Salary /remuneration:

• The salary of the orthodontist varies with the work setting, industry type and employment type.
• The other factors that alter the salary of the orthodontist are the experience, location and specialization etc.
• The mean salary of the orthodontist is $120,696 per annum.
• The hourly rate for top 10 % orthodontist employed in several sectors is $230,726 and the low 10 % of orthodontist earn $90,236.
• The salary for the experienced orthodontist is higher than those at initial stages.
• The orthodontist with 1-4 years of experience earn $40,268 – $202,735 per annum.
• The salary of orthodontist with 5- 9 years of experience is $59,180 – $201,666 per year.
• The orthodontist with 10 -19 years experience can make $50,000 – $292,774 per annum.
• The individuals with experience of 20 years or more make $91,141 – $311,716.
• The salary of the orthodontist alters with location of the company and the state in which the orthodontist live.
• The orthodontistemployed in top countries like California earn $90,850 – $293,673; in Texas earn $67,780 – $301,100; in New York earn   $24,511 – $195,743; in Florida earn $110,000 – $191,826; in New Jersey earn $135,000 – $190,000; in Ohio earn $78,611 – $122,084 etc.
• They work for various hospitals, health care centers and medical care industries etc.
• The orthodontist working for government hospital earn more in comparison to the working in hospital or medical care centers operated by private people.
• The salary of the orthodontist working in government agencies earn $78,611 – $122,084 and the individuals working in private hospitals earn $88,231 – $172,184.
• Some orthodontist are elf employed and they establish a hospital and earn around $108,237 – $332,784 per annum.
• The orthodontist salary even changes with the specialization. They get specialized in specific areas of dentistry fields like orthodontics, pediatrics, oral surgery and prosthodontics etc.

Skill set required for the orthodontist:

• The orthodontistmust possess outstanding skill set to determine and treat the dental problems of the patients.
• They analyze and evaluate the patient’s condition by examining the diagnostic images.
• Develop good constructive working relationship skills to coordinate with medical specialist related to the various departments.
• The orthodontistmust be up to date with the latest dental procedures introduced in to the market.
• Develop and use counseling tips to guide the patients about bruising and administration of medications etc.
• Need good research skills to innovate several new procedures to treat several types of dental problems.
• The orthodontistneed to have good knowledge of medical terminology and terms related to dental field.
• They need good people skills to communicate with the patients and other high medical officers in order to find out the solution for a complex problem.
• They need to record and store the patient details to provide correct treatment.
• They need to have good eye-hand coordination while treating the patients.
• The orthodontistshould be expert in administering anesthesia and other medications.
• They need to have computer competence and have knowledge about browsing internet and other applications like MS PowerPoint to prepare slides while presenting a seminar.
• They need to have good instructing skills to train and teach new stuff to the dental assistants.
• They need to inspect the working of tools like brackets, space maintainers etc and in case of improper functioning, they must be replaced immediately.
• They need to have good acquaintance in scientific and clinical field.
• The orthodontistmust maintain good client base to move forward in the field and he must gain good will.
• They must possess good human resource managing skills.
• The orthodontistneed to identify the dental problems that come along with the family and find out treatment methods to fix the problem.
• They need to show personal care to each patient irrespective of their caste, complexion etc.
• They must be able to tell if anything goes wrong during treatment to avoid major accidents in future.
• The orthodontistmust possess outstanding deftness that is to move the hands quickly and manipulate several tools for effective treatment.
• They need to possess good listening skills to record the details from the patients.
• They need to think quickly in complex situations and must be capable to make spot decisions.

Important duties and responsibilities:

The orthodontist has several duties and responsibilities to perform.

Duties of orthodontist:

• Treat the dental problems by using various dental procedures.
• They design and formulate various tools that help in treating patients like space maintainers, retainers, labial arch wires and lingual arch wires.
• The prime role of the orthodontist is to confer with patients and know the reasons to seek the help of the orthodontist.
• They examine the bone structure of teeth by seeing the diagnostic images and take plaster molds of the teeth to decide the necessary treatment plan.
• After deciding the treatment plan, they work to install bracket and fix the dental brackets by pressing the brackets with lingual arch wire.
• Once the teeth get in to desire shape, the orthodontist removes the installed brackets.
• The patients visit the orthodontistfrequently and ensure that the wire is tightened from time to time.

