Oral surgeon.
A dentist is a dental surgeon, that’s a surgeon specialised in dentistry; in the United States, a dentist is known as a dental surgeon. According to medical dictionaries, a dental surgeon is a general practitioner of dentistry, a dentist with the D.D.S. or D.M.D. degree.
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity.
Dental surgery.
In the United States, a dental surgeon, or a dentist, can have a D.D.S. (Doctors of Dental Surgery) or a D.M.D. (Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry or Doctor of Dental Medicine) degree; these two are the same degrees and use the same curriculum requirements, it depends on the universities to decide what degree is awarded.
Oral surgeon dentist. The schools.
Both degrees mean that the dentist graduated from an accredited dental school.
Dentists, or dental surgeons, must graduate from the high school, then they attend four years of dental school and they must pass a national written exam and a state or regional clinical licensing exam in order to practice and obtain their license.
Licensed dentists are awarded the D.D.S. or the D.M.D. degree, depending on the dental school they attended and might attend additional training to become a dental specialist. The A.D.A. (American Dental Association) recognises nine dental specialities, such as endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry.
Surgical dentist. The profession.
A licensed dental surgeon can work in private practice, hospitals and institutions.
Usually, a licensed dentist performs examinations and check-ups, takes X-rays and makes a diagnosis; a dentist can also prescribe medications and can provide many dental treatments that include restorative, orthodontic, prosthodontic and endodontic works, periodontal treatments, or tooth extraction. Anyway, sometimes a dentist collaborates with dental specialists, to provide targeted procedures or in case a patient needs a planned treatment which requires the intervention of different specialists.
A dental team is often made up of a dentist and dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental technicians, and dental therapists.
Dental surgeon.
The commitment of the dentists does not end with the license or specialisation, it going on during the whole time of their career; they have to learn of technological developments, practice new methods, and stay up to date on the latest scientific and clinical developments.
