A dentist and orthodontist are both dental practitioners that share some similarities. They both help patients improve their oral health and deal with teeth and gums but in quite different ways. Their functions may sometimes overlap, to a slight degree.
However the most important dentist and orthodontist difference is that the former covers comprehensive dentistry concerned with managing overall oral health or health of the teeth, gums, tongue, and jaws. On the other hand orthodontics is a specialty of dentistry dealing with occlusion and dental development that includes bite correction, tooth and jaw alignment, teeth straightening, and other such disorders. Smiles of Cary explains what the difference between a dentist and orthodontist is.
Dentistry and Orthodontics Training
Dentists and orthodontists to a large extent get the same education, undergoing the same training but for one minor difference: Orthodontists have to undergo an additional educational certification. Four years of undergraduate education and four years of dental school are required to become a dentist. The first two years of dental school focuses on classroom and lab training whereas the last two years is comprised of practical training, allowing candidates to work under supervision with patients in a licensed dental school. Upon completion, a general dentist must also take a written exam and clinical licensing exam called the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) after which they become licensed professionals, qualified to practice. On the other hand, orthodontics is a dental specialty involving specific focus, and hence it requires additional training that goes beyond general dentistry. Hence, a person who wants to become an orthodontist must pursue training in the orthodontics specialty. Typically it is comprised of a two to three year residency and more than 4,800 hours of orthodontic training, culminating in a specialty certification in orthodontics.What Do Dentists Do?
Responsible for patients’ overall oral health, dentists conduct regular checkups to diagnose dental conditions related to the teeth, gums, and nerves. These oral ailments include cavities, gum disease, and many others. In addition when there’re broken, misshapen, chipped, or missing teeth, they may place veneers or crowns. They may also perform teeth cleaning, whitening, and other cosmetic dental procedures. Orthodontists perform the following functions:- Diagnose dental conditions with regular checkups and dental X-rays, if needed
- Fill cavities, extract teeth, or perform root canals in case of severe tooth decay
- Place crowns, bridges, and veneers
- Treat gum disease
- Whiten teeth and perform other cosmetic dental procedures
- Check and manage tooth development in children and teens
- Perform oral surgery
- Encourage good oral practices and hygiene for maintaining good dental health
What Do Orthodontists Do?
While dentists manage overall oral health orthodontists specialize in specific domains such as, facial growth, teeth and jaw alignment, teeth straightening, bite correction, and others. They rectify crooked teeth, tooth gaps, misaligned teeth, cross bites, overbites, under bites crowded teeth, misaligned jaws, and temporomandibular disorders. To correct these issues, they are required to develop a tailored plan to set the teeth and jaws correctly, based on the patient’s existing tooth structure. They typically use orthodontic appliances such as, braces, clear aligners, and other specialized tools. Orthodontists perform the following functions:- Oversee facial growth in children and teens
- Develop an individualized treatment plan to correct misaligned teeth and jaws, crowded teeth, and bite problems
- Perform surgery to straighten teeth, if required
- Fit patients for corrective braces, retainers, and other orthodontic devices