21st Century Dental Clinics
The Changing Face of The Dental Clinic
For those raised during the ‘50s and ‘60s, a visit to the dentist was a different experience from that offered to patients today. On the other hand, these individuals were, no doubt, grateful that they were not living in the days before anaesthetics when pulling teeth was, along with a number of other common surgical procedures, a job for the local barber. However, neither the baby boomers nor their less fortunate antecedents could have anticipated the remarkable facilities of a typical 21st-century dental clinic.
No longer limited to care of the teeth, modern dentistry has grown to become a discipline in which the focus is not only on the diagnosis and treatment of disorders and diseases affecting the teeth and gums, but also addresses ailments affecting the oral cavity as well as the jaw and the facial region. A typical dental clinic must now employ specialised personnel and have access to advanced technology and equipment that have become essential to provide the comprehensive care provided today.
The modern approach to dentistry is a more holistic one than in the past and focuses on the importance of oral hygiene. Many practices offer the services of a dedicated oral hygienist. These licensed professionals are trained to tackle many tasks formerly left to the dentist and are a standard feature in the dental clinics operated by Intercare. One of their main responsibilities is scaling and root planing. This is a non-surgical procedure to remove superficial plaque and tartar from the exposed roots, as well as any cementum- or dentine-containing microorganisms that could lead to gum disease.
Other services undertaken by oral hygienists include teeth whitening, cleaning, de-banding of braces, and compiling customised preventative-maintenance programmes for their patients. By allocating these tasks to a hygienist, a dentist can focus on the more-exacting requirements of the profession and treat more patients in the time they have available.
As well as providing routine care such as radiography, restorative treatments such as porcelain crowns and inlays, root-canal work, and fitting removable prostheses, a modern dental clinic will generally be able to offer a number of more specialised treatments. These include orthodontics, oral and gum surgery, endodontics, and dental implants. At Intercare, you can book your appointment via our quick online booking system.
We have established a chain of such facilities across South Africa, providing patients with access to highly qualified and experienced specialists and the very latest technology. That dentistry will continue to evolve is a given. The use of gene-mediated therapy to prevent decay and even the possibility of growing new teeth structures are on the cards for the dental clinic of tomorrow.