Doctor or dentist: Who to go to for problems in your mouth

There’s a lot going on in your mouth, which is why dentists have teams of specialists to keep your smile gleaming. Although dentists and dental specialists do the most work keeping your mouth and teeth healthy, not all oral problems can be solved by a trip to the dentist.

Because of this, we often get questions about who a patient should consult when there’s a particular problem in their mouth – a doctor or a dentist.

So in this blog, we’ll cover who’s responsible for what when there’s something amiss with your oral health.

The doctor’s role in your oral health

One of the primary roles doctor’s have in maintaining oral health is the prevention and treatment of oral cancer. No matter where cancer shows up, there are oncologists who are dedicated to keeping patients cancer-free, and that includes the mouth. However, though dentists are not equipped to deal with cancer, they are often the first line of defense against oral cancer. That’s because your dentist sees your mouth more often than any other health professional, so they are often the first to catch the early signs of oral cancer.

Other reasons a doctor may need to look in your mouth are:

  • An ENT, or ear nose and throat specialists, often work in and around the mouth, and will do facial reconstructive surgery that can include work in the oral cavity. If your problem is further back than your uvula, then an ENT is the doctor to see

  • Many facial injuries, such as lacerations to the cheeks or tongue will be dealt with by doctors, though any damage to your teeth will result in a trip to the dentist.

  • Symptoms of a larger disease that affect that mouth, such as dry mouth or lesions, should be dealt with by doctors.

Dental specialties

To help you understand the depth of the dental field, we’ll go over the dental specialties. There are nine nationally recognized dental specialties recognized in Canada that help to keep your whole mouth healthy, from gums to teeth. Typically, if there is a problem in your mouth, the right team of dental specialists will be able to take care of it.

Dental specialists include:

  • Dental Public Health 

  • Endodontics 

  • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 

  • Oral Medicine and Pathology 

  • Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology 

  • Orthodontics and Dentofacial

  • Orthopedics 

  • Pediatric Dentistry 

  • Periodontics 

  • Prosthodontics

Together these dentists help you to maintain your oral health.

Though we’d love to cover each in detail, there’s too much information there for this post. But, for more information on each of the specialties go to the Canadian Dental Association website.

Your responsibilities

For most issues with oral health a dentist is the answer. And, even if your dentist can’t deal with the problem, like oral cancer, they will be able to guide you to the specialist you need to see. But at the end of the day, the most important person for keeping you mouth healthy is you. By brushing after every meal, flossing daily, and maintaining regular appointments with your dentist, you can head off any issues with your mouth long before they become a bigger problem.

Jordana Gagnon