What’s the Difference Between a Dentist and an Orthodontist?

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How Does a Dentist and an Orthodontist Differ?

Both dentists and orthodontists are specialized doctors who work to improve the oral health of their patients, though they achieve these results through different methods. While dentistry is a broad medical term dealing with the teeth, gums, nerves, and jaw, and can include treatment of tooth decay as well as tooth extraction, orthodontics is a speciality area of dentistry that focuses specifically on the treatment of irregularities of the teeth, such as correcting bites, occlusion, and alignment of the teeth and jaws. Orthodontics includes the use of braces, which are used to ensure proper alignment of adult teeth. One impactful difference to note is that while all orthodontists like Dr. Childers of Childers Orthodontics are dentists, not all dentists are licensed in orthodontics. Therefore, not all dentists can perform the same services as an orthodontist.

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