Posts Tagged ‘specialized areas of dental practice’
Your family-practice dentist refers you to a dental specialist whenever he believes you have a problem beyond his own ability and purview as a general practitioner. As with your family doctor and a problematical medical condition, you should reassure yourself that a consultation with a specialist is absolutely necessary, since in almost all cases a specialist’s fee is higher than a general practitioner’s. That’s because, ideally speaking, the procedures require more skill and specialized knowledge—the reason, after all, for needing a specialist in the first place. The questions we recommend you ask your family doctor concerning the need for a specialist are appropriate here as well .
Now for a little background to make you a more informed consumer in any situations and decisions involving dental specialists.
According to the American Dental Association (ADA), a specialist must have certain qualifications: two years of education beyond the general degree at an accredited dental school, and/or certification by an ADA-recognized certifying organization.
What is certification? A dentist who beyond dental school has continued his or her studies in depth in a chosen field may choose to become board-certified. First, the dentist must pass a qualifying examination administered by a specialty board (national board of professionals in that specialty field). While board certification is an achievement awarded by the dentist’s colleagues and does require additional education, it is not necessarily an indicator of skill or higher-quality care. What it does indicate is a higher price tag for the services, so it’s important to know who’s who and what each does so that your money is well spent.
The American Dental Association has approved eight specialized areas of dental practice:
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