- Unfortunately, many patients are under the misconception that there are specialty areas in dentistry which actually DON'T exist, such as "cosmetic dentistry" or "implant dentistry". The specialty areas of dentistry are clearly listed and defined by the A.D.A. (American Dental Association), which is the only body that can recognize and define new specialty areas. These current existing specialties of dentistry are listed in the A.D.A. web site: http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/specialties/definitions.asp