(ThyBlackMan.com) Oral hygiene and health are very important, and even though we dislike this, paying an occasional or even regular visit to our dentist is something we must do. Why do we have to do this? There are several reasons. To prevent tooth decay, gum disease (which can even cause loss of teeth if we do not take care of it in time because gum tissue and bones that support our teeth can be damaged), odor and bad breath, etc. It also helps with keeping our teeth white and nice-looking and it improves health in general.
When it comes to our dental care, there are two professions you should be familiar with. Probably, not all people in Australia know the difference between a dentist and an orthodontist. The reason we do not know this is because they have a lot of similarities and they are both responsible for helping you have a beautiful smile. You might think their differences are slight, but they are worth mentioning because you have to know which one you should turn to when you have certain problems with your oral health. This article will inform you about these differences and help you know exactly what you need when you are facing problems with your dental health.
Similarities between the two professions
It goes without saying that both of them are responsible for you having good oral health. If you want a beautiful smile that mesmerizes people – both your dentist and orthodontist can help you with that. However, when we are talking about dentistry, it should be mentioned that it is a broad medical specialty. As one orthodontist in Calgary describes it, all orthodontists are dentists but not all dentists are orthodontists. The latter group needs to train more in order to do what they want to do, and we are talking at least three years more. In Canada, as in most English speaking countries this is at least an additional 3 years of training.
What is important to know is that they both focus mainly on oral care. You will find an orthodontist in a dental office, and not somewhere else. That is why people usually do not differentiate between the two professions, even though differences do exist. They are both doctors and they both know everything they need to know about your teeth, gums, mouth, and everything that covers your oral health. If you come from the Land Down Under, maybe you have heard of the Chatswood orthodontist that provides high-quality services.
Differences between the two professions
We can definitely say that differences are bigger in number than similarities. It has already been mentioned that an orthodontist needs three additional years of schooling. Just like surgeons are all doctors, but not all doctors are surgeons. It takes more time and studying to become a surgeon. If patients need help with their teeth alignment, corrective braces, and other devices, or they need to improve the way they bite – this is where an orthodontist enters the picture, and not a dentist. All in all, dentists do not help you with misaligned teeth, crowded teeth, overbite, and underbite, but orthodontists do.
We can say that orthodontists provide assistance to their patients with other issues as well. For example, if they need to deal with a crossbite, or maybe spaces between your teeth that you want to do something about, or overcrowding of teeth. Also, they can treat temporomandibular disorders (also known as TMJ). If you have additional problems, for example, your jaw is problematic – you can also turn to your orthodontist, not dentist. As you can see, orthodontists deal with other things as well, and not just teeth and gums.
Prevention is always better than cure, yet sometimes, something dreadful cannot be avoided. No matter if you just want to pay close attention to your dental care and keep your teeth, gums and mouth in general healthy, or you need to fix something, it is good to know who to turn to. If you see a dentist, you have one set of oral hygiene problems, while seeing an orthodontist means you have a different set of problems. If you are looking for a dentist, you can contact Sarnia Dentist for a range of services. Hopefully, this article was helpful and you will know what to do with these pieces of information in the future.
Staff Writer; Tom Brown