Tooth care is a large field today, and in fact dentistry ranks in the top 10 most trusted and ethical professions in the United States. Many millions of Americans regularly visit a local dentist’s office for care once or twice per year, and parents may look for local dental options and dental practices for their children. Patients under 18 will need a pediatric dentist or orthodontist, and parents can look for them online if they have to. The first time a parent’s child needs an orthodontist in particular, a parent may look up “dentist and orthodontist near me” to find such an office. Or in other cases, when a family moves to a new city or county, the parents may look up “best dentist and orthodontist near me” to find a good dental care practice for the entire family. What can a dentist or an orthodontist have to offer?
Looking for Dental Care
As mentioned above, a parent may look for pediatric dentists in their area or look for regular dentists and orthodontists for themselves when they move to a new area. Most often, this means conducting an online search, and the results may be narrowed down with the use of certain keywords or phrases. The client may start with a broader search such as “dentist and orthodontist near me”, or they may look for “pediatric dentist and orthodontist near me” or enter their city name or ZIP code to keep the results local. They might also specify that they only want to find the most highly rated dentists or orthodontists in the area, based on patient reviews.
Doing all this will bring up a whole list of results, and the client may strike out dental offices that don’t accept their insurance or those that are too far away, and visit the rest in person. This is a fine chance to form a fair impression of any dentist’s office or orthodontist, and the client may consult the dentists, dental assistants, or orthodontists who work there and see their credentials. If the client is looking for a family doctor or a pediatric dentist, the client should bring along their child, who will be able to form their own impression of the premises and staff. If the child feels comfortable there and gets along with the staff, that dentist’s office may be a strong contender. The client may visit several offices this way until they find one that perfectly suits their needs, and sign up.
Orthodontist Work
Like dentists, orthodontists work with a patient’s teeth and jaw, but they specialize in the alignment of jaws and teeth in particular, rather than fighting infections or putting in crowns or dental bridges. If a patient suffers from an underbite or overbite, or if the patient has crooked teeth, the orthodontist can help out. In adults, a clear plastic retainer may be molded to fit the patient’s mouth, and these discreet retainers can help align their teeth for better dental health and a better smile at the same time. What is more, adolescent and especially children may have braces fitted onto their teeth so the teeth grow straight and do not crowd one another. Crowding of the teeth can happen for a number of reasons, but the results are always undesirable. Crowding can cause teeth to deform and become very crooked, which can interfere with eating and speech.
Dental Implants
Meanwhile, a dentist may not only fight infection, but also put in dental implants for a patient to restore or even replace teeth. Cosmetic dentists can offer tooth whitening, using certain gels and pastes to restore each discolored tooth’s pearly white luster. Most beauty standards call for straight and dazzling white teeth, and many Americans are unhappy about their discolored or crooked teeth. Porcelain veneers can be coated onto teeth to restore their white appearance too, if need be. Crowns are dental implants that fit over cracked or worn-down teeth, restoring their shape, function, and aesthetics alike. Such crowns can protect the real teeth from further damage.
If a tooth is missing, a realistic replica called a dental bridge can be fitted in, secured in place with covers that slip over the real teeth flanking the gap. Dentures, meanwhile, can replace many teeth at once.