The Difference Between an Orthodontist and a Dentist

Ivan Rodriguez Gelfenstein is a skilled orthodontist who has practiced in Mexico and Venezuela. He started his education at the Central University of Venezuela, where he earned a degree in dentistry, and then finished his postgraduate orthodontic studies at the Autonomous University of Tamaulipas. From 1991 until 1993, Ivan Rodriguez Gelfenstein served as a general dentist at the Acosta Clinic in San Juan de los Morros.

Dentists and orthodontists assist patients in enhancing their dental health in various aspects. Orthodontics is a subspecialty of dentistry that concentrates on improving jaws, alignment, and the uniformity of teeth. On the other hand, dentistry is a vast clinical specialty that handles the teeth, gums, and jaw.

Dentists and orthodontists have comparable primary areas of interest in oral health. An orthodontist can have an equivalent level of expertise as a dentist, making them highly comparable in this regard. However, their differences exceed their similarities.

As a dental specialty, orthodontists complete further education; this is comparable to a surgeon doing additional education to specialize in a kind of surgery. Orthodontists focus on assisting patients with tooth placement, adjusting their jaw, or preparing them with orthodontic devices and gadgets like teeth braces to correct problems such as an underbite or overbite.

In essence, an orthodontist covers some areas and problems in the mouth dentists cannot correct. For this reason, dentists recommend some of their patients to orthodontists.