Orthodontists are dental specialists. While there is some instruction regarding orthodontics in dental school, it is limited. It is in the orthodontic residency program that orthodontists receive intensive instruction to learn proper, safe tooth movement (orthodontics) and the guidance of dental, jaw and facial development (dentofacial orthopedics). These extra years of schooling make the orthodontist the dental specialists in moving teeth and aligning jaws. This is the ONLY focus of their practice.
The Canadian Association of Orthodontists (CAO) and the American Associations of Orthodontists (AAO) is open exclusively to orthodontists – only orthodontists are admitted for membership. The only doctors who can call themselves orthodontists have graduated from dental school and then successfully completed the additional three years of education in an accredited orthodontic residency program.