Orthodontist or dentist for orthodontics?

Many Maple Ridge dental offices offer braces or clear aligners, and many do it well. Families often ask whether they should see their own dentist, who they trust and who is close by, or a certified specialist in orthodontics. This page explains the difference without disparaging anyone, because the two work together every day.

What a general dentist does

Your dentist is the quarterback of your oral health: check-ups, cleanings, fillings, crowns, gum care, and spotting problems early, including orthodontic ones. Dentists complete a four-year dental degree and can legally provide any dental service, including orthodontics. Some have taken extensive additional courses in aligner treatment and handle straightforward cases with good results.

What a certified specialist in orthodontics is

An orthodontist is a dentist who, after dental school, completed a further two to three years of full-time, university-based residency devoted entirely to tooth movement, jaw growth and bite correction, and who is registered as a specialist with the College of Oral Health Professionals of BC. Orthodontists do orthodontics exclusively: no fillings, no cleanings, only tooth movement, all day. That focus means the difficult cases, the unusual growth patterns and the treatments that did not go as planned come across a specialist's chair constantly.

When the difference matters most

• Growing children. Timing decisions about growth modification, expansion and two-phase treatment rest on residency-level training in facial growth.
• Bite problems. Overbites, underbites, crossbites and open bites are the core of specialist training.
• Breathing and sleep concerns. Airway-aware planning is a specialist focus at this clinic.
• Complex cases. Extractions, impacted teeth, surgical cases and treatment that did not hold the first time.

For mild crowding in an adult with a stable bite, a well-trained dentist and a specialist may reach the same result. The difference is in the cases that are not simple, and it is not always obvious from the outside which case is which. That is one reason a complimentary specialist evaluation is worth having before deciding.

How the two work together

myORTHODONTIST Maple Ridge sends a report to every patient's dentist and asks that cleanings continue throughout treatment, more often for braces patients. Dentists refer patients whose needs go beyond what they treat in-house; orthodontists refer back for fillings, gum care and restorative work before, during and after treatment. Neither replaces the other.

Questions to ask either office

• Are you a certified specialist in orthodontics, and can I confirm that with the College?
• How many cases like mine do you treat in a year?
• Are we correcting my bite, or aligning my front teeth?
• What happens if the first plan does not track?
• What does the fee include?