Orthodontist Job Description

The Orthodontist examines, diagnoses, and treats malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies.

Primary Responsibilities:

• The Orthodontist fits dental appliances in patients’ mouths in order to alter the position and relationship of teeth and jaws.
• The Orthodontist fits dental appliances in patients’ mouths in order to realign their teeth.
• The Orthodontist is in charge of preparing diagnostic and treatment records.
• The Orthodontist must provide the patient with a proposed treatment plan along with cost estimate.
• The Orthodontist attend a Dental School, have a Bachelor’s Degree, with course work emphasizes on science such as biology, or chemistry. After completing Dental School then you must complete a two year program on Orthodontic Procedures.

The Orthodontist must be able to instruct dental officers and technical assistants in Orthodontic procedures and techniques. The adjustment of dental appliances periodically in order to produce and maintain normal function is required and the staff can assist with some of these procedures with the instructions from the Orthodontist. Often the Orthodontist coordinates services with other dental and medical services. The Orthodontist designs and fabricates appliances, such as space maintainers, retainers, and labial and lingual arch wires. The Orthodontist diagnoses teeth and jaw or other dental-facial abnormalities. The Orthodontist examines patients in order to assess abnormalities of jaw development, tooth position and other dental-facial structures.

The Orthodontist needs knowledge in medicine and dentistry. The Orthodontist needs information on techniques to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures. Most Orthodontist prefers using preventive health-care on the patient whenever possible. The Orthodontist must be well knowledgeable in scientific rules and methods to solve problems for their patients and find a better cure or method of treating the problem. The Orthodontist needs to be able to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. The Orthodontist needs to have full knowledge of all available equipment and know which piece of equipment to use when doing a job on the patient’s mouth. Also the Orthodontist must be capable of adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs in order to be able to accommodate the patient.

The Orthodontist should be actively looking for new methods and equipment that will help the patient with their Orthodontic problems. The Orthodontist needs the ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions. The Orthodontist needs good manual dexterity that is the ability to mover hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate or assemble objects. The Orthodontist needs to have the ability to tell when something is wrong or is about to go wrong in order to prevent any type of major accident while working with a patient. The Orthodontist is expected to show a very personal caring attitude when treating patients. Some patients need medical help along with the Orthodontist care and often need emotional support as well to cope with their problems.

The Orthodontist must be able to identify information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities and detecting changes in circumstances or events. Very often more than one family member might be suffer from the same Orthodontic problem but in different stages leaving the Orthodontist with the obligation of explaining to each member of the family what can be done in the stage that they are now in. The Orthodontist must be able to recognize family health problems or perhaps an abnormal facial problem that can be fixed by certain types of procedures. For instances perhaps everyone in the family is born with buck teeth and a brace will solve the problem. This may seem like a very simple solution but the Orthodontist must make sure that each child does have the same problem it is the responsibility of the Orthodontist to exam each child and take x-rays to verify their condition. The Orthodontist may not assume that because A and B have the problem that child C will have the problem. The Orthodontist must be able to recognize and diagnose orthodontic problems on an individual basis. Most Orthodontists realize this factor and proceed with each patient by fully examining, taking their health records and then doing an x-ray before making their diagnosis.

Degrees and Training to Become an Orthodontist

• Medical and Health Degree

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