Cosmetic Dentistry is improvisation of the appearance of the teeth, gums or bite. It mainly concentrates on the improvement of dental aesthetics in terms of color, size, alignment position, and overall smile appearance. Some of the latest techniques and products in cosmetic dentistry are Teeth Whitening, Bonding, Veneers, Crowns, Enamel Shaping and Contouring, Bridges, Braces, etc. Bonding makes use of tooth-collared amalgamated resin (plastic) to Implant Dentistry. Chipped, discolored, broken and decomposed teeth can be corrected with bonding technique. Teeth whitening procedure reduces pigments and improves the color of the teeth. Veneers, made of ceramic materials cover the front part of the teeth to change the shape of color. On the other hand crowns are caps which cover the entire tooth restoring a normal shape and size.

Orofacial myology refers to a specialized professional discipline which deals with oral, facial and structural arrangement, and action of facial muscles and their disorders. Orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs) leads to the disruption of normal dental development and malocclusions. The treatment procedures for OMDs are particularly designed to eliminate the harmful habit patterns and to normalize the position of lips and jaw, and to retrain muscle pattern abnormality.

A phase change from traditional techniques to digital methods has massively advanced the dentistry field widening the scope of dental treatments and procedures. Robotic and digital dentistry, Dental radiography/informatics, Forensic dentistry, Laser applications, Imaging techniques for the craniofacial hard and soft tissues, Dental implants & occlusal analysis, etc. are some of the advanced tools and techniques used in digital dentistry.

Dental products can be classified into various subcategories like diagnostics, drugs and pharmaceuticals, equipment and materials, whitening products, etc. Over the counter products include toothpaste, powered toothbrushes, manual toothbrushes, water pik devices and mouthwashes. The quality of treatment depends on the quality of product used for the treatment. Marketing is key to success for any business, and dentistry is not exception to that. Because of the boom in information technology, general dental patients are more aware of the options available to them; this makes marketing a challenge for both manufacturing companies and dentists for their respective products and services. Some platforms and methods used by manufacturing companies and dentists for marketing include: Website, search engine optimization, online reputation management and branding.
 

Dental sleep medicine is a branch of dental practice which deals with oral appliances that are worn in the mouth during sleep that prevents airway from collapsing by supporting jaw in a forward position in order to treat sleep disordered breathing like snoring and OSA. Other treatment options include Continuous Positive Airway Pressure/CPAP for sleep apnea and telegnathic surgery. People often prefer oral appliances because it is portable, quiet comfortable and easy to wear. Sleep disorders have severe consequences like automobile accidents, industrial accidents and overall reduction in productivity of an individual because of drowsiness. So, treatment of sleep disorders is crucial for the benefit of the individual and the community.

Dental Surgery is a medical procedure involving artificial modification of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth and includes modification of jaw bones. Based on various reasons people opt for a dental surgery. There are different types of dental surgeries and most common among them is surgical extraction of teeth. Injuries may also warrant surgery which should be performed by a dental specialist in a clinic.

Types:

Pulpotomy: Removal of a portion of the pulp along with the infected part in order to maintain the vitality of the remaining pulpal tissue.

Pulpectomy: Complete removal of pulp material from the pulp chamber and root canal.

Apicoectomy: Surgical procedure in which removal of tooth’s root tip, preparation of root end cavity and filling of biocompatibility material in it is performed when there is a failure in conventional root canal therapy.

Crowns or Caps: A covering (Crown/Cap) which is used to improve the appearance of tooth and to restore its strength, size and shape.

Veneers: Wafer-thin tooth colored artificial shells designed to cover the front surface of the teeth in order to provide a perfect appearance.

Bridges: A bridge consisting of a pontic along with abutment teeth on both the sides to fill the gap created by one or more missing teeth.

Dentures: Replacement of missing teeth by removable appliances.

Implants and implant-supported prosthesis: Dentures supported by implants on jaw bone in the complete absence of teeth.

Extraction: Removal of damaged or decayed tooth from its bone socket.

Fiberotomy: Surgical procedure designed to detach the fibres present around the tooth in order to reduce the tendency to relapse of tooth rotations corrected by dental treatments.

