What is the difference between a dentist and an orthodontist?
Dentists and Orthodontists help patients with their oral care but in different ways.
Orthodontists focus more on the development of the face, jaws and teeth to improve the look and aesthetics of the jaw and teeth. Dentists focus more on good oral hygiene to ensure that both gums and teeth are in good health. An orthodontist is a trained dentists who then studies a further postgraduate course in the field of orthodontics, which normally takes two to three years.
What dentists do
Demists treat patients overall oral health and treat cavities, mild gum disease and other oral hygiene problems. This also includes fillings, tooth extractions as well as crowns and veneers to improve teeth that are broken.
Dental services include;
- Root canals
- Fillings
- Gum disease
- Crowns
- Bridges
- Veneers
- Teeth whitening
A dentist is a generalist in dental and oral health and can diagnose and treat diseases affecting both your teeth and gums.
What orthodontists do
Orthodontists help with aesthetics of teeth which includes teeth straightening but can also assist with underbites, overbites and crossbites and other jaw related issues. They are specialists in facial growth, dental development and tooth and jaw alignment.
Orthodontists services include:
- Misaligned teeth
- Crowded teeth
- Overbite
- Underbite
- Crossbites
Orthodontists offer many types of treatments which include clear aligners and retainers as well as traditional braces and are specialists in tooth and jaw alignment.
Orthodontic treatment in the UK is free for people under the age of 18 who have a clear health need for treatment and is provided by the NHS. Treatment for adults is not normally available on the NHS unless it is needed for heath reasons, and is approved on a case by cases basis.
Orthodontic NHS treatment can be available for grade 4 and grade 5 cases which is an index of Orthodontic treatment Need (IOTN). For more information see the British Orthodontic Society website. Click here
Private treatment
For people who do not qualify for free NHS treatment or do not want to wait for treatment you can choose from many private orthodontic practices however fees can range from £2,000 to £5000 depending on the treatment required and the complexity of the procedure. Many orthodontic practices will offer a free consultation so you can get an idea of what your best options are and how much it will cost you.
