Dental is the branch of medicine that deals with the mouth and teeth. Its practitioners treat diseases, injuries and defects in the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and temporomandibular joint. Dental school is a busy time, but it can be a rewarding one too. Take notes, study in a place that’s comfortable for you and avoid distractions.

Dental Hygiene

Oral hygiene practices like brushing and flossing and routine dental visits keep teeth, gums, and mouth healthy. These habits also prevent diseases like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

A dental hygienist is an oral health professional who is licensed in the United States to perform educational, clinical, research, and administrative services to promote total health through optimal oral care. Dental hygienists have a wide range of skills including problem-solving, manual dexterity, and communication and interpersonal abilities.

Research demonstrates that individuals with poor oral health are more likely to have other serious diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. Dental hygienists are often the first healthcare professionals to identify potentially malignant lesions and symptoms, so they play an important role in oral cancer prevention.

Oral Cancer

A good oral care routine can prevent most mouth and oropharyngeal cancers. If a sore or lump is found, early detection and treatment can greatly increase survival rates. We do not know what causes most oral cancers, but certain risk factors like tobacco and alcohol use may increase the chance of developing one.

Diagnostic tests help determine the stage of a cancer, which tells how much it has grown and whether or not it has spread. Surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are all used to treat oral cancer.

Those with oral cancer should always consider participating in clinical trials, as these can offer new treatments that are more effective than standard ones. Immunotherapy is another approach to treating this disease, which helps your body’s natural defense system fight off the cancer.

Preventative Care

Taking care of your teeth and practicing preventative dental habits is the best way to avoid future issues. This starts from the time baby teeth begin to appear and extends throughout adulthood. Brushing and flossing daily help keep plaque, tartar and bacteria to a minimum and will also remove any food stuck between your teeth. Flossing twice per day and using a mouthwash that is alcohol free will further enhance your oral health.

Routine preventive dental care can detect and intercept diseases that can cause tooth decay, gum disease and bone loss. It can also be lifesaving by catching diseases such as oral cancer at their earliest stages. Preventive dental procedures include oral evaluations, teeth cleaning, fluoride treatments, and annual x-rays. These services are typically covered by most insurance plans.

Restorative Care

Unlike preventive care, which works to stop serious dental issues before they occur, restorative care focuses on fixing problems that have already developed. This can include treatments like dental fillings and crowns, which preserve teeth structures that would otherwise be lost due to decay or damage. This reduces the need for more invasive treatment options like tooth extraction, and also promotes good oral function.

Additionally, restorative procedures can help improve the aesthetics of a patient’s smile. Procedures like dental bonding and veneers can correct cosmetic concerns, such as discoloration or gaps between teeth.

After head and neck cancer patients are discharged from hospital, it is important for them to receive long-term routine dental care from a dentist and primary dental care practitioner. To achieve this, every MDT should include a restorative dentistry consultant from the initial planning stage.

Implants

Dental implants are a long-term commitment and require patients to follow a specific dental routine. These practices can help prevent dental cancer and keep teeth healthy.

Dental implant surgery involves inserting a titanium screw-shaped post in the jawbone and allowing it to heal. The procedure can take weeks to months. During the healing process, some patients will need to use temporary prosthetic teeth.

If a patient lacks enough bone to secure an implant, a dentist can perform a surgical procedure known as “sinus lift” or “sinus graft.” These procedures can make more bone available to secure the implants.

Dental implants are made of materials that are designed to meet international consensus standards for safety and biocompatibility. These systems are also subjected to extensive laboratory testing to ensure that they are safe and effective.