Know The Right Time To See A Dentist Or An Orthodontist

We know that periodic visits to the dentist’s office are essential for ensuring oral health and wellbeing, but who should you visit when you have a malocclusion to resolve? Should it be the dentist or the orthodontist? To make the right decision, we first need to understand what these two terms mean in dentistry.

What Separates The Dentist From The Orthodontist?

All orthodontists are dentists first, but they are specially trained and additionally qualified to treat dental and facial misalignments, also known as malocclusions. Dentists play a role similar to that of the general physician, while orthodontists can be compared to specialist doctors like orthopaedists or dermatologists, for example.

Should You See A Dentist Or An Orthodontist?

In the same way that patients with specific health conditions will be recommended to an appropriate specialist, your dentist should tell you if your malocclusions are in need of orthodontic care. However, that’s the ideal scenario and things may not always be as simple in real life.

Patients with misaligned teeth can at times end up wasting money and time at a general dentist’s clinic, without getting the expected results. They may still need to visit an orthodontist eventually, which is probably what the dentist should have recommended much earlier.

Therefore, if a patient already knows or suspects that they have misaligned teeth, they should seek treatment directly at a specialised orthodontics North London clinic for faster, better results. As mentioned, orthodontists are qualified dentists first, so they will be able to treat patients even if their oral health problems are not just limited to malocclusions.

How To Know If You Have Misaligned Teeth

Milder misalignments could be more difficult to detect on one’s own, so a preliminary understanding of the common dental malocclusions is advisable. Book an appointment at the orthodontist’s clinic if you can identify with any one or more of the following malocclusions.

Overcrowding

When there are more teeth in one’s mouth than there is space to accommodate them, it’s called overcrowding. Commonly seen in late teenagers and adults, overcrowding can affect several sections of the gumline simultaneously or eventually.

Diastema

When the space between two adjacent teeth is visibly more than it should be, it’s called a diastema. For example, someone with a gap-toothed smile is probably dealing with diastema.

Crossbite

When one or more of the upper teeth are crooked and/or misaligned enough to bite into the lower row of teeth, it’s called a crossbite.

Overbite

When the upper row of front teeth overlaps the lower row significantly enough to cover the lower front teeth partially or completely, it’s called an overbite.

Underbite Or Anterior Crossbite

If the lower set of teeth is jutting out enough to overlap the upper row partially or completely, the person may have an underbite.

Hypodontia

Hypodontia is the absence of one or more teeth, whether due to tooth loss or maldevelopment.

A professional opinion and diagnosis are necessary to confirm the presence and nature of malocclusions. However, most patients with moderate to severe dental misalignments should at least be able to tell that they have the condition from visual cues alone.