In remote areas of Pakistan, patients are unable to differentiate between a general dentist and an orthodontist. When they are referred to an orthodontist for the treatment of their complex dental braces case, many ask who is an orthodontist. (آرتھوڈونٹسٹ کسے کہتے ہیں؟)
An orthodontist is a dentist who specializes in dental braces (orthodontics). Orthodontics deals with the correction of irregular and crooked teeth, eg. open bite, underbite, cross-bite, crowding, and spacing are common orthodontic problems.
Moderate to complex orthodontic cases are best treated by an orthodontist. An orthodontist has extra 3 or 4 years of specialist training in addition to general dental training. They are competent to deal with complex orthodontic cases like growth modification, extraction, distalization, expansion of jaws, impacted teeth, and cleft lip and palate. Their scope is not limited to teeth only, they can do manipulation of jaws i.e., orthognathic surgical cases for patients with severe dentofacial deformities.
In Pakistan, orthodontists have an extra qualification (FCPS, MDS, Ph.D. or MOrth RCS) in addition to a BDS degree, recognized by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).
It is worth mentioning C.Orth written by some dentists is just an additional 6 months or 1 year of orthodontic training diploma which is not equivalent to 3 or 4 years post-graduation specialist training. So, C.Orth holders, general dentists are not orthodontic specialists/consultants. C.Orth simply means Certificate in Orthodontics.
For dental braces related problems, it is highly recommended to choose an orthodontist over the general dentist.
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