What is an Orthodontist?

Orthodontists are qualified dentists, who after graduating from dental school, pursue additional full-time university-based education in an accredited orthodontic residency program supervised by orthodontists. That training typically lasts two to three academic years. By studying tooth movement (orthodontics) and the guidance of facial skeletal development (dentofacial orthopedics), orthodontists are the uniquely educated experts in dentistry to straighten teeth and align jaws.

Orthodontists diagnose, prevent, and treat dental and facial irregularities. Orthodontists limit their practices exclusively to orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, treating a wide variety of malocclusions (misaligned teeth and/or jaws).

Dr. Orup and Dr. Chen are members of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO). Members of the AAO are dentists who must have at least two to three years of postdoctoral, advanced specialty education in orthodontics in a university-based program accredited by the American Dental Association. Specialty education includes the study of subjects in biomedical, behavioral, and basic sciences; oral biology; and biomechanics.


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