What is an orthodontist?
Orthodontics is the branch of dental medicine which aims to prevent, diagnose and treat dental and facial irregularities. It is one of 9 recognized dental specialties in Canada.
In much the same way as doctors choose to specialize in areas of medicine such as cardiology and neurology, dentists can also choose to specialize. An orthodontist is a dentist that has specialized in orthodontics by successfully completing an accredited post-graduate training program that is typically an additional 3 years beyond dental school. Additionally, to practice in Canada, an orthodontist must successfully complete the Royal Dental College’s National Dental Specialty Examination in Orthodontics.
There’s a reason orthodontists attend additional years of highly competitive orthodontic school – to learn and perfect their ability in the specialty. Many dentists offer orthodontic treatment plans, but have not received thorough training or education in the area. A general dentist is ideal for providing regular oral health check-ups, comparable to your family doctor. Orthodontics is not just about straightening teeth, but about creating a healthy, stable and esthetic occlusion (bite). Orthodontists understand the complexity of growth, development and facial form. Regardless of whether there are misaligned teeth, missing teeth, impacted teeth, extra teeth, or skeletal disharmonies, an orthodontist is the specialist to see.

An FAQ list to help you understand how it works.
Orthodontic emergencies
While true orthodontic emergencies are rare, West Shore Orthodontics is here for our patients.
Don’t be alarmed if a wire or band comes loose. This happens occasionally. Please call our office to describe the situation and receive instruction. In the meantime, here are some helpful tips to get you by until the pros can take care of you.
- Missing elastic o-ring
You can use a piece of floss to secure the wire into place until you can return to the office; tie the floss around the bracket in place of the missing elastic o-ring. - Broken bracket
Call our office immediately! We’ll arrange for a repair visit or at least a comfort visit. You can place wax on the broken brace to stabilize it (if it’s still attached to the orthodontic wire) or bring it in to us for repair or replacement. - Broken appliance
Call our office as soon as possible for an appointment to check and repair the appliances. If any piece comes off, save it and bring it with you to the office.
- Poking wire
If a wire around the bracket protrudes and is irritating, use a blunt instrument (the back of a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil) and gently push the irritating wire under the arch wire. If irritation to the lips or mouth continues, place orthodontic wax over the wire to reduce irritation. Make sure you dry the area first or the wax won’t stick well.- If the wire has slid to one side, you can pull it back to the other side with a clean pair of needle-nosed pliers, replacing it in the tube on the back tooth.
- If you cannot put the wire into a comfortable position, and covering the end with wax doesn’t help, you can use a small fingernail clipper or other wire cutter as a last resort. Clip the wire behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened and place wax as needed
- Lost retainer
Life happens, but losing or breaking your retainer can result in your teeth shifting positions, especially if you’ve recently completed treatment. Be sure to call our office immediately to minimize the time where you are not wearing it.
History of Orthodontics
Crowded, irregular, and protruding teeth have been a problem for some individuals since ancient times, and attempts to correct this disorder go back thousands of years. Primitive (and surprisingly well-designed) orthodontic appliances have been found in both Greek and Etruscan materials. As dentistry developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a number of devices for the “regulation” of the teeth were described by various authors and apparently used sporadically by the dentists of that era.
To make good prosthetic replacement teeth, it was necessary to develop a concept of occlusion (the relationship and contact between upper and lower teeth), and this occurred in the late 1800s. As the concepts of occlusion developed and were refined, they were then extended to the natural dentition. Edward H. Angle, whose influence began to be felt about 1890, can be credited with much of the development of a concept of occlusion in the natural dentition. His increasing interest in dental occlusion and in the treatment necessary to obtain normal occlusion led directly to his development of orthodontics as a specialty, with himself as the “father of modern orthodontics.” While tremendous advances in orthodontics have been made in the 21st century, it is important that orthodontists remember their profession’s past, as we have learned a tremendous amount from their successes and challenges.