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Dentists: Doctors with a difference by Fratelliano Dentise http://www.dental-sites.com A dentist is a person who practices dentistry as a profession. Dentistry is the arrangement, function and placement of teeth according to the dental science. In order to become a dentist one needs to be trained for many years in a university as well as have some practical experience. In United States, you have to obtain a degree in DDS or DMD, prior to that you must hold a post graduate degree, to be a dentist. In Australia, dentist holds a degree in bachelor of dental surgery or bachelor of dental science. In United Kingdom dentists undergo five years of study prior to securing BDS degree. Dentists can be specialists of either of these: Orthodontics: It is the act of straightening of teeth, oral and maxillofacial surgery Pedodontics: This involves treatment of children's teeth. Periodontics is the treatment of various gum diseases. A Prosthodontic replaces missing teeth with the help of dental implants, bridges and dentures. Operative dentistry: This involves restoring existing teeth. Endodontics is a therapy for root canal. Dental Public Health: It is the study of social health policies and dental epidemiology Forensic Odontology: In this dental evidences are gathered and used, in law. Oral radiology and oral pathology is the study of oral and various other dental diseases. Dentists go in for further university training and studies for about a couple of years after completing their dental school to become specialists. However, there are some other specialties too for which dentists do not require such training. These are cosmetic dentistry, temporal-mandibular joint therapy and dental implant. In order to be the specialists in these, the courses that last for about few days are enough. There were no dentists in colonial times in Canada. Although, Europe and some other developed parts of the world had dentists, in Canada, interestingly, blacksmiths and barbers used to pull out decayed teeth of the people. Canada got its first dentist when some loyalists fled to Canada from America in order to escape the ongoing revolution. In 1814, someone for the first time advertised in the newspaper offering his dentistry services. That is how people of Canada came to know of this profession. There are some other amazing facts associated with this profession. People believe that dentists suffer from inferiority complex as they are looked down upon by other medical professionals. To make the matter worse they do not have a good rapport with their clients as everyone hates to see the dentist because of the pain. According to some research a higher suicidal rate among the dentists is attributed to all these reasons. |