Have you ever heard the saying that all apples are fruit, but not all fruits are apples? Or some version of that? You could say something similar about orthodontists. All orthodontists are dentists, but not all dentists are orthodontists. Of course, that doesn’t help you decide whether at any given moment you should make an appointment with an orthodontist or a dentist. We’ll come to that.
What is an orthodontist?
Orthodontics is a specialization of dentistry. While dentists generally dealt with your mouth, gums, teeth, jaw and associated nerves, orthodontists focus more narrowly on the alignment of your teeth and how to straighten misaligned teeth. Of course, there is a great deal of detail hidden in that summary.
An orthodontist in Cranbrook might diagnose overbites, overcrowded mouths, occlusions, misaligned teeth, and misaligned jaws. Beyond merely diagnosing those issues, an orthodontist develops, implements and supervises the completion of treatment plans to correct all those issues. An orthodontist near you may be referred to as a cosmetic dentist because they focus on the appearance of your teeth, but that should not diminish the functional and health-related importance of straight teeth and the serious consequences of misaligned teeth and bite disorders.
Orthodontists complete the same four year dentistry program as completed by all other dentists before taking an additional two to three years of training specifically related to the orthodontic specialization.
How orthodontics works
A dentist near you that specializes in orthodontics is concerned with inappropriate spacing between teeth — whether those spaces are too large between teeth or too small to accommodate all your teeth. Excessive space between teeth expands over time and degrades the tight structure that the anatomy of your mouth and gums require. On the other hand, a lack of space to accommodate all your teeth will twist teeth out of alignment and undermine a person’s ability to eat, chew, bite and even to speak.
Orthodontists use four primary tools to correct alignment issues: braces made of metal brackets bonded to teeth and connected to wires that pull teeth into alignment and straighten them over time; removable aligners that gradually shift teeth into their ideal position as a patient moves from one slightly different aligner to the next in sequence; palate expanders that widen the arch of a patient’s upper jaw to make room for teeth to align properly in extreme cases; and headgear that pulls front teeth back and slows the growth of an upper jaw growing too quickly by connecting the back of a patient’s head to the a wire in the front of their mouth.
In some instances, an orthodontist near you also needs to extract teeth in order to accomplish a treatment plan, particularly in situations where a patient’s jaw is overcrowded. An orthodontist might extract those teeth themselves, or refer the patient to a surgeon or general dentist for that procedure.
Most commonly, a person’s general or family dentist in Cranbrook is the first to notice potential orthodontic issues in a patient’s mouth. When a dentist does notice potential issues, the dentist may refer you to an orthodontist for an assessment. More and more, a dentist near you will recommend an orthodontic consultation with an orthodontist near you even before any alignment issues pop up simply. That’s all to say, then, that you shouldn’t be concerned that you don’t have an orthodontist lined up. You can rely on your dentist to help you identify when to consult with an orthodontist, and even to suggest some alternatives.
Whether or not you have a family dentist who has expressed an opinion as to the alignment of your teeth, don’t hesitate to reach out to an orthodontist near you and to ask for an assessment of your teeth at any time. It’s never too early to confirm that all is as it should be or to identify areas of potential concern or necessary improvement.