Are there cosmetic dentists?
While cosmetic dental procedures are incredibly popular and some dentists may choose to focus on cosmetic procedures, there is no such thing as a 'cosmetic dentist'.
What cosmetic procedures can my dentist perform?
If your dentist decides to offer cosmetic procedures at their clinic, you may be wondering which procedures would be beneficial to your smile. Teeth whitening, dental veneers, crowns, dental bonding, and inlays or onlays are some of the cosmetic procedures commonly offered at dental clinics.
Your dentist may be able to perform these procedures, but that does not make specifically make them a 'cosmetic dentist' as that is not a recognized dental specialty in Canada.
What Dental Specialties are recognized in Canada?
There are nine recognized dental professions in Canada. The Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) reviews and accredits the education programs in those nine dental specialties.
These are the nine dental professions:
Dental Public Health - Dental Public Health is concerned with the diagnosis, prevention, and control of dental diseases and the promotion of oral health through organized community efforts.
Endodontics - Endodontics is a branch of dentistry that focuses on the morphology, physiology, and pathology of the dental pulp and periradicular tissues. Its study and practise include basic clinical sciences such as normal pulp biology and the aetiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and injuries to the pulp and associated tissues.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery - This branch and specialty of dentistry is concerned with and includes the diagnosis, surgical and supplementary treatment of disorders, diseases, injuries, and defects, involving the functional and aesthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the mouth and related structures.
Oral Medicine and Pathology - This is a branch of dentistry that is concerned with the diagnosis, nature, and primarily non-surgical management of oral, maxillofacial, and TMJ diseases and disorders, including dental management of patients with medical complications. Oral medicine and oral pathology are two applied components of this specialty.
Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology - This specialty of dentistry involves the prescription, production, and interpretation of diagnostic images for the diagnosis and management of diseases and disorders of the craniofacial complex.
Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics - These dentists are specifically concerned with the supervision, guidance, and correction of the growing or mature dentofacial structures and the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of any abnormalities associated with these structures.
Pediatric Dentistry - Pediatric dentists provide a primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral health diagnosis, care, and consultative expertise for infants and children through adolescence, including those of all ages with special care needs.
Periodontics - This specialty is interested in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth or their substitutes and the maintenance of health, function, and aesthetics.
Prosthodontics - Prosthodontists diagnose, restore and maintain oral function, comfort, appearance, and health of the patient by the restoration of the natural teeth and/or the replacement of missing teeth and oral tissues with artificial substitutes.