Kenneth J Smith Dds, PSC

Dentistry

Kenneth J Smith Dds, PSC is a Dentistry practice in Morehead, KY with healthcare providers who have special training and skill in diagnosis and treatment of problems with patients' teeth, gums, lips, and jaw. Dentists at Kenneth J Smith Dds, PSC perform dental procedures focused on prevention of oral diseases such as tooth decay and periodontal disease. Dentistry is a branch of medicine concerned with study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases affecting the oral cavity. Significant diseases and conditions treated at Dentistry practices include tooth cavities, gum disease, bad breath, tooth sensitivity, mouth sores, tooth erosion, and dental emergencies. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Dentistry practices include dental examinations, filling cavities, removing tooth decay, repairing cracked teeth, performing root canals, and removing teeth.

A dentist is a person qualified by a doctorate in dental surgery (D.D.S.) or dental medicine (D.M.D.), licensed by the state to practice dentistry, and practicing within the scope of that license. There is no difference between the two degrees: dentists who have a DMD or DDS have the same education. Universities have the prerogative to determine what degree is awarded. Both degrees use the same curriculum requirements set by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation. Generally, three or more years of undergraduate education plus four years of dental school is required to graduate and become a general dentist. State licensing boards accept either degree as equivalent, and both degrees allow licensed individuals to practice the same scope of general dentistry. Additional post-graduate training is required to become a dental specialist.

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Kenneth J Smith Dds, PSC is an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery practice in Morehead, KY with healthcare providers who have special training and skill in treating problems related to the hard and soft tissues of the face, mouth, and jaws (the upper jaw is called the maxilla). Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons at Kenneth J Smith Dds, PSC perform exams, diagnostic tests, then dental surgery. Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery is the specialty of dentistry which includes the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects involving both the functional and aesthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. Significant diseases and conditions treated at Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery practices include erupted wisdom teeth, facial injury, obstructive sleep apnea, head, neck, and oral cancer, cleft lip/palate, cranial deformity, misaligned jaws and teeth, as well as temporomandibular joint disorders. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery practices include dental implant surgery, wisdom teeth management, treatment of facial injury trauma, facial cosmetic surgery, treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, head, neck, and oral cancer treatment, dental and soft tissue surgery, corrective cleft lip/ palate, jaw, and craniofacial surgery.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are trained to recognize and treat a wide spectrum of diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. They are also trained to administer anesthesia, and provide care in an office setting. They are trained to treat problems such as the extraction of wisdom teeth, misaligned jaws, tumors and cysts of the jaw and mouth, and to perform dental implant surgery.