Orthodontics: A Profession

Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry dealing with irregularities of the teeth and their correction. An orthodontist is responsible for fixing the patient's teeth and doing it safely.Orthodontics is a challenging yet rewarding profession. The process is long, academically challenging and expensive but it also has the highest average earnings potential out of any job in the USA. The first thing an orthodontist does with the patient is making a diagnosis, determining what is wrong, and coming up with a treatment, a plan for fixing what is wrong. He/She does this by taking pictures and x rays of the patient's teeth and then using their 6+ years of medical school to make both the diagnosis and treatment. Orthodontics is a complicated profession
An orthodontist's office would probably have a ratio of 7 dental hygienists to 1 orthodontist, because there is a lot of cleaning and minor adjustments that go into orthodontics making it impossible for an orthodontist to operate a practice by themselves(“Ask an Orthodontist” 2). Internships are available for this job. Before you can be admitted to a dental program and train as an orthodontist, you must complete pre-dental school requirements as an undergrad. Most dental programs will only take students with a bachelor's degree, although some will accept students with a minimum of two years of undergraduate education. Some of the required pre-dental courses generally include chemistry, biology, physics and other science
Your final two years at dental school will likely be spent gaining clinical experience under the guidance of licensed dentists. During your final two years of dental school, you'll gain exposure to different dental specialties, such as orthodontics, periodontics, pediatric dentistry, prosthodontics and maxillofacial surgery. After completing a dental program, you'll need to apply to orthodontic specialty programs.
The Postdoctoral Application Support Service, offered by the American Dental Education Association is very helpful. This service provides a standard format that will allow you to fill out just one application and apply to many different programs. Most orthodontic programs last three years, during which time you'll most likely learn about orthodontics, tooth movement,dentofacial orthopedics, the guidance of facial development and surgical orthodontics.
You can receive training in research methodology and teaching, completing a research project, attending conferences and getting reports ready. (“Ask an Orthodontist” 4). If you complete the program, you'll be qualified as a dental specialist in orthodontics which is basically an orthodontist. Once the training requirements have been completed, consider earning board certification as a way