lent to pediatricians. In their special
facilities and in the approach they use, they strive
to
establish in the child a positive attitude
towards dentistry and a disposition to develop
good oral hygiene habits. It is essential to
maintain the health of the primary ("baby")
teeth for, if decay sets in or premature loss
occurs, the health and shape of the perma-
nent teeth could be adversely affected. Also,
the overall health of a child will be influ-
enced by the condition of the primary teeth.
Undetected decaying teeth can cause poor
eating and chewing habits and thereby influence
the overall state of a child's health.
Endodontics
There are about 1,000 specialists in the field.
It deals with the diagnosis and treatment
of diseases of the pulp (nerve) of the tooth.
With the current emphasis on saving teeth
and utilizing extraction only as a last resort,
root canal therapy is a vitally important
dental specialty. A tooth needs endodontic
treatment if the nerve has been damaged by
decay, infection, irritation, or trauma. In
such cases, the endodontist cleans out the nerve
canal(s), removing the degenerated pulp. When
the tooth is asymptomatic and has stabi-
lized, the canal(s) can be filled. The
complexity of the treatment is determined by how
many canals the tooth may have. Also, a live
(vital) tooth is more readily treated than a
dead (non-vital) tooth, especially if the
latter has abscessed.
Prosthodontics
There are about 750 dentists in this field.
Only several decades ago it was a common
assumption that as one grew older, teeth would
have to be lost, and a partial or even full
set of dentures was thought to be unavoidable.
While the current philosophy is that with
good oral hygiene and prompt and competent
treatment extraction can be minimized,
there are nevertheless patients who will lose
teeth and require a replacement for them.
Replacement of even a single (non-wisdom) tooth
is desirable, since if it is not replaced
the teeth on either side of the gap may move.
To replace missing or extracted teeth, a
fixed or removable bridge can be attached to
one or both adjacent teeth, or, in some situ-
ations, removable partial or full dentures may
be required.
Oral Pathology
There are currently about 100 specialists in
oral pathology. They are concerned with dis-
eases of the mouth, studying their causes,
processes, and effects. Essentially a diagnosti-
cian, an oral pathologist usually serves as a
consultant to other specialists, as well as a
teacher of dental students.
Dental Public Health
This field also has about 100 specialists. They
are involved in promoting the oral
health of communities by stimulating
development of programs that aid in the preven-
tion and control of dental diseases. Such
specialists also gather and analyze data that
are useful in determining the effectiveness of
the oral health methods being used in a
community.
IS DENTISTRY FOR YOU?
In evaluating whether dentistry is a suitable
career for you, consider the following:
1. Do you have adequate native manual
dexterity?
2. Do your teachers and faculty advisor feel
that dentistry is a desirable career for
you, and do you have the support of your
family?
3. After speaking with and observing one or
more dentists at work, do you find
their profession attractive?
4. After visiting a dental school and/or clinic
and speaking with administrators,
faculty, and students, are you still strongly
in favor of pursuing a dental career?
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