Dentistry is a broad medical specialty that. Both orthodontists and dentists help patients improve their oral health, but in different ways. Dentistry is a broad medical specialty that deals with the teeth, gums, nerves and the jaw, while orthodontics is a specialty of dentistry that focuses on correcting teeth bites, occlusion and straightness. An important difference is that all orthodontists, such as Drs.
Burk and Flinn, are dentists, but not all dentists are licensed orthodontists. A dentist is a doctor trained to specialize in the teeth, gums, nerves, and jaw. Orthodontists are also dentists, but their specialty in dentistry focuses on correcting bites, occlusion, which is the way teeth come into contact with each other, and the straighteness of the teeth. To become a dentist, a person must complete four years of college education and four years of dental school, according to the American Dental Association.
Qualified dentists include the letters DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) or DMD (Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry or Doctor of Dental Medicine) after their names. Carrie regularly attends continuing education courses and is an active member of the American Dental Association, the American Association of Orthodontists, the Illinois Society of Orthodontists, and the Illinois State Dental Society.
