Can General Dentists put on braces?

[leaveit2rani]

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Can General Dentists do the same work as orthodontists (like putting on braces)? I have heard of some taking the Continuing Education course for a week or something and learning the technique? Is this true? Thank you.

 

[Daurang]

Yes...and they often screw up and then refer them to the orthodondist in the end anyway. I doubt if going ce for a week is enough to be proficient. What's the point of suffering in ortho program for another 2 years if you can simply attend ce in a week?

 

[UBDent19]

I've heard of a GP who offers a "6-month Smile". No matter how bad your teeth are, they are straight within 6 months (but occlusion very often is not perfect). He performs a ton of these and charges the same as an orthodontist. Patients love it because they don't have to wear braces for years.

I would probably find it hard not taking the cases to completion but it's an option if you want to do a lot of ortho but you are not an orthodontist.

 

[DrJeff]

I've heard of a GP who offers a "6-month Smile". No matter how bad your teeth are, they are straight within 6 months (but occlusion very often is not perfect). He performs a ton of these and charges the same as an orthodontist. Patients love it because they don't have to wear braces for years.

I would probably find it hard not taking the cases to completion but it's an option if you want to do a lot of ortho but you are not an orthodontist.

The 6 month smile relies on a couple of key principles, both of which can have longterm consequences. \

#1 - enameloplasty (true, even some orthodontists do this from time to time, but in 6 month smiles, those metal interproximal strips get a bunch more use in most cases)

#2 - the tooth movement relies more on tipping and rotating of the crowns of the teeth than actual root movement in many cases. Again, many orthodontists do this to, but then the orthodontist will typically spend the next 12-18 months mooving the roots of the teeth to dramatically increase the long term stability of the final position of the teeth.

6 month smiles has its place for sure, but very often 6 month smile patients will need another round of 6 month smiles in a few years to deal with the post treatment new movements that are often more pronounced when compared to "traditional" ortho.