Both orthodontists and dentists help patients improve their oral health, but in different ways. Dentistry is a broad medical specialty that deals with teeth, gums, nerves and jaw, while orthodontics is a specialty within dentistry that focuses on correcting bites, occlusions and the straightness of teeth. A dentist is a doctor trained to specialize in teeth, gums, nerves, and jaw. Orthodontists are also dentists, but their specialty within dentistry focuses on correcting bites, occlusion, which is the way teeth come into contact with each other and the straightness of the teeth.
To understand a fundamental difference between dental care and orthodontics, you should know that not all dentists are orthodontists, but all orthodontists are dentists. General dentists are highly qualified professionals who care about the overall health, well-being, and beauty of your smile. Orthodontists are dentists who have received additional education to specialize in diagnosing, preventing, and correcting teeth and jaws that are out of position. Orthodontists and dentists share many similarities: they work together to help you improve your overall oral health, but they actually work in very different ways.
Dentists cover a wide range of oral health problems. An orthodontist, on the other hand, is a dental specialist who focuses on topics such as straightening teeth and correcting inadequate bite patterns. When your child has good oral hygiene habits early in life and receives regular children's dentistry, he or she may experience less tooth decay and tooth loss in adolescence and even into adulthood.