Periodontics: Dental specialty which focuses on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases effecting gums and other supporting structures around the teeth.

Cosmetic Dental Surgery: Dental work performed majorly focusing on improvement of position, color, size and alignment to enhance the overall smile appearance.

Restorative Dentistry which is also known as Oral Rehabilitation deals with the general dental needs of the oral cavity, the teeth and supporting structures of a patient suffering with initial or recurring decay; wearing a way of tooth structure, discoloration, erosion, abnormal spacing. The objective of restorative dentistry is to work along with dental and surgical specialists to deal with complex treatments like hypodontia, cleft lip, traumatic injuries, oral cancer, etc. In general, resins, glass ionomer cements and amalgam are used as different restorative materials but recently, nanomaterials are used as a major part of restorative dentistry treatment in material synthesis, biomimetic approaches and in tissue engineering.

Oral and maxillofacial surgery includes diagnosis, surgery and treatment of defects, injuries and diseases mainly in the oral hard and soft tissues, head, neck, face and maxillofacial region i.e. jaws and face. Functions of an oral and maxillofacial surgeon may include dental replacements, jaw, oral and facial tumor diagnosis and removal, jaw and facial bone alignment, jaw reconstruction, etc. In the mid-1980s, CO₂ Laser was first introduced that gained immense popularity in the field of periodontology mainly because of ease of simultaneous photo-thermal ablation and coagulation. Recent innovations in oral and maxillofacial surgery include trans-oral robotic surgery and titanium miniplates in the field of guided maxillofacial surgery.

In recent years, research in science and modern dentistry has been driven by developments in biomaterials science. A biomaterial is any substance or drug that has been designed to interact with a biological system for a therapeutic or medical cause. With the development of any new biocompatible materials, it can be used for the improvement of the presently existing materials characteristics that can in turn broaden the applications of biomaterials in dentistry field. The most commonly used biomaterials including dentin bonding, luting agent, glass ionomers and ceramics require a better understanding in multidisciplinary approach, for the development of new designs in order to get more satisfactory properties biologically and with improved biocompatibility.

Oral Implantology is the department of dentistry that deals with either permanent or artificial attachment of a prosthetic device to the bone of the jaw or skull. During the last decade, oral implantology has become an absolutely necessary part of mainstream dentistry, which helps the dentists to improve the quality of life worldwide. Modern implants consist of an osseous (bone-like) part that interacts with the bone which could be a trans-mucosal component that interacts with the mucosa and helps in restoration; for example, crown or bridge abutment, or anchors for dentures. The materials used as implants include pure form of titanium, titanium alloys or infrequently ceramic materials (e.g. zirconium dioxide or aluminum oxide). The recent developments in dental implantology like Digital Impression techniques that are used in intra-oral scanning; which helps the manufacturer to fabricate a working, articulated model (preparation of Implants) based on the digital image of a tooth. Currently, many researches are going on the optimization of the implant design as well as the surface characterization for the more frequent use of ceramic dental implants.

Oral cancer arises in the oral cavity with primary lesions originating from other tissues in the mouth some of which originate from nasal cavity. Most of the oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas occurring in upper layers of skin, the epidermis, i.e., in the tissues that line the mouth or lips. Some less likely oral cancers occur such as Kaposi’s sarcoma.

The endodontic specialist’s role is to perform research on the recent advancements in dentistry and to transmit information regarding the biologically acceptable materials and procedures. The specialist is also responsible to educate public the importance of endodontic to keep their oral and systemic health in a physiologically functional state.

Holistic dentistry is a combination of both modern science and natural healing. This deals with patient’s mind, body and spirit by not just focusing on his teeth like mainstream dentists. Treatment includes a diverse range of approaches and practices with strong opposition to the use of amalgam in dental filling and surgical approaches. Practitioners of holistic dentistry vary in terms of services they offer, techniques they follow and preventive approaches to dentistry.

