One of the things that surprises me the most when I am asked this is that many people don’t understand the difference between a dentist and an orthodontist. The easiest way to explain it is to compare it to doctors. A dentist is the equivalent of a general practitioner. They do general dentistry, sometimes this includes some orthodontics. By comparison an orthodontist is like a specialist doctor such as a cardiologist, except that they specialize in the movement of teeth.
Orthodontists go to full time residency for 2-3 years where they are trained. General dentists on the other hand go to weekend courses to train themselves to do orthodontics.
Invisalign/orthodontics is more than just putting the front teeth straight. It has to do with overall bite, function and harmony of the teeth, jaws and muscles. As orthodontist we train extensively to see this as a complete system comprehensively.
So, before you contact your general dentist for an Invisalign consultation, think about this…would you go see your general practitioner for a heart condition?
