Who’s who in the dental care team?

As the leader of the oral health care team, your dentist works closely with the dental hygienist, the dental assistant and the dental office staff to keep you and your mouth healthy. Each member plays an important role on the oral health care team.

Your dentist

Your dentist is your oral health care expert and knows how the health of your teeth, gums and mouth relates to your general health. Only your dentist has the training, skill and expertise to:

• Examine and diagnose your oral health condition.
• Recommend and carry out treatment.
• Inform you about the general oral health care you need after treatment or surgery.
• Meet all your oral health care needs.

The dental hygienist

The dental hygienist works together with your dentist to prevent dental disease and keep your mouth healthy. The dental hygienist is registered and certified to clean your teeth and discuss with you the importance of caring for your teeth and gums at home.

The dental hygienist may do a basic examination of your teeth and gums, and will inform your dentist about the result. In some dental offices, the dentist alone performs the examination and may also provide dental hygiene care. Your dental hygienist may clean, polish and apply fluoride to your teeth, take x-rays and make dental impressions.

The dental assistant

The dental assistant helps the dentist during patient examinations and treatment procedures. The dental assistant prepares patients for treatment, passes dental instruments and materials to the dentist and keeps the mouth dry using suction during treatment procedures. The dental assistant sterilizes dental instruments and may polish and apply fluoride to your teeth, take x-rays and make dental impressions.

The dental office staff

Your dentist may have a receptionist or several dental office staff depending on the size of the practice. The office staff, including the receptionist, is often your first point of contact with a dental office. The office staff manages the flow of patients through the office by booking and scheduling appointments, taking care of billings and payments, as well as day-to-day office administrative duties.

Dental specialties

If your treatment requires specialized dental procedures, you or your dentist may be more comfortable if you see a dental specialist. Your dentist will arrange for you to consult with the specialist best suited to your needs.

In Canada, there are 9 specialty areas of dentistry:

• Endodontics.
• Oral and maxillofacial surgery.
• Oral medicine and pathology.
• Oral radiology.
• Orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics.
• Pediatric dentistry.
• Periodontology.
• Prosthodontics.
• Public health dentistry.