Orthodontics is a specialised branch within dentistry focused on diagnosing and treating dental and facial irregularities. Hence, it seems like the perfect field for any dentist to move into who wants to expand their ability to not only understand the nature of these problems but also to craft and execute multidimensional solutions using a combination of art, science, and technology, as one is expected to do in this specialty. And that is why an investigation into the orthodontic education available to dental professionals—aspiring orthodontists—seems more than warranted to me.
The Unique Position of Orthodontic Specialists
Orthodontic courses provide a specialised route for dental professionals to pursue. They can result in a lucrative career for practitioners. Orthodontic specialists, it seems, are an essential cog in the overall dental field and a cog that is always in high demand. Why do I say this? Simply because, unlike general dentistry, what an orthodontist does is virtually impossible to automate. Furthermore, with growing awareness about dental health products, such as toothpaste with hydroxyapatite, people are becoming increasingly proactive in maintaining their oral health, often seeking specialized orthodontic care for the best results.
Education and Training in Orthodontics
The understanding of facial development and dental evolution delivers practitioners into realms of more effective treatments and, consequently, into achieving better outcomes for their patients. Orthodontic courses, usually of short duration, acquaint practitioners with an in-depth knowledge of specific states of the art of orthodontics, as I have noticed with clear aligners and “inside” or lingual braces. In my practice, I have attended several of these courses. Diploma courses in orthodontics offer a more complete education by presenting not only hands-on clinical practice under the guidance and supervision of experienced orthodontists but also by encompassing a larger body of current knowledge about the expanded and ever-evolving field of orthodontics. An individual who seeks to master the art of orthodontics and to possess a superior command of the combination of current orthodontic knowledge and orthodontic clinical practice soon learns that even by studying a broad amount of the current orthodontic literature, one can gain “control” of orthodontics only by possessing a broader and deeper understanding of individualising the practice and the nuances of craniofacial biology.
Accreditation and Resources
Several years of clinical practice and study are ordinarily needed to become an orthodontist. Always check that any program purporting to be an “orthodontic course” is in fact accredited and a recognized part of a university that houses a dental college. This guarantees that the program is stable and that it has enough faculty members to offer you a worthwhile orthodontic education. It also ensures that you will receive on-the-job training that is serious enough to allow you to manage a number of patients by the time you graduate. Think about the qualifications of your current and future instructors and the resources they have at their disposal. Do you have access to a modern dental lab, for example, or the latest computer imaging technology? As an otherwise busy professional, do you have the option to take the course on a part-time basis or to work through it online? All of these factors can greatly influence your ease or difficulty with the material.
Networking and Professional Growth
The opportunity to connect with fellow dental professionals and to form beneficial professional networks that can be advantageous throughout one’s career is perhaps one of the most important things about taking an orthodontic course. One isn’t missing out on that opportunity when learning takes place online. Many people—both patients and those close to them—are enormously grateful when someone they love has been given “the gift of a great smile.” That is something one should never take lightly, and the personal satisfaction for an orthodontist lies in being able to give that life-altering gift. sightwiki
For dental professionals, orthodontic courses provide an excellent chance to specialize and become highly skilled in an area that significantly improves patients’ quality of life. Whether they opt for a brief, up-to-date course or a full-fledged program leading to a degree, they walk away with more than just knowledge. They gain the immediate possibility of a career that pays rich dividends of personal satisfaction, if you want to measure it in those terms. And for those among us concerned about the diminishing returns from our investments in dental education, orthodontics offers a maximal return on investment.
