A family dentist provides dentistry for all phases of life. They treat children, teenagers, adults, and seniors. They understand changes from infancy to late adulthood and are trained in caring for primary (baby) and permanent teeth. Family dentists focus heavily on dental prevention and education.

While it's not explicitly banned in the American Dental Association Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct, a lot of dentists actually choose not to provide dental services to their loved ones.

General dentistry focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases that affect our teeth and gums while dental care includes many more facets such as cosmetic treatments like porcelain veneers or whitening services for natural stains.