In the United States and Canada, there are twelve recognized dental specialties in which some dentists choose to train and practice, in addition to or instead of general dentistry.
Once a residency is completed, the doctor is granted a certificate of specialty training.
Specialists in these fields are designated "registrable" (in the United States, "board eligible") and warrant exclusive titles such as dentist anesthesiologist, orthodontist, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, endodontist, pediatric dentist, periodontist, or prosthodontist upon satisfying certain local (U.S., "Board Certified"), (Australia and New Zealand: Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, designated by the post-nominal "FRACDS"), or (Canada: Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists, designated by the postnominal "FRCD(C)") registry requirements.
The American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM) provides board-certification examinations annually for qualified dentists.
These dentists collaborate with sleep physicians at accredited sleep centers and can provide oral appliance therapy and upper airway surgery to treat sleep-related breathing disorders.