Evidence has surfaced that dental surgery was performed over 9,000 years ago, based on studies by anthropological studies, indication that teeth had been drilled using flint. Many of today’s patients may argue that procedures have not changed much over the years, but today dental surgery involves the science of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases that affect the oral cavity. Dentists also are required to attend at least four years of post-graduate studies, longer if they plan to specialize in a specific environment.

The only element of a dental career that does not require additional study is in the field of cosmetics, as most procedures performed for cosmetic purposes are redundant of those for other dental surgery needs. While a typical tooth extraction may not require the expertise of a surgeon, all dental work performed today by a licensed dentist falls under the heading of dental surgery.

The Baltimore College of Dental Surgery was the first school in the United States to focus on oral and maxillofacial operations in 1840. Harvard opened its dental department in 1867, which became known as the Harvard School Of Dental Medicine in 1940. Since then numerous schools have opened departments of dentistry and many specialized procedures have become normal in the field.

Nine Specialties Fall Under Dental Umbrella

There are nine separate specialized in addition to general dental surgery requiring additional training or training under a residency program. Once training is completed the doctor receives a certificate of specialized training. The fields include dental pubic health, which is the study of epidemiology as well as endodontics, covering root canal procedures and disease of dental pulp.

Additional specialties include maxillofacial pathology and radiology, surgery and orthopaedics. Pedodontics specializes in dentistry for children and periodontics offers a specialty in the use of dental surgery to install implants.

Prosthodontics includes dentures and bridges as well as the restoration of implants and additional training in this specialty may include replacement of missing facial structures due to accident or injury, or those caused by birth defects.

One of the most common complaints associated with dental surgery is the level of pain endured by patients while undergoing various treatments. Many advances in anesthesiology have reduced the pain level significantly but even today, many older adults remember the pain they endured as a child undergoing dental surgery. While general anesthetic is not normally used in minor procedures, it is becoming requested more often by patients.

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