Pediatric dentists deal with dental health of children; to care child’s teeth, gums and mouth throughout the various stages of childhood. Because of unusual eating habits and poor oral hygiene dental problem in children is very common in recent years and may lead to severe problems if not taken care. To provide treatment, a pediatric dentist must understand the specific dental and behavioral needs of a pediatric patient as they hold different dentition than adults. A dental visit is essential within six months after the presence of the first tooth, this aid in the detection of the early stages of tooth decay and early detection helps to prevent and treat at early stages.

Dental nurses are dental care professionals that provide assistance and support for clinical and non-clinical aspects of patient care. A dental nurse is able to work in all branches of dentistry like general dental practice and hospital and community services. Roles and responsibilities of dental nurses include: Performing infection control and decontamination procedures, handling dental materials, maintaining dental equipment and instruments and providing administrative support. Dental nurses should maintain ethical behavior for the profession, for the patient and for the community. Ethically, dental nurses should be motivated to maintain honor and integrity of the profession and support the dentist in proper patient treatment and welfare of the community. Dental nurse should perform only those dental works which they are entitled to perform. For the patients, the nurses should safeguard the welfare of patient regardless of sex, creed, race, economic standards, etc. Since patients are in close contact with the nurses, it is important for nurses to follow high ethical standards.

The embodiment of general wellbeing dentistry lies in the way that the range concentrates on a group or populace all in all and not singular patients. General wellbeing dental specialists work towards advancement of general oral and dental soundness of their groups. They teach patients to adjust to practices that may help enhance their general dental wellbeing over the long haul. General wellbeing dentistry likewise focuses on patient training, expanded consciousness of government projects and endeavors towards group dental wellbeing and health.

Orthodontia is the branch of dentistry that is concerned with the correction, prevention and treatment of the malocclusion, improper bites and crooked teeth as well as abnormalities of the dento-facial region. The main objective of orthodontics can be explained by Jackson’s triad which includes: Structural balance; functional efficiency; and aesthetic harmony. Orthodontics can be performed in three ways by alteration in tooth position, skeletal patter and soft tissue pattern. In the recent advancements of orthodontics, introduction of cone beam CT scanning has proved to be revolutionizing in treatment planning and evaluation. Recently, passive self-ligating brackets are used which have the ability to reduce crowding and eliminating the need for extraction.

Prosthodontics is the branch of dentistry that deals with the designing, manufacturing, making and fitting of artificial replacements of missing part of the mouth. It also deals with the treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of the oral parts functioning. Prosthodontics has four main branches: Removable prosthodontics; fixed prosthodontics; maxillofacial prosthodontics; and Implant prosthodontics. It is a form of restorative dentistry which deals with the treatment of multiple teeth at one time. Success in prosthodontics treatment requires a strong background in basic and clinical sciences along with excellent theoretical and technical skills as well as effective organizational capabilities. There are much recent advancements like use of CAD/CAM on fixed restoration; laser application in prosthetic dentistry and Stafne’s bone cavity and its utilization incomplete denature retention.
 

Periodontology is the branch of dentistry that deals with the scientific study, diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the surrounding tissues (Gum, Alveolar mucosa, periodontal ligament, etc.) of teeth. There are various roles played by periodontium like: they resist and optimize the forces generated by speech, mastication and swallowing; adjust the structural changes associated with age and external environment by continuous regeneration and remodeling. Periodontology deals with diseases which can be classified into gingivitis and chronic periodontitis. The common symptoms of gingivitis are redness, edema and bleeding. Chronic periodontitis can cause inflammation and bone loss. These diseases can be treated with periodontal therapy which includes oral hygiene, scaling and root planning and with the usage of antimicrobials.

Dental Pain or Tooth Ache in and around the teeth is common problem for patients having poor oral hygiene or who have undergone dental procedures. Common problems associated with poor oral hygiene are dental caries, pulpitis, periapical abscess and trauma. Complications include sinusitis which results from untreated maxillary infection; and cavernous sinus thrombosis. These conditions require proper attention as they are life threatening. Complications after dental procedures are common and include dry socket, osteomyelitis, bleeding and osteonecrosis of jaw. Treatments for these complications include antibiotics, stitches, scrapping of damaged bones and antibacterial mouth rinses. Recent advancements in treatments include radiofrequency ablation, pain shots, opioids and muscle relaxants.