Your orthodontist offers you oral health – it isn’t just words

May 24, 2011 | Author: Raymond Greenlaw | Posted in Health & Fitness

Utterance of the endodontist no longer ensures a shiver of fear or sympathetic shudders of discomfort in the jaw bone. The job title formally linked with “tooth extractor”, with accompanying image of tortured patient, mouth levered wide open and industrial strength pliers clamped on one of his molars, now presents as a common title requiring more info. The dentist may do dental surgery, orthodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, maxillofacial surgery, or (this sounds O.K) cosmetic dentistry. Often, your endodontist will have a variety of abilities from the benign dental check-up through laser cleaning, bridges, crowns and other dental restorations to the more uncomfortable-sounding root canal treatment – and beyond.

Of course, the technology has changed terrifically during the last fifty years, but the modified public perception of dentists is also due to packing – that alarming facet of marketing which tells us we believe one soap powder is better than another as it comes in a blue box instead of a yellow box.

In dentistry, the packaging is the names utilized for treatments, and the expectations these create. Thus, the picture of a dentist which could have needed the aspiring dentist to style himself “Painless Potter”, the name of Bob Hope’s dentist character in a 1940s flick, has been materially shifted. The autosuggestion in the title “cosmetic dentist” is altogether different. In addition there are all the specializations, with long and slightly unpronounceable Greek-based medical words (endodontics, prosthodontics) which serve to disguise any suggestion of pain.

“Root canal treatment” holds a special place in this firmament of dental terminology. There is I believe, nothing anodyne in that phrase for most folks. In that sense, it belongs to the past. Mention of “root canal treatment” is reasonably certain to instantaneously bring a tingling, hollow pain somewhere in the jawbone. Nowadays , root canal care is hid within endodontics: that sounds far less agonizing (until you know that dontic refers to your tooth, and endo claims “inside” – therefore the action will be going on within your tooth).

As in so many parts of life, we know we're all having our expectancies managed. A dentist who advertised “pain free tooth pulling” we are sure to imagine as a questionable operator, probably not even qualified; “Exodontist” sounds both professional and qualified; but we have learnt that dontic is your tooth, and “ex” – well, common knowledge there.

Perhaps a more comforting structure in which to consider a trip to the dental surgery is the more modern notion of oral health. The up to date dentist is concerned with everything going on health-wise in what they call the “oral hole” – your teeth, your gums, and the rest. And conservation is the name of the game: tooth extraction is closer to a final resort, rather than the standard, first aid treatment. Prevention is generally preferred to cure, and this is good all round. Let’s face it, the angles and practices of sixty years ago weren't very good for business. A toothache might be “cured” by yanking out the damaged tooth, and the caring dentist, keen that his patient should not suffer again pointlessly, might suggest, “Well, might as well whip the rest out whilst you are here”. Today, your pearly whites are kept intact and healthy – provided you get back in the dentist’s chair 3 or four times per year. Good for you – your pearly white teeth mean you can smile with confidence – and the endodontist is smiling too.

Find a dentist in Sydney metro area or surrounds using the online web business directory dLook.

Author: Raymond Greenlaw

This author has published 5 articles so far. More info about the author is coming soon.

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