Pediatric dentists examine and clean your child's teeth twice a year, monitor the development of baby and permanent teeth, fill cavities, and perform other routine treatments. All orthodontists are dentists and we all graduate from the same dental schools. It's usually misinformation or not having enough information. Let's clarify this right now with more key distinctions between a dentist and an orthodontist.
There are a few things to consider when differentiating between an orthodontist and a dentist. All of this means that, if you can, you want to choose a specialist (orthodontist) instead of a generalist (dentist) when it comes to getting braces for children. Start by looking for the right certification. Only orthodontists can belong to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO).
You can go to the AAO website and select the “Choose an Orthodontist” option to find a specialist near you. Don't hesitate to ask your dentist if an orthodontist travels to your city every month to see patients. There is a chance that an orthodontist from a large city will come to your city and work in another dental office once or twice a month. Just as the family doctor refers his patients with possible or significant heart disease problems to a cardiologist, and if necessary, the cardiologist refers a surgeon, most dentists refer patients with orthodontic needs to orthodontists.
Orthodontists must take an additional two to three years of college education beyond dental school and additional continuing clinical education each year. They should also invest in cutting-edge technology for their offices (not found in dental offices), all for good reason. Now that you know how to compare an orthodontist to a dentist like an expert, let's talk about choosing the best orthodontist when putting on braces for children. How to Choose the Best Orthodontist for Your Children.
All pediatric dentists are general dentists, but not all general dentists are pediatric dentists. This is the main difference between the two. Pediatric dentists have to go through a similar education process with four years of dental school. But this is where general dentists stop.
Pediatric dentists must continue their additional studies for two to three years in order to specialize in pediatric dentistry. Through these additional studies, pediatric dentists are trained to treat children's specific problems, child behavior, and children with special needs. This means that your pediatric dentist has done everything possible to protect and care for children's mouths and teeth. Although pediatric dentists and general dentists treat dental health conditions, these two types of dentists differ in a variety of ways.
Both orthodontists and pediatric dentists and hygienists use instruments that fit in your child's mouth. NY Kids Dentistry and Orthodontics is a specialty practice that provides pediatric care for children from infancy to late adolescence, as well as orthodontic treatment for patients of all ages. This requires additional attention, time, and sometimes patience for which a general dentist might not have been trained in the same way as a pediatric dentist. A pediatric dentist has training in pediatric dental care in addition to training in general dentistry.
In addition, pediatric dentists tend to treat patients up to 18 years of age, but they can also treat adults with special needs. General dentists tend to treat and focus only on adult teeth and adult dental conditions, while pediatric dentists generally only treat children's teeth (also known as baby teeth), mixed dentition (children with some baby teeth and some adult teeth) and sometimes adults with special needs. .
