3 Important Things Orthodontists Are Responsible For

If you’ve never had any sort of orthodontic work done, you know it can be quite intimidating. You are trusting someone with the construction and health of your mouth, afterall! While it can be scary work, it’s necessary for the health and beauty of many smiles out there.

First of all, it’s important to establish the main difference between an orthodontist and your typical dentist. A dentist specializes in your oral health. They are in charge of filling cavities, extracting teeth, and treating gum disease, among other things. What this means is that going to a dentist will help improve the overall health of your mouth.

What an orthodontist does, though, is focus and help with the actual structure of your jaw, mouth, and teeth. To give more detail, here are three things orthodontists are responsible for and how they can help you.

Supervise Facial Growth for Children

According to Mouth Healthy, it is recommended that orthodontic treatment begin anywhere between the ages of 8 and 14. This is because when a child is still growing, it is much easier to align teeth correctly. Orthodontists can implement braces when a child has all of their adult teeth, and as that child grows, their jaws will also grow resulting in natural movement that will assist the function of braces.

Creating a Treatment Plan

There are many options out there that can help different conditions when it comes to misaligned teeth, and it’s up to your orthodontist to ensure you’re getting the right treatment for your specific case. Metal braces will typically work great for most patients, but for teeth that only have a slight misalignment, Invisalign is a great option. Even though there are programs that advertise teeth straightening without seeing an orthodontist, it is recommended to get a consultation to ensure that you are making the correct investment for the long-term success of your teeth alignment.

Installing Dental Appliances

Orthodontists are experts in installing dental appliances (braces, retainers, etc.) and these are the only professionals you should be working with when you want braces installed. Although dentists and orthodontists follow a similar path when it comes to their education, orthodontists have a two to three-year residency after their education to get a specialty certification in orthodontics. This is what gives an orthodontist the agency to install things like braces and retainers.

Once you meet with your orthodontist, it is a good idea to get familiar with them, as they become your partner in tackling your tooth or jaw misalignment. To work with an orthodontist that cares, let Dr. Zamani help you at TruSmile Orthodontics!