Health · Chapter 13 · Dental
Dental Specialties
Definition
Oral surgery — tooth extraction and surgical treatment of injuries/diseases/jaw defects · Endodontics — root canals and dental pulp diseases · Periodontics — gum disease and supporting-tissue diseases · Prosthodontics — dentures, bridgework, and artificial devices · Orthodontics — correcting teeth/jaw alignment with braces and retainers · Pediatric dentistry — preventive/restorative care for children · Oral pathology — tissue biopsies for oral diseases such as oral cancer.
In plain English
Memory hooks: ENDO = inside the tooth (root canal) · PERIO = around the tooth (gums) · PROSTHO = prosthetic teeth (dentures) · ORTHO = straightening.
Exam tip
Root canal → endodontics. Gum disease → periodontics. Dentures → prosthodontics. Braces → orthodontics. These one-to-one matches are exactly how they're tested.
Easy to confuse with
These are what this term gets tested against — if you can't tell them apart cold, drill the contrast.
Related terms