How do we look at orthodontics vs how the body looks at it.

How complex is orthodontics?

 The more you look into the abyss, the abyss looks back.

 The changes that have occurred in the last 10 years in the field have shaken the very foundations of university training. There are fields that have been considered fringe many times and now are entering normal training in several parts of the world. Some of these we can consider as the time-tested contested topics, such as functional appliances, early treatment protocols, extractions, self-ligation, occlusion and TMD.

However, some topics are a little less commonplace such as sleep, breathing and psychology.

Since the famous TED lecture on sleep by Matt Walker, awareness has exploded. It has become an important part of dentistry with anti-snoring devices and the like being dispensed, and the relevance in children with regards to growth and development being highlighted.

The significance between breathing and how the maxillofacial complex develops is more and more obvious. The ability of orthodontics to change individual lives in other ways than just a beautiful smile is something that we need to become used to. From the “Iceman” to proponents of Yoga, correct breathing has been found to be so critical in human physiology and development.

As soon as you bring a psychological element to your orthodontic treatment, you will be happier for it. The patient-dentist relation is never so deeply intertwined in any field of medicine and dentistry than in orthodontics. You become their “friend” and no amount of “professionalism” can help you here. The determinants of being compassionate and understanding are not taught in universities, therefore experience is critical.

Orthodontics will never stop developing and changing. It is NOT up to the universities and formal education to give you all your training. The drone-led approach there is not only sluggish but also dangerous.

Anyone doing any form of orthodontics should learn allied fields, including the ones listed above and more outside of the formal routes.

So will you truly understand orthodontics? The short answer is no. The long answer is also no, but you shouldn’t stop trying.