Dentistry and Dental Materials

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery encompasses the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, traumatic injuries, and developmental or genetic deformities of the face, mouth, dentition, jaws and neck. Functional, pathologic and cosmetic problems are managed by these physicians.

Oral cancer can form in any part of the mouth. Most oral cancers begin in the flat cells that cover the surfaces of your mouth, tongue, and lips. Anyone can get oral cancer, but the risk is higher if you are male, use tobacco, drink lots of alcohol, have HPV, or have a history of head or neck cancer. Frequent sun exposure is also a risk factor for lip cancer. Tests to diagnose oral cancer include a physical exam, endoscopy, biopsy, and imaging tests. Oral cancer treatments may include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Some patients have a combination of treatments.

Oral pathology is the specialty of dentistry and pathology that deals with the nature, identification, and management of diseases affecting the oral and maxillofacial regions. It is a science that investigates the causes, processes, and effects of these diseases. The practice of oral pathology includes research, diagnosis of diseases using clinical, radiographic, microscopic, biochemical, or other examinations, and management of patients.

Oral Medicine is the specialty of dentistry concerned with the oral health care of patients with chronic, recurrent and medically related disorders of the oral and maxillofacial region, and with their diagnosis and non-surgical management. Dental pharmacology is the study of drugs, or pharmaceuticals, typically used in the dental field. The most common types of drugs used by a dentist or dental professional are analgesics, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and anesthetics. Each drug works in a different way to address whatever the dental issue may be. In any case, the dental hygienist needs to be aware of the drugs that the patients are taking to prepare for possible medical emergencies, identify oral conditions that may be present because of the drugs which may be associated with antibiotics or a number of different drugs, determining the appropriate home care procedures.

Advancements in new dental technology offer better solutions for traditional oral health problems than ever before.  The trend in dentistry is utilizing technology to make dentistry more comfortable, durable, efficient and natural-looking for the patient as possible.  Patients benefit from advanced techniques that are less invasive and more dependable than the years of past.  Procedures that formerly took multiple trips to the dentist or required multiple health care providers can often be performed in the comfort of one office by one qualified provider. There are many new advancements in dentistry that your dentist may choose to offer for an enhanced state of comfort and improved oral health.  

Dental Public Health can be defined as a science and practice of preventing oral diseases, promoting oral health, and improving quality of life through organized effects of the society. Dental Public Health is concerned with promoting the health of the population and therefore focuses action at a community level. This contrasts with clinical practice which operates at an individual level. 

Forensic odontology is the application of dental science to legal investigations, primarily involving the identification of the offender by comparing dental records to a bite mark left on the victim or at the scene, or identification of human remains based on dental records. In identifying human remains based in their teeth, dental records should ideally be obtained and compared to those of the unidentified body. Forensic odontologists and dentists are greatly involved in the identification of victims of mass disasters. Dental records are beneficial in identifying such victims.

Digital dentistry may be defined in a broad scope as any dental technology or device that incorporates digital or computer-controlled components in contrast to that of mechanical or electrical alone. This broad definition can range from the most commonly thought area of digital dentistry - CAD/CAM (computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing) - to those that may not even be recognized, such as computer-controlled delivery of nitrous oxide.

Whether seeing a patient for a routine prophy appointment, or providing more complex restorative, periodontal or endodontic treatment, a variety of dental materials will be a part of the workflow. From capturing an impression to placing a crown to performing cosmetic whitening, highly specialized materials are needed to complete your task. Finding the right material for your practice and the case at hand is important. New dental materials are coming to the market at a rapid pace, so staying on top of your options is an ongoing part of practicing dentistry. 

Patients and practitioners have a variety of options when choosing materials and procedures for restoring carious lesions or missing teeth. This technique involves placing a soft or malleable filling into the prepared tooth and building up the tooth. The material is then set hard and the tooth is restored. The advantage of direct restorations is that they usually set quickly, limited energy can be passed to the tooth from the setting process without damaging it. Where strength is required, especially as the fillings become larger, indirect restorations may be the best choice in some cases.

In this technique, the restoration is fabricated outside of the mouth using the dental impressions of the prepared tooth. Common indirect restorations include inlays and onlays, crowns, bridges, and veneers. Usually a dental technician fabricates the indirect restoration from records the dentist has provided of the prepared tooth. The finished restoration is usually bonded permanently with a dental cement. It is often done in two separate visits to the dentist. Common indirect restorations are done using gold or ceramics.

Endodontic sealing materials for permanent obturation of root canals are highly variable both in chemistry of setting and in their additives. Conventional materials are based on zinc oxide-eugenol, rosin-chloroform, or synthetic resins. These have been extensively tested for biological and technical properties. Most materials are slightly or moderately cytotoxic, and some - notably paraformaldehyde-containing materials- have been associated with clinical complications such as paresthesia of the mental and/or inferior alveolar nerve. Recently, Ca(OH)₂ containing materials have been introduced with claims of improved clinical and biological performance.

An impression is made by placing a viscous, thixotropic impression material into the mouth via a custom or stock dental impression tray. The material, then sets to become an elastic solid, and, when removed from the mouth, provides a detailed and stable negative of teeth. Common materials used for dental impressions are sodium alginate, polyether and silicones - both condensation-cured silicones and addition-cured silicones, such as polyvinyl siloxane. Historically plaster of Paris, zinc oxide eugenol and agar have been used.

Dental Marketing is the integration of marketing strategies in the field of dentistry to help Dental Professionals harness the full potential of their practice. It involves the use of tools and techniques of marketing to achieve a certain degree of publicity and broaden the reach of the practice and the practitioner. Dental Marketing strategy is a long-term, forward-looking approach to planning with the fundamental goal achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Strategic planning involves an analysis of the company's strategic initial situation prior to the formulation, evaluation and selection of market-oriented competitive position that contributes to the company's goals and marketing objectives.