Responsibilities of orthodontist:

• Responsible to fix the brackets in proper line without disturbing the jaws as they are most sensitive part and causes bleeding.
• Record the previous medical history of the patients.
• List out the surgical procedures that the patients has undergone in past and then deiced appropriate treatment procedure.
• Train the dental assistant about their role during the treatment.
• Apply several latest methods to improvise the appliances that are used before.
• They guide the patients about the necessary precautions that are to be taken care after the surgery or treatment.
• Explain the treatment procedure and amount required for the treatment.
• Conduct and attend seminars organized by various hospitals.

Certification and licensure:

• The certification courses help the orthodontistto learn some new procedures in identifying the dental problems.
• The orthodontistmust acquire license to get recognized as professional and usually license is issued by the National Board of Dental Association.
• It is mandatory for every individual who are practicing dentistry to hold the license issued by the National Board of Dental Association.
• There are numerous certification programs that help orthodontistto get idea about the practical work involved in dentistry field.
• The National Board of Orthodontics – Board Certified Diplomat is the common certification course that is mostly preferred by the students after completing the degree or post graduation.
• It is chosen by many people who want to have advantage over the other candidates during the interview process.
• The Certified Orthodontic Assistant (COA) certification program is useful to all the individuals to learn the basic terms related to the dental field.
• The Certified Doctor (SORSI) is the special certification program that aids the orthodontistto operate the various tools that are used in treating dental problems.
• The candidates on completing the two year training program they must take a certification test conducted by the American Board of Orthodontics.
• After completing four years degree course, the candidates need to take the clinical certification test to practice the orthodontics.
• Depending on the state in which the orthodontist is employed, the licensing requirements vary.
• In order to get licensed, they need to pass the exam conducted by the regional and state agencies.

Educational requirements for the orthodontist:

• The orthodontist needs to be well qualified to fit for the position and understand the medical dental terms to offer efficient treatment to the patients visiting the work setting.
• The individuals interested to build their career in dentistry field must have studied biology, chemistry, health and mathematics during their schooling period.
• They need to take the four year degree course and some even complete the 3 years degree course.
• After degree course, they take the four years dental course to get doctorate in dental surgery or dental medicine.
• They take another tow year course to get masters certificate in orthodontics and practice the work under the guidance of superior dental surgeon.
• They need to get licensed to practice the dental treatments and continue the education to maintain their license.
• They need to clear the Dental Admission Test (DAT) conducted by the American Dental Association (ADA).
• After clearing the exams, they can enter into internship programs offered by many hospitals that offer effective treatment in healing the dental problems.
• They need to get degree from any accredited university or dental school and pass the exam administered by the National board of dental association.
• And in some specific states, the candidates need to go through the exam to acquire their post graduate degree.
• There are ample of institutes available to offer training to the candidates and turn them in to skillful orthodontist.

About orthodontist:

The orthodontist is medical professional specialized in the dentistry field. He examines the disorders that occur in the jaws development and positioning of teeth. They determine the disorder based on the height, weight, x-ray and dental photographs of the patient. They mainly work to straighten, align teeth that are in misplaced position. They record the previous dental condition of the patients and decide the necessary treatment plan to the patient.

They use several tools like retainers, lingual arch wires, labial arch wires, braces and space maintainers while providing treatment to the patients.  They instruct the patients about proper eating and teach various teeth cleaning procedures to make them free from dental problems. They check and adjust the necessary dental settings for the patient. They explain the treatment process to the patients and the cost to be incurred to complete the treatment plan. The orthodontist treats the impairments that commonly occur in the teeth. The impairments are due to the tooth irregularity or improper jaws. They have prominent role to play in improving the appearance of the face by treating the teeth abnormalities.

They use the just a form of metallic steel wire to insert them in to the orthodontic brackets. It is used to treat the crooked teeth and get them in to perfect shape. The other name given to the orthodontist is dental specialist. The name itself resembles that they deal with teeth and treat the misaligned teeth and jaws. They conduct classes to instruct various orthodontic procedures to dental officers and technical assistant. They administer anesthesia to patients before offering treatment. The orthodontist extract the teeth and make models of it to replace the missing teeth. They also prescribe the antibiotics and other medication to the patients. They provide suggestions after completing the dental procedure about diet to be followed, use of fluorides and correct brushing procedure.