I knew it'd be a matter of time before someone from ortho chimed in.
I'm by no means saying that ortho doesn't change and are living in the dark ages. Yes, they change based on research and implementing new things but not at the rate of other specialties. Yes, they use research based evidence with stuff like damon brackets and implants but when you look at the scope of practice of the average ortho on an average day it doesn't change at the same rate and uses research less. An ortho in private practice is able to practice relatively similar to the way they did 15 years ago as it's more treatment planning concepts rather than materials. Look how NiTi has revolutionalized the endo specialty, implants has totally changed the entire face of of perio/surgery to the point where it is still trying to find it's identity. Perio was all about saving teeth with grafts and now it's all about getting teeth out so there's bone for implants. Endo is moving into the realm of implants as well. I just don't see ortho skipping into other areas of dentistry, perhaps because financially there's no real need to. The reality is that ortho is probably the most difficult specialty to get into because it's also the most lucrative and comfortable lifestyle not necessarily because it requires the highest skill level. Because of the competativeness of getting in though, it also attracts those who happen to have the highest aptitude for learning. I personally believe that ortho is so far removed from general dentistry that I don't see the need for orthodontists to endure 4 years of dental school to do what it is they do. I believe they'd be better served by applying right out of college and just adding a year on to the ortho training for a general background to dentistry. You get such little exposure in dental school to ortho that I can't imagine that you know you want to do ortho anymore after 3 years of Dschool than you would before you even go to dental school. It's like making podiatrists go to school to get their MD first before podiatry school. It'd be less loans and years off of you guys who are in ortho's lives too.
Burn me at the stake if you will, just stating my opinion. Have a nice day.