If you are seeking braces or Invisalign treatment, you want to ensure you receive treatment from a certified specialist in orthodontics. To ensure you are being treated by an orthodontist, look for the designation FRCD(C).
To become a certified orthodontist in Canada requires completion of a rigorous 36-month training program that requires a Master’s of Science degree. Candidates then qualify to take the Royal College of Dentist’s of Canada orthodontic specialty examination and upon successful completion are awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Dentist’s of Canada (FRCD(C)), which also applies to other dental specialties such as oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, pediatric dentistry etc.
Straightening teeth is a complex process that not only requires leveling and aligning of your teeth, but ensuring the upper and lower jaws are harmonized with contacts of your bite that are evenly distributed, and paying meticulous attention to detailing the esthetics of the smile. This requires time, effort and careful planning, thought, and execution. This is why orthodontia can only be taught over a 36-month rigorous graduate training program.
Your health, smile and bite deserve the care of certified specialist. Be very careful of mis-information you may read on the internet promising quick fixes for low fees by individuals without the proper training. You will be disappointed, frustrated and will need to spend more money and be involved in more complex treatment by a certified specialist, to get