An orthodontist is a specialized doctor who has attended an accredited dental school and obtained a license to practice. Orthodontics deals with the correction, prevention, and treatment of malocclusion, or misalignment of teeth and jaws. It also may specialize in correcting facial growth, called dentofacial orthopedics. It is a complicated field of dentistry and not everyone who gets an orthodontic appointment will end up having the dental services that he or she intends to get.
Prior to attending dental school, applicants need to pass four years of undergraduate courses and two years of master's degree courses at an accredited university. The length of dental school varies by state and the number of years that a student attends school can be an indicator of how successful the applicant will be in his or her application. Those who want to enter orthodontics as soon as they can but are not sure about their academic abilities should consider taking subjects like chemistry and biology in their four years of college.
The orthodontist las vegas will need to pass a dental school graduation exam before he or she can take the licensing exam. Students who have taken general dentistry classes at a community college also typically gain entry into a dentist program. They typically begin as a dental student just after completing their undergraduate degree. Then, after they complete the required coursework for their dentist programs, they complete a residency in orthodontics or another specialty. Most dental schools offer rotational programs that enable students to remain in their current orthodontic niche while gaining experience in a new one.
During the last year of dental school, the las vegas braces orthodontist will need to take an analysis course in order to prepare him or herself to perform patient diagnostic procedures. He or she will need to know how to read X-Rays, perform mouth and jaw exercises, perform bone tests, as well as know how to give injections and use the tools of orthodontics such as braces and sedation. An orthodontist's duties will vary depending on the specialty he or she chooses. General dentistry is the most common in which an orthodontist performs work. People with this type of job are often asked to look into the mouth, bite, gums, palate, jaw, and facial bones.
A more prestigious orthodontist specialty is pediatric orthodontics. In this specialty, an orthodontist treats infants, children, adolescents, and adults with a range of orthodontic concerns. Specialization includes working with pediatric patients with jaw abnormalities, cranial defects, cleft lip/palate, cleft palate, and associated mental health issues. A pediatric orthodontist often works under the supervision of a dentist. He or she must be licensed in order to practice in his or her particular specialty.
Many orthodontists also choose to specialize further by becoming a periodontist. Periodontists focus on the gum and jaw areas. They will make diagnoses of gum disease, perform surgical and non-surgical treatments of gum tissues, dental implants, jaw disorders such as adenoids, and other diseases affecting the periodontics - the root part of the teeth. Specialization can further include working with endodontic treatment and working to prevent infection in the mouth.
