Difference between Oral Surgeon and Endodontist

Difference between Oral Surgeon and Endodontist

Mar 04, 2022

Distinctions between oral surgeons and Endodontists are pretty complicated. Oral surgeons are commonly known as maxillofacial surgeons and focus on treatments dealing with the jaw, mouth, and entire face. On the other hand, an endodontist specializes in treating infections of the dental pulp and the roots of your teeth. If you wish to learn about the distinction between these two professionals, please continue reading this article for more information.

Who Are Oral Surgeons?

Oral surgeons are specialists working in conjunction with general dentists to provide patients with exceptional and intensive care for complicated issues of the face and mouth. Oral surgeons often receive referrals from general dentists when some treatments are beyond their scope.

Oral surgeons treat patients with damaged or impacted teeth, and perform bone grafts and sinus lifts for dental implant placement, surgical tooth extraction, and TMJ surgery. In addition, if dentists notice suspicious growths in the mouth of their patients, they refer them for further diagnosis and treatment for oral cancer to oral surgeons.

The Benefits of Oral Cancer Screening in Oral Surgery

The dentist near you performs oral cancer screening when you visit them for routine checkups. If they notice suspicious growths or precancerous lesions in your mouth, they try to diagnose the condition as soon as possible because treating oral cancer early is the optimal way to eliminate this devastating disease from your body.

Oral cancer detected early allows the oral surgeon in Rancho Bernardo to provide treatments that have successful outcomes. Although oral cancer screening is a preventive measure getting the surgery if required during the early stages helps patients achieve successful results.

Who Are Endodontists?

Endodontists are teeth-saving professionals specializing in preserving diseased and damaged teeth. Root canal treatments are the most standard therapies provided by Endodontists. Endodontists also complete four years of graduation from dental school before attending a post-graduation course to specialize in infections affecting the inside of the tooth for two to three years.

Endodontists offer dental implants, severe dental injury treatments, and endodontic surgery. The treatments mentioned are also performed by general dentists safely and effectively. However, patients encountering a challenging situation are often referred to Endodontists if they need complicated treatments.

How Oral Surgeon’s Role Differs from Endodontist?

An oral surgeon is a specialist in performing treatments to your face, mouth, and jaw. Unfortunately, oral surgeons do not receive the training received by Endodontists to provide remedies for infections inside a tooth. Therefore while they can comfortably remove an impacted wisdom tooth, the professional finds it challenging to drill a tooth and look for diseases without adequate instruments or knowledge.

If you need surgery for any issue like TMJ joint disorder, orthognathic surgery, or prosthodontics, you find it beneficial to visit an oral surgeon instead of an endodontic specialist.

Similarly, if you have an excruciating toothache in a specific tooth with lingering sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures because of severe decay or injuries, you will likely need help from an endodontist and not an oral surgeon. Endodontists have the expertise and the tools to provide endodontic therapy to eradicate infections to your dental pulp and tooth roots.

Endodontic specialists are also surgeons in that they perform complicated surgeries on your teeth without impacting any other part of your mouth. Oral surgeons don’t affect your mouth when performing any surgical procedure. Instead, they provide remedies to correct issues confronting you before they aggravate into severe conditions. However, oral surgeons wouldn’t consider interfering in the domain of Endodontists who perform surgical procedures that are entirely different. Therefore while both professionals can perform surgeries, their areas of specialization are distinct with similar objectives of relieving the patient from infections or pain they experience.

Do You Need Help from an Oral Surgeon or an Endodontist?

Your dentist usually recommends you if you need dental work from a specialist. If your dental problem stems from your tooth, you require endodontic therapy needing help from an endodontist. However, if you have other issues impacting your mouth and jaw without causing any pain in your teeth, your dentist refers you to an oral surgeon to determine the cause of your discomfort and provide appropriate treatment as they deem suitable for you. Therefore the decision to see oral surgeons or Endodontists depends on your general dentist, who advises you on the best course of action.

If you think you have a dental issue that needs help from either specialist, please contact Talent Dental, where you receive appropriate advice from dentists and oral surgeons simultaneously.

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