Key Difference: A dentist and orthodontist both are dental professions. A dentist takes after the general problems related to teeth and gums. On the other hand, orthodontist is a specialist who addresses serious issues like alignment of tooth and jaw. A dentist needs to complete specialization in orthodontics to be an orthodontist.

A dentist is a person who professionally looks after the issues addressing the diagnosis, prevention and treatment related to oral cavity. Simply he is a health care practitioner who practices dentistry. They examine the teeth and gums specifically.

The word dentist has been derived from the French word dentist, from dent meaning "tooth". In order to be a dentist, one needs to complete medical school by completing graduate or post graduate dental training. They mainly deal with the general dental problems like tooth decay and gum disease.

Many people consider a dentist and Orthodontists to be the same. However, they are little different. Orthodontists are dentists but deal with more complicated problem as comparison to a general dentist.

To become an Orthodontist, one needs to go through a program in Orthodontics which Is a branch of dentistry dealing with the treatment and prevention of irregularities of the teeth and jaws. They deal with serious issues like alignment of tooth and jaw. They basically treat issues like overbite, underbite, crowded teeth, crossbite and improperly spaced teeth.

An orthodontist is a specialist dealing with issues of dental and facial irregularities. To be an orthodontist, one needs to be a dentist first. Later after the successful completion of orthodontic program, one becomes an orthodontist.

Thus, one can simply say that an orthodontist is a dentist specialized in orthodontics.

Comparison between Dentist and Orthodontist:

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