Smile Specialists

Smile Specialists - Orthodontists

An orthodontist is to teeth what a cardiologist is to the heart. Orthodontists are highly trained specialists who partner with your dentist to provide you with the best oral health care.

Orthodontists are qualified dentists, who after graduating from dental school, go on to additional full-time education in an accredited orthodontic residency program supervised by orthodontists. That training lasts at least two academic years—sometimes more. By learning about tooth movement (orthodontics) and guidance of facial development (dentofacial orthopedics), orthodontists are the uniquely trained experts in dentistry to straighten teeth and align jaws.

Orthodontists diagnose, prevent and treat dental and facial irregularities. The majority of members of the Canadian Association of Orthodontists (CAO) and American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) limit their practices to orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. Orthodontists treat a wide variety of malocclusions (improperly aligned teeth and/or jaws). They regularly treat young children, teens and adults.

Selecting an orthodontist who is a member of the CAO or AAO is your assurance that you have chosen an orthodontic specialist: the dental specialist with at least two years of post-doctoral, advanced specialty training in orthodontics in a program accredited by the American or Canadian Dental Association. Specialty education includes the study of subjects in biomedical, behavioral and basic sciences; oral biology; and biomechanics.

Only orthodontists may be members of the Canadian Association of Orthodontists (CAO) and American Association of Orthodontists (AAO). Creating beautiful smiles through orthodontics is their business.

Braces: Myths and Facts

Myths and Facts

MYTH:  Orthodontists are appropriate only for the most challenging and complex orthodontic cases.
FACT:  Orthodontists recognize the difference between a simple case and a complex one. And when a case is challenging, orthodontists know what to do.

MYTH:  My family dentist says he can straighten my teeth.
FACT:  An orthodontist has 2-3 years of specialized training beyond dental school and is a specialist at straightening teeth and insuring proper form and function. A dentist may see a handful of cases a year amid drilling and filling. An orthodontist only practices orthodontics and treats hundreds of patients.

MYTH:  Braces are for kids.
FACT:  One in five orthodontic patients is an adult.

MYTH:  If there was a giant, overhead magnet and someone flipped a switch, people wearing braces would fly out of their chairs and stick to the ceiling.
FACT:  Unlikely, as braces are made from non-magnetic materials.

MYTH:  Orthodontists charge more than general dentists for orthodontic treatment.

FACT:  It's not the same work. The value in seeing an orthodontist for treatment is that the orthodontist is an expert, highly experienced and understands form, function and a wonderful smile