The word dentist means a specialist in teeth. “Dent” meaning tooth and “ist” meaning someone who specializes. So a Dentist is someone who specializes in tooth care. Other specialists all have “dontist” as part of their title, referring again to someone who specializes in teeth. The designation at the beginning of the title describes in what way they specialize. An endodontist refers to someone who treats problems within a tooth (endo meaning within), performing such procedures as a root canal. “Perio” means around, so a periodontist deals with issues around the tooth, primarily the gums.

“Ortho” is orthodontist comes from the greek word “orthós” meaning straight, upright, correct. So an orthodontist is someone who sees to teeth being straight, upright and in correct alignment. 

The educational backgrounds of a dentist vs an orthodontist or any of the other dental specialists are different. Both require extensive schooling before practicing. A dentist must complete 8 years of higher education while an orthodontist has to complete 10 or 11 years in order to specialize. Other specialists, such as a periodontist or endodontists, similarly are first trained as a dentist and then receive further education as a specialist. 

A dentist will examine, diagnose, treat and manage your overall oral health care. This includes routine dental work like check-ups, cleaning and X-rays. But a dentist will also remove or repair problem teeth with fillings or crowns. Many dentists will also perform root canals, although this is often done by an endodontist. A periodontist deals with problems related to your gums such as periodontal disease and also places dental implants.

An orthodontist specializes in the alignment of your teeth and jaws using non-surgical procedures. They will examine and analyze your bite and treat malocclusions or bad bites as well as addressing and handling teeth that are out of alignment (crooked teeth, gaps, overlaps, etc.).

So you should see an orthodontist if you have an overbite, underbite, crooked teeth, gaps or overcrowded teeth. Your orthodontist will determine which treatment will straighten your teeth and retrain your mouth muscles best. You should also see an orthodontist if you have jaw problems or pain (usually referred to as TMJ) or if you grind your teeth, as often these can be caused by some form of malocclusion. 

An orthodontist will work in tandem with your dentist to address any problems in his field of speciality to help achieve your best overall dental health. 

Many a mother (or father) has worried that their teen might not have enough discipline for the Invisalign® program. Since you have the option to take out the clear plastic aligner, maybe traditional braces would be a better option? Removable aligners, as with Invisalign Teen, have to be put in and kept in and can also be lost.

Align Technology (the makers of Invisalign) have completed a very interesting series of studies of teenagers needing orthodontics, some treated with traditional braces and others using Invisalign technology.

Invisalign Teen Study Findings:

Isolation: 92% of teenagers say that traditional braces make them feel isolated from their peers.

Self-esteem: Twice as many teens using Invisalign experience a rise in self-esteem compared to teenagers wearing braces.

Effectiveness: Invisalign treatment is usually as effective as braces for treating orthodontic conditions.

Cost: Invisalign treatment costs about the same as braces.

Bullying: Teenagers are 68% less likely to be teased by other young people when wearing Invisalign.

Reliability: Teenagers are more reliable than adults in following the Invisalign treatment protocol.

Confidence: 40% of teenagers say braces would have a negative impact on their self-confidence, but only 13% of Invisalign Teen users come to the same conclusion.

There are other advantages to using Invisalign that you may want to take into account.

With Invisalign Teen, if one does lose an aligner, the parents receive up to six replacements for free throughout the course of treatment.

Invisalign Teen is much safer than braces for athletes, since there are no wires or brackets to cause injury in the event of collisions.

Eating many different foods becomes difficult or forbidden with braces, but Invisalign is removed to eat.

For wind instrument musicians, playing is no different than usual, again because the aligners are removable.

Invisalign needs to be worn for twenty hours a day, leaving time for eating, playing and the usual daily dental hygiene.

There is an additional safeguard and reminder, if a teenager doesn’t wear their aligners regularly. Invisalign Teen includes a “wear indicator” — a blue dot that fades when worn. This lets parents and dentists check for compliance.

In our experience at A Perfect Smile Orthodontics, teenagers look forward to a new smile, so wearing Invisalign consistently is usually not a problem.

For more information about treatment with Invisalign Teen, we offer a free consultation to answer all of your questions.