TL;DR
- An orthodontist examines, diagnoses and treats dental malocclusions and anomalies of the oral cavity, and designs and fits appliances that realign teeth and jaws “to produce and maintain normal function and to improve appearance”, in O*NET's definition. Its tasks run from examining patients to assess abnormalities of jaw development and tooth position, and studying diagnostic records including histories, plaster models, photographs and X-rays to develop treatment plans, to fitting and adjusting appliances, providing patients with proposed plans and cost estimates, preparing records and instructing assistants in orthodontic techniques.
- The duties group into seven across a course of treatment: assessment, records and diagnosis; the treatment plan and the consent conversation; appliance design and fitting; adjustment and monitoring; retention; coordination with other dental and medical services; and teaching, supervision and records. What makes the work distinctive is time: a course runs for years, and the result depends on the patient doing their part between appointments.
- In the UK the route is a dental degree accredited by the General Dental Council, registration with the GDC, dental foundation training, then dental core training of one to three years and dental specialty training of typically three to five years, with orthodontics one of thirteen recognised dental specialties, and at least 100 hours of continuing professional development over a five-year cycle to maintain registration. An advert should state the case mix, the appliances used, the therapist and nurse support and the session pattern, because those describe the job better than the title does.
Most clinical jobs are measured in appointments. Orthodontics is measured in years. A patient is assessed, a plan is drawn from models, photographs and radiographs, an appliance goes on, and then two dozen short appointments follow across two or three years, each moving things a little, with the outcome depending as much on what the patient does at home as on what happens in the chair. An orthodontist job description that lists only "fit braces" has missed both the diagnosis at the start and the retention at the end.
This article sets out what an orthodontist does, using the US O*NET occupational database, the Prospects careers service and the UK National Careers Service. It gives seven duties across a course of treatment, separates the role from a dentist and an orthodontic therapist, explains the UK route to the specialist list, describes the settings, and provides a job description template with objectives. It is general information for people writing and reading job descriptions, not clinical or regulatory advice; check the regulator for current requirements.
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What does an orthodontist do?
O*NET defines the occupation as examining, diagnosing and treating “dental malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies”, and designing and fabricating “appliances to realign teeth and jaws to produce and maintain normal function and to improve appearance”. It places orthodontists in Job Zone five: extensive preparation, most requiring graduate school.
Its eleven tasks describe the course of treatment: “examine patients to assess abnormalities of jaw development, tooth position, and other dental-facial structures”; “study diagnostic records, such as medical or dental histories, plaster models of the teeth, photos of a patient's face and teeth, and X-rays, to develop patient treatment plans”; “diagnose teeth and jaw or other dental-facial abnormalities”; “provide patients with proposed treatment plans and cost estimates”; “fit dental appliances in patients' mouths to alter the position and relationship of teeth and jaws or to realign teeth”; “adjust dental appliances to produce and maintain normal function”; “design and fabricate appliances, such as space maintainers, retainers, and labial and lingual arch wires”; “advise patients to comply with treatment plans”; “prepare diagnostic and treatment records”; “instruct dental officers and technical assistants in orthodontic procedures and techniques”; and “coordinate orthodontic services with other dental and medical services”.
Orthodontist duties: seven responsibilities
- Assessment, records and diagnosis. Examine the patient; assess jaw development, tooth position and dental-facial structures; take or commission the records, models, photographs and radiographs; diagnose the malocclusion and decide whether treatment is appropriate now, later or not at all.
- Treatment plan and consent. Develop the plan from the records; explain the options, the expected result, the duration, the risks and the cost; agree what the patient is committing to. O*NET lists providing proposed treatment plans and cost estimates as a task in its own right.
- Appliance design and fitting. Design and, where relevant, fabricate the appliance; fit fixed or removable appliances, space maintainers and arch wires; refer for extractions or surgery where the plan requires them.
- Adjustment and monitoring. Adjust appliances at intervals to produce and maintain normal function; monitor progress against the plan; manage breakages, discomfort and the treatment that is not moving as expected.
- Retention. Fit and review retainers; explain that the result has to be held, which is the part patients most often underestimate and the part that determines whether the treatment lasts.
- Coordination. Coordinate orthodontic services with other dental and medical services: the general dental practitioner, oral surgery, restorative colleagues, and in cleft and craniofacial cases a wider team.
- Teaching, supervision and records. Instruct assistants, nurses and therapists in orthodontic procedures and techniques; supervise the therapist team where the practice has one; prepare and maintain diagnostic and treatment records.
Orthodontist, dentist, orthodontic therapist
| Role | Does | Requires |
|---|---|---|
| General dentist | Diagnosis and treatment across general dentistry; may do some orthodontics | A GDC-accredited dental degree and registration |
| Specialist orthodontist | Diagnoses and plans orthodontic treatment; complex cases | Dental degree, registration and completed specialty training |
| Orthodontic therapist | Carries out defined orthodontic procedures to the orthodontist's prescription | A separate GDC-registrable qualification |
| Dental nurse | Supports the clinician chairside; records; decontamination | GDC registration as a dental nurse |
The distinction that matters in an advert is between a dentist with an interest in orthodontics and a specialist orthodontist on the regulator's specialist list, and between a clinician and a therapist working to prescription. Our dentist job description covers the general role.
The UK route
The Prospects dentist profile sets out the path, and the National Careers Service describes the same one from the school-leaver end.
- A dental degree accredited by the General Dental Council, the UK regulator for dental professionals. Entry typically requires A levels including biology and chemistry, and the schools are GDC-approved.
- Registration with the GDC to practise as a dentist, followed by dental foundation training, usually a year in general dental practice, which Prospects notes is essential to treat patients in NHS primary care.
- Dental core training, which Prospects describes as lasting from one to three years and based mainly in hospital settings.
- Dental specialty training, which typically follows core training and lasts three to five years. Prospects says there are thirteen recognised dental specialties, including orthodontics, and that some dentists complete three years and work as specialists while others continue for a further two years towards consultant roles.
Keeping registration. Prospects notes annual renewal and at least 100 hours of continuing professional development over a five-year cycle. Requirements change; confirm with the regulator.
The settings
- Specialist orthodontic practice. High volume, mostly children and adolescents with a growing proportion of adults, a therapist team, and a mix of contract and private work.
- General dental practice with an orthodontic clinic. Sessional work alongside general dentistry, often a narrower case mix and shared nursing support.
- Hospital orthodontics. Complex cases, joint clinics with oral and maxillofacial surgery, cleft and craniofacial care, teaching and supervision of trainees.
- Community and salaried services. Patients who need additional support, domiciliary and special care contexts, close work with other services.
A candidate chooses on case mix, appliance systems, support staff and session pattern. Name them.
Orthodontist job description template
Job title: Specialist Orthodontist (or Consultant Orthodontist; or Dentist with a Special Interest in Orthodontics, where that is the post)
Reports to: Practice Principal, Clinical Director or Clinical Lead for Orthodontics
Scope: State the setting, the sessions per week, the case mix and volume, the appliance systems in use, the imaging and laboratory arrangements, and the nursing and therapist support.
Purpose: Assess, plan and deliver orthodontic treatment safely and effectively, from diagnosis to retention, and support the team and the patients through a course of care that lasts years.
Responsibilities:
- Assess new patients; take and interpret records; diagnose and decide on suitability and timing of treatment.
- Develop treatment plans; explain options, duration, risks and costs; obtain informed consent.
- Design, fit and adjust fixed and removable appliances; manage progress, breakages and complications.
- Plan and review retention; explain and reinforce what the patient must do.
- Coordinate with general dental practitioners, oral surgery, restorative colleagues and, where relevant, the multidisciplinary team.
- Prescribe and supervise the work of orthodontic therapists and instruct nurses and assistants.
- Maintain accurate diagnostic and treatment records; take part in audit, clinical governance and CPD.
Person specification:
- Registration with the General Dental Council; inclusion on the specialist list in orthodontics, or eligibility, where the post requires it.
- Completed specialty training and experience of the case mix described.
- Clear communication with children, parents and adult patients; patience across a long course of treatment.
- Commitment to CPD, audit and supervision of the therapist team.
Working pattern: State the sessions, days, any evening or Saturday clinics, and the split between contract and private work.
Objectives and appraisal
Orthodontic outcomes take years, so annual objectives should mix outcome and practice:
- Outcomes. Cases completed against plan and an agreed measure of finished-case quality, with reasons recorded where treatment was extended or abandoned.
- Time and attendance. Treatment durations against plan; failed appointments and how the practice responds to them.
- Patient experience and compliance. Feedback from patients and parents, and what the clinician does to improve cooperation between visits.
- Team and development. Supervision and development of therapists and nurses; CPD completed; audit or quality improvement done.
Frequently asked questions
What does an orthodontist do?
Examines, diagnoses and treats dental malocclusions and anomalies of the oral cavity, and designs and fits appliances that realign teeth and jaws to produce normal function and improve appearance. In O*NET's task list that means examining patients, studying records such as models, photographs and X-rays to develop treatment plans, providing plans and cost estimates, fitting and adjusting appliances, arranging retention, coordinating with other dental and medical services and keeping treatment records.
What is the difference between a dentist and an orthodontist?
A dentist diagnoses and treats across general dentistry after a GDC-accredited degree and registration. An orthodontist has completed dental specialty training in orthodontics, one of thirteen recognised dental specialties in Prospects' description, and focuses on diagnosing and correcting the position of teeth and jaws. Some general dentists carry out orthodontic treatment without being specialists, which an advert should distinguish.
How do you become an orthodontist in the UK?
Complete a dental degree accredited by the General Dental Council, register with the GDC, complete dental foundation training, then dental core training of one to three years and dental specialty training of typically three to five years in orthodontics. Registration is maintained by annual renewal and at least 100 hours of CPD over a five-year cycle. Check the regulator for current requirements.
What is an orthodontic therapist?
A separately registered member of the dental team who carries out defined orthodontic procedures to an orthodontist's prescription, such as fitting and adjusting certain appliances. The therapist works under prescription and supervision; the orthodontist remains responsible for diagnosis and the treatment plan.
What should an orthodontist job advert include?
The setting and sessions, the case mix and volume, the appliance systems used, the imaging and laboratory arrangements, the nursing and therapist support, the contract and private split, and the supervision and CPD expectations. Those are what a clinician weighs; the clinical duties are largely predictable.
Your next step: describe the clinic, not just the specialty
- State the setting, sessions and case mix in the first lines of the advert.
- Name the appliance systems, imaging and laboratory arrangements.
- Say what nursing and therapist support the clinician will have.
- Set objectives that mix completed-case quality with treatment duration, patient experience and team development.
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