A practice that has many specialists is the best place to get beautiful and healthy teeth. However, not all dental practices have a lot of specialists.
There are three main types of dental practice. The first type is general practices that have general dentists who diagnose and treat gum disease and offer treatments for missing teeth. They also fit dentures. The second is single-specialised practices that specialize in a particular niche such as teeth straightening. The third, London Dental Specialists is multidisciplinary. Multidisciplinary dentists are able to treat patients with all types of problems.
Why is it important to have a team made up of specialists?
Communication is the main reason why it is so important to choose a practice that has experts from multiple areas. No matter how simple or complicated a procedure is, patients will need to have at least two specialists. How do you ensure that the two specialists working together are efficient in these cases?
A practice that is only focused on one specialty may need to consult external specialists. The risk of miscommunication and friction is higher when specialists aren’t used to working together or have never worked in the same group. The interpersonal relationships that are so important for a beautiful, healthy smile.
Hospital services often have professionals who are specialists in different areas. They are designed to be multidisciplinary. As you know, when teams do not communicate with each other across multiple specialties, patients suffer. This is also true in dentistry.
Isn’t it better to work in a practice with multiple in-house specialists who can communicate with each other and have fun together? It is the personal relationships between service providers that will make you feel comfortable and provide the best care.
What are the various roles in a multidisciplinary practice.
A dentist can be specialized in many areas. None should be considered less important than others. London Dental Specialists is blessed to have specialists in many areas.
Let’s discuss what these roles are and how they affect patient outcomes.
Peri is a Greek word that means “about, around”, and comes from Ancient Greek “peri”.
Odonto, Ancient Greek “odont”, meaning “tooth,” is derived from the Ancient Greek “odont”, “odont” and “odont”.
A periodontist, such as myself, is responsible for creating the foundations for a healthy mouth. Ancient Greek means “peri” which means “around”, and “odont” which means “tooth”. Periodontists are professionals who work outside of the root and supporting structures. Periodontists are essential in the treatment and installation of dental implant.
Endo, an Ancient Greek prefix meaning “within”, “internal, absorbing or containing” is “Endon”, which comes from Ancient Greek “endon”.
While the periodontist works on the foundations, an endodontist focuses more on the inside. Their role is to make sure that the internal parts of the tooth (such as the nerve canal) are healthy. An endodontist can prevent toothache from developing when the nerve channel becomes infected.
Ortho- (prefix). From the Ancient Greek “orthos”, meaning “straight and erect, or proper”.
Orthodontists have a completely different job. Their role is to move the teeth from the wrong place to the right one. The simple act of moving teeth into the proper position can create a beautiful smile (because they are in the right spot) and a healthy smile (because your bite is well balanced).
The fight against gum disease can also be made easier by the help of an orthodontist (stay tuned for future blog posts). If the gums cause the teeth to shift into a new position. When possible, an orthodontist can move the teeth back into the correct position. This will reduce the need to have more costly dental implants.
- Dental therapists
While not a specialist, a UK dental therapist is a new and exciting job. Many dental therapists started as hygienists. However, it was soon realized that the roles could be expanded. It was natural that hygienists would take on more responsibilities within a practice and become dental therapists.
Dental therapists can perform roughly 60-70 percent of the work that a general dentist is trained for. There are many training programs available. This allows them to perform routine dental checks and provide service for children’s lost teeth.
This work is a great example of what can happen in general practices. The role of a dental therapist in a specialist practice is crucial and vital. London Dental Specialists is proud to say that all dental professionals have clear roles in the care of patients. Our team is highly skilled in their respective fields and can communicate well across disciplines.
What makes multidisciplinary practices so valuable?
You could see the relationship between a dentist, your teeth, and an architect as that between an architect and a building. Let’s think of it like this: Endodontists, periodontists, and dentists work together in order to lay the foundations and ensure that the blueprints for your smile are technically flawless. Orthodontists ensure that the building is structurally sound. Cosmetic dentistry is about interior and exterior painting. It is much easier to paint and decorate the house beautifully if the groundwork and structure are correct.
Beautiful and healthy smiles start with the foundations. A beautiful house may look great, but it will soon start to crumble if it isn’t constructed properly from the ground. It is very important that my team and i can trust our work will last at least ten years when we are prescribing treatment plans.
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