When you look for dental offices, you might notice a variety of dental specialties listed. Some offices have more than one type of dentist, or an office may serve just one of the different dental specialties. You should be at least familiar with the most common types of dentists.

General Dentists

General dentists are dentists who do not have a particular specialty. They do cleanings, fill cavities and other dental procedures. Some may even be trained in various other dental specialties like orthodontics, prosthodontics or endodontics.

Orthodontists

Orthodontics is simply treating the teeth for irregularities that are not a result of decay. An orthodontist uses a variety of techniques to correct any teeth that grow in incorrectly. Orthodontists are associated with braces and other appliances.  They can immensely help you if you are looking to enhance your smile. After all, your smile will create a good first impression on people and it is essential to have bright and beautiful teeth to achieve that. Before you dive into the types of treatment options available, be sure to do ample research so that you know what you’re getting yourself into. Along with that, pick a reliable dentist to ensure that you are getting the best services, and nothing less.

Endodontists

Endodontists concern themselves with the pulp and roots of the teeth. They are the ones who take care of infections and perform root canals when necessary.

Periodontists

A periodontist is a gum specialist. They perform services like deep cleanings, root planing and scaling, and help treat gum diseases and other gum abnormalities. Some periodontists will also specialize prosthodontics.

Prosthodontists

Prosthodontics is an old specialty with some new and interesting advancements. A prosthodontist specializes in artificial teeth, improving looks with veneers, replacing missing teeth with bridges, and repairing teeth using crowns. They focus on function, appearance, comfort and other health issues associated with missing teeth. Dental implants are a relatively new procedure where the tooth is replaced with an artificial post and tooth.

Oral Surgeons

Oral surgeons treat diseases and conditions requiring surgical intervention. The most common procedure for an oral surgeon is removing impacted wisdom teeth, but they also treat some diseases of the jaw or problems due to injury to the teeth, gums or bone.

Pediatric Dentists

Pediatric dentists treat children and childhood dental diseases. They will treat kids into their teens. They are also very similar to general dentists; only they know how to handle more difficult patients.

Less Common Specialties

There are a few specialties that you might not have heard about. Generally, these dentists do not work directly with patients.

Public Health Dentists

These dentists specialize in protecting the general public. They research widespread treatments such as fluoride treatments in public water.

Dental Pathologists

Dental pathologists specialize in the study of dental diseases. They study and devise treatments for a variety of abnormal dental conditions.

Your general dentist is the first point of contact for each of the other specialties. He or she does the initial exam and can recommend a specialist should you need one.