What main procedures do general dentists do?

Started by Cofo
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When I shadowed my general dentist, I saw lots of restorations, root canals, extractions, crowns/bridges, dentures, veneers, plus more. Some dentists do more procedures than others so it differs of course!
 
Yeah, depends on where it is and what the mission of the office is, I worked at a low income clinic and we did mostly fillings (posterior amalgams and anterior composites for the most part), LOTS of extractions, roots canals, some smaller appliances, cleanings, a lot of variety, and kept it interesting.
 
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Cofo said:
Thanks!
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There really is not one single answer for this. It really depends on the the general dentist, their preferences and the patient pool available to them.

I know a general dentist who pretty much only places crowns, bridges and if any type of posterior operative procedure is needed he places a Cerec inlay. He rarely places a composite filling (only when absolutely necessary) and NEVER places an amalgam. The guy's patient pool is on the wealthier side who pay out of pocket, so he when he says that an Inlay ($950) needs to be placed, they just accept it is as and pay it. This is not a typical case of a general dentist, but an example where it just depends.

There are gnereal dentists who basically do what a specialist does. They just cannot legally call themselves a specialist. I know general dentists who pretty much only do ortho. I know one who do mostly pros because they are great at it but couldn't get into a pros residency.

Some general dentists won't touch endo. Others love it. Some won't touch dentures, others will. Some like everything. Others are very limited. Their skill level and confidence can play a big part in their decision to refer out.

But if you were to say what you picture a general dentist does normally - operative procedures, prophies (if no hygeinist), crowns and bridges, basic endo, uncomplicated extractions.
 
who r u kidding?? doctors do different things because it's their choice..and what makes them choose a procedure over the other?? MONEY.

if someone with crappy insurance (such as HMO) needs a root canal..u say "oh i'm gonna refer u to specialist..then u come back here so i can restore the tooth with a crown"


so answer to ur question, dentists do EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING. if u need specific details so you can fill up ur personal statement about what u should have learned while job shadowing, then google it. 👍
 
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Everything above is correct. I would add bleaching, crown lengthening, invisalign, botox (yes, dentists are legally ably to provide botox), and sinus lifts. It all depends on the comfort level and ambitions of the practitioner.
 
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