gums and relieve their inflammation. In the composition of such pastes there are extracts of various medicinal plants, enzymes, propolis, etc. And such pastes are most often used for gingivitis and periodontitis, as well as for the prevention of these pathologies.

To reduce the formation of tartar, you need to use toothpastes, which 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 attentive attitude to the condition of the oral cavity will help to make sure that the dentist-therapist does not need you as long as possible.