Dentists Boston, MA

Boston dentists keep their patients’ teeth and gums healthy and looking good. While going to the dentist or orthodontist is universally regarded as painful, uncomfortable, and unpleasant it is extremely important that you take good care of your choppers. You should see a dentist practicing in the Boston, MA area about every six months.

If you don’t have a regular dentist you should find one as soon as possible. Hopefully, a close friend or relative knows a quality practitioner of dentistry working in Massachusetts. If they don’t, you should turn to the internet. Since information on the web is notoriously unreliable, check all possible dentists against the appropriate state agencies and boards. You should also look for a dentist that has an office in your part of Boston. If you live in Charlestown, you don’t want to travel all the way to West Roxbury for a teeth cleaning.

When you find a dentist that you think might be right for you, schedule a time to meet and to tour their facility (which should be clean and organized). During your initial meeting, ask how long they’ve been practicing dentistry, their various treatments, and if they accept your insurance. When it comes to dentists, Boston residents have many dedicated, well-trained, and competent practitioners from which to choose.

The Importance of Dental Health

Most people likely believe that going to the dentist every six months is optional. Some even opt out of the practice, going years without having their teeth cleaned and examined. More often than not, however, those people are simply delaying the inevitable and, possibly, letting small problems bloom into big ones.

Common dental issues like cavities, gum disease, tooth decay, and enamel erosion are easily managed if kept in check. If left to their own devices, though, these problems may well wreak havoc not just in a patient's dental health, but in their overall well-being, as well.

Gum inflammation, for example, is a likely harbinger of a deeper problem, such as an infection. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Some research suggests that heart disease, clogged arteries and stroke may be linked to oral bacteria, possibly due to chronic inflammation from periodontitis — a severe form of gum disease.” Additionally, premature birth and low birth weight, osteoporosis, Sjogren's syndrome, and eating disorders are all linked to poor oral health.

The Mayo Clinic outlines five easy steps to better dental health:

Brush your teeth at least twice a day.
Replace your toothbrush every three to four months.
Floss daily.
Eat a healthy diet and limit between-meal snacks.
Schedule regular dental checkups.

Branches of Dentistry

Like every branch of medicine, dentistry is comprised of a number of different specialties. Boston offers many, many dentists in each of the following categories:

Periodontics is the basic dental specialty that most people are familiar with. These practitioners focus on preventing, diagnosing, and treating common ailments involving “the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth or their substitutes.” Cleanings, exams, fillings, root canals, and the like would all fall under this category.

Pediatric Dentistry does all of the above, but with a focus on “both primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral health care for infants and children through adolescence, including those with special health care needs.”

Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics is another somewhat familiar specialty, at least for anyone who ever had braces and/or headgear to correct their crooked teeth. This branch “includes the diagnosis, prevention, interception, and correction of malocclusion, as well as neuromuscular and skeletal abnormalities of the developing or mature orofacial structures.”

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery deals with the deeper problems, such as wisdom tooth removal, but also “the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects involving both the functional and esthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues.”

Prosthodontics handles “clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth and/or oral and maxillofacial tissues using biocompatible substitutes.” Dentures, bridges, and similar problems would be taken care of under this specialty.

The goal for anyone is to maintain optimal dental health so that the need for anything more than a periodontist never arises. Following the Mayo Clinic recommendations will go a long way toward achieving that goal. Whether you live in Boston or anywhere, take care of your teeth and they will take care of you!

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