Orthodontist vs. Orthodentist

Long Beach, CA – Let’s face it, if you have less than a perfect smile, it can be embarrassing and cause a person to feel very self-conscious. I know, because I’ve been there!! What a lot of people don’t realize, however, is that an incorrect bite can also affect your oral health and function, subsequently impacting your overall health. Therefore, when it comes to straightening your smile, you shouldn’t leave it in the hands of just anyone. You also want to make sure that you get your teeth regularly, as you don’t want to find yourself suddenly in need at a rather inconvenient time. Luckily though, if that happens you can easily get yourself an Emergency Dentist to help you out. You will always have someone who can help you out, but sometimes it’s best to get everything fixed before there’s a problem.

These days, more and more dentists are offering minor orthodontic care in their offices. While a general dentist is highly trained to treat and diagnose problems and diseases that affect your teeth and gums, you should see a certified orthodontist for issues that pertain to perfecting your teeth alignment and bite. There are several reasons why.

First and foremost is the additional training an orthodontist receives. Every orthodontist is a dentist, but not every dentist is an orthodontist. We both go to dental school, but after graduation, a dentist can begin practicing right away. An orthodontist, on the other hand, spends an additional two to three years in an orthodontic residency program, where we learn the unique relationship of the mouth, jaw, teeth and tissues of the mouth.

That means an orthodontist has the educational and hands-on experience needed to perfect a patient’s bite. Orthodontists study craniofacial anatomy and orthodontic theory to fully understand how to create a beautifully straight and perfectly functional smile for every patient they treat.

It also means that your orthodontist will probably have handled numerous cases of varying degrees of difficulty, so no matter what orthodontic issue you have, he or she will have the experience needed to correct it.

We’re seeing a lot of dentists offering treatment options such as Invisalign and Six Month Smiles in their offices, there are many places that we could recommend you to do this, such as Smiles by Design San Diego being just one example. Unfortunately, these systems aren’t ideal for every orthodontic patient and create unrealistic expectations for patients. Some patients have more severe malocclusions that require more correction than either of those options can provide, leaving the patient unhappy with their final result and ultimately seeking further treatment. Oftentimes they end up in an orthodontist’s office to remedy the issue. An orthodontist has the skillset needed to assess and determine which course of treatment is ideal for each patient.

And because a certified orthodontist is committed to continuing his or her education, you’ll always receive care that is cutting edge. A well-trained orthodontist knows exactly when and how to utilize that latest technology in your care, and has all the tools at his or her disposal to ensure you have a beautiful and functional smile once orthodontic treatment is complete.

To sum it all up, would you rather go to your family doctor to get your appendix removed or to a surgeon who specializes in that field? Orthodontic care should be no different. Always seek the advice of a certified specialist when dealing with issues focused on a particular area of your body. You should always try to find a dentist’s website online beforehand, this will allow you to see the inside of their dentistry as well as their reviews. This allows you to get a feel for the dentistry you are planning to visit, or see if there are any better options in driving distance. If you are running a dentistry and are looking for a website to attract new customers, visit dentalcmo.com/dentist-websites for infomation on how to get started.

At the end, we would like you to see this funny video about “Six Minutes Smile” treatment:

Here is also our Orthodontist Vs. Dentist Factsheet: