General Dentistry

The general practitioner must be familiar with the diseases that affect the human body. A practitioner of general dentistry must acquire extensive knowledge about the primary disease affecting the teeth - tooth decay.

Both adults and children can have cavities. For that reason, a practitioner of general dentistry cares for patients of all ages. The general dentist helps his or her patients to care for their teeth. The general dentist diagnosis instances of tooth disease (cavities), disease usually caused by improper tooth care.

Proper tooth care demands an awareness of the dangers of acid erosion. Many foods contain acid. As people eat those foods, the acid can erode their teeth. Tooth erosion can push a patient to visit the office of a practitioner of general dentistry.

A good general dentist makes a point of sharing with patients the long list of foods and beverages that contain acid. Soft drinks have acid, even if they have a sugar substitute. Fruit juices, pickles and yogurt all contain acid. The acid in those foods eats away at tooth enamel.

Sports injuries can damage the teeth. A good general dentist takes the time to talk with appropriate patients about the value of wearing a mouth guard. When some youth shy away from using such a device, they fail to think ahead to how a prominent dental injury might impede their chances for future job advancement.

General dentistry fights a continuous battle against the effects of caries (tooth decay). General dentistry includes a continuous effort to emphasize the degree to which a patient can avoid getting caries.

General dentistry involves more than a reminder to patients that they should not eat too much candy. All carbohydrates can cause caries. Saliva changes starch to sugar in the mouth; that sugar then has contact with the teeth. Desert and snack foods, foods that contain starch and sugar can interact with plaque on the teeth.

How does that plaque get on the teeth? Bacteria that live in the mouth form that plaque. When plaque interacts with sugary or starchy foods, it produces a substance with a low pH, in other words, an acid. The presence of that acid can cause tooth decay.

General dentistry seeks to encourage efforts aimed at the prevention of tooth decay. To a certain extent saliva helps to buffer the effects of the acid in the mouth. The chewing of sugarless come allows a patient to stimulate the flow of saliva in his or her mouth. Yet no amount of chewing can hold-off all tooth decay.

Because general dentists remain all too aware of the need for regular brushing and flossing, they try to educate their parents about the value of good dental care. Since the 1950s, general dentists have encouraged their patients to use toothpaste containing fluoride, since that helps to rebuild the damage caused by plaque and bacteria.

By using toothpaste with fluoride, a patient can remineralize his or her teeth. In that way, the same patient prevents the need to seek treatement from those who practice general dentistry.