Dental providers offer a range of services to maintain and restore oral health, including routine checkups and cleanings, treating dental decay and gum disease, performing cosmetic procedures such as teeth whitening, and conducting surgical treatments for issues like tooth loss.
Key roles include dentists, who diagnose and treat oral diseases; dental hygienists, who professionally clean teeth and take X-rays; and dental assistants, who support providers with chairside duties and sterilization.
Services Provided by Dental Providers
Preventative Care: Dental providers perform cleanings, apply sealants and fluoride, and conduct oral cancer screenings to maintain oral health.
Restorative Care: They fill cavities, place crowns for severe decay or injury, and offer solutions for tooth loss like bridges, implants, and dentures.
Cosmetic Procedures: Services such as teeth whitening, veneers, and dental bonding are available to improve the appearance of teeth.
Surgical Procedures: Dentists perform surgical procedures, and periodontists specialize in soft tissue procedures, such as gum grafts.
Alignment Treatments: Providers can treat misaligned teeth using clear aligners or other methods.
Orthodontics: Orthodontists, a specialized type of dentist, focus on the alignment of teeth and jaws.
Key Dental Provider Roles
Dentists diagnose and treat diseases of the oral cavity, creating treatment plans and performing a variety of procedures.
Dental Hygienists: They clean teeth, take X-rays, apply preventive materials, and counsel patients on oral hygiene.
Dental Assistants: They support dentists and hygienists by sterilizing equipment, taking X-rays, and providing chairside assistance.
Dental Therapists: These licensed providers perform routine care, such as fillings and exams, under the supervision of a dentist, often in underserved areas.
Why Dental Care is Important
Early Problem Detection: Regular dental visits allow for the early detection and treatment of oral health issues, which can be more affordable and effective.
Overall Health: Good oral health is closely linked to a patient’s overall well-being, and regular care helps reduce the risk of other health problems.
Prevention: Dental providers help prevent dental issues before they start through cleanings and preventative treatments.
Advanced Practice Dental Therapists
Healthcare Taxonomy Code 125K00000X
An Advanced Practice Dental Therapist is:
(1) A dental therapist who has completed additional training beyond basic dental therapy education and provides dental services in accordance with state advanced practice dental therapist laws or statutes.
(2) A dental hygienist with a graduate degree in advanced dental therapy is prepared for independent and interdependent decision making and direct accountability for clinical judgment across the dental health care continuum.
The individual has been authorized by the relevant state board or a tribal entity to provide services under the remote supervision of a dentist.
Dental Assistants
Healthcare Taxonomy Code 126800000X
An individual who may or may not have completed an accredited dental assisting education program and who aids the dentist in providing patient care services and performs other nonclinical duties in the dental office or other patient care facility.
The scope of patient care functions that may be legally delegated to a dental assistant varies based on the dentist’s needs, the dental assistant’s educational preparation, and state dental practice acts and regulations.
Patient care services are provided under the supervision of a dentist.
To avoid misleading the public, no occupational title other than dental assistant should be used to describe this dental auxiliary.
Dental Hygienists
Healthcare Taxonomy Code 124Q00000X
An individual who has completed an accredited dental hygiene education program, and an individual who a state board of dental examiners has licensed to provide preventive care services under the supervision of a dentist.
Functions that may be legally delegated to dental hygienists vary based on the needs of the dentist, the educational preparation of the dental hygienist, and state dental practice acts and regulations, but always include, at a minimum, scaling and polishing teeth.
To avoid misleading the public, no occupational title other than dental hygienist should be used to describe this dental auxiliary.
Dental Laboratory Technicians
Healthcare Taxonomy Code 126900000X
An individual who has the skill and knowledge in the fabrication of dental appliances, prostheses, and devices in accordance with a dentist’s laboratory work authorization.
To avoid misleading the public, no occupational title other than dental laboratory technician or certified dental technician (when appropriate) should be used to describe this auxiliary.
Dental Therapists
Healthcare Taxonomy Code 125J00000X
A Dental Therapist is an individual who has completed an accredited or non-accredited dental therapy program and who has been authorized by the relevant state board or a tribal entity to provide services within the scope of their practice under the supervision of a dentist.
Functions that may be delegated to the dental therapist vary based on the dentist’s needs, the dental therapist’s educational preparation, and state dental practice acts and regulations.
Dentists
Healthcare Taxonomy Code 122300000X
A dentist is a person qualified by a doctorate in dental surgery (DDS) or dental medicine (DMD), licensed by the state to practice dentistry, and practicing within the scope of that license.
There is no difference between the two degrees; dentists who hold a DMD or DDS have the same level of education.
Universities have the prerogative to determine what degree is awarded.
Both degrees use the exact curriculum requirements set by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation.
Generally, three to four years of undergraduate education, followed by four years of dental school, are required to graduate and become a general dentist.
State licensing boards accept either degree as equivalent, and both degrees allow licensed individuals to practice the exact scope of general dentistry.
Additional post-graduate training is required to become a dental specialist.
Denturists
Healthcare Taxonomy Code 122400000X
A denturist is a licensed professional who serves patients with removable dental prosthetic needs related to oral health.
A licensed denturist is trained in the fabrication of removable dental prosthetics.