Atlanta, GA
A 29-year-old male asked:
I understand that dentists are doctors by virtue of thier title, education and training. but are dentists also "physicians" ?
6 doctor answers • 8 doctors weighed in
Dr. Wayne ORoarkanswered
Dentistry 59 years experience
No: The time of training for a dentist is equivalent to that needed to be a physician, but a physician is a doctor of medicine, a dentist is a doctor of dental surgery (dds) or doctor of dental medicine (dmd), exactly the same degree.
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5.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. Steven Heveranswered
Dentistry 20 years experience
No: Physicians have gone through medical school, whereas dentists go through dental school, and specialize in the oral cavity. Physicians leave the teeth and surrounding structures to the dentist and although there is crossover because everything is connected, they are not the same.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Mayur Nayeeanswered
13 years experience
Bit of both: Dentists are trained as "physicians of the head and neck" and so everything above the collar bone is considered their area of expertise. In addition to the mechanics of fixing teeth, dentists are increasingly having to view the entire body as a whole due to the effects the oral conditions have on systemic health. In the same way, conditions like diabetes have serious effects on teeth and gums.
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5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. John Thaleranswered
Prosthodontics 43 years experience
Normally not in U.S.: The DMD/DDS degrees are not medical degrees, but ,rather,dental degrees.Some Oral Surgery programs are "dual degree" programs in which the dentist earns a medical (MD) degree while earning their certificate in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. These Dentists are also Physicians.There are some Dentists that go back to school to get their Medical Degree.In other countries Dentistry is part of Medicine
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3.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. Paul Grinanswered
Pain Management 38 years experience
Dentists are not: physicians. Remember the statement "All physicians are doctors, but not all doctors are necessarily physicians".
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3.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. Arnold Malermananswered
Orthodontics 55 years experience
Doctors: The title "Doctor" refers to level of education. A Doctor is trained in a specific discipline, whether that's Dentistry (DDS/DMD), Medicine/Physician (DO/MD), Psychology (PsyD/PhD), Optometry (OD), Podiatry (DPM), History (PhD), and all recognize educational achievement in that discipline. Dentists are not physicians, physicians are not dentists. And both health care disciplines have specialties.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
150 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Last updated Aug 3, 2019
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