Who is a Dentist?

A dentist is a person you should go to every 6 months to get your teeth checked. Period!

Well as much as it is important, people usually do not understand the primacy of this simple statement.

Especially in a country like India, where the diseases of the oral cavity are becoming more challenging and the myths behind dentistry are not lessening, getting yourself checked by a dentist periodically becomes more of a necessity.

Now, who exactly is a dentist? Let's dive right in to see.

A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a surgeon who specializes in dentistry.

A licensed practitioner who is skilled in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of injuries, diseases, and malfunctioning of the jaws, mouth and teeth and who makes and inserts false teeth.

Basically, in layman terms, a dentist is a person who takes care of your teeth.

Now, there can be two types of dentists.

1. General Dentist - A dentist who has taken a  BDS Degree and has not further undertaken any specialization course.

2. Dental Specialist - A dentist who has completed his/her BDS as well as MDS degree in one of the 9 branches of dentistry.

Read More: To know about different branches of dentistry, click here

There are many diploma and certificate courses also available for dental students which they can pursue along with their main degree. It all adds to the knowledge and CV.

The dentist with its supporting team aids in providing oral health services.

The dental team includes assistants, dental hygienists, dental technicians, and sometimes dental therapists (and the list is long).

It becomes all the way more important to see a dentist if you encounter any kind of pain or discomfort in your oral cavity. 

Even if everything looks fine on the outside, you still might have an infection, cyst or tumour developing deep in your periodontium or gums which cannot be detected by naked eyes.

💡Tip of the day: You don't have to brush all your teeth, just the one's you want to keep.