A dentist office or clinic is typically that last place people want to visit. In fact, it is often forced upon them by an aching tooth or a lost filling. Many people are apprehensive of the equipment in a dentist’s office or perhaps that had a less than pleasant experience. Dentist’s are sadly one of the most feared professionals around, which is a shame being that the practice of dentistry has existed for thousands of years. Fortunately, as with many other fields, dentistry has made huge advancements in dental procedures as well as treatment protocols.
Dentists are highly trained and skilled medical professionals that attend many years of schooling beyond that of general education at a four-year institution. Part of this includes the completion of an accredited dental program. Graduates earn either a DMD, Doctor of Dental Medicine, diploma or a DDS, Doctor of Dental Surgery diploma, depending where they attended school. The detailed nature of their training allows a Dentist Columbus WI the ability to perform such dental procedures like restorative procedures (bridges, implants, and crowns), preventive treatments, braces, root canals, gum therapy and pulling teeth. Dentists also perform oral health check-ups and diagnose oral diseases.
The dentists, along with their dental staff, work as a coordinated team to deliver the best oral health care possible. A dentist cannot perform all these services alone and therefore, depend on the skills and training of their support staff. The dental support staff is comprised of skilled dental professionals such as hygienists, technicians and assistants. The dental staff guides the patient as to proper dental care, dental cleaning and annual exams in which potential problems can be identified and addressed.
Some of the advancements that a dentist in Columbus WI has at their disposal are digitized X-rays that replace traditional x-rays. Digital x-rays offer greater speed and efficiency over traditional x-rays. An electronic sensor instead of radiograph film is placed in the patient’s mouth, capturing the image. The image can then be sent to a computer for immediate viewing. The digital images can also be stored on the computer or uploaded to cloud storage. A major advantage is a significant reduction in the amount of radiation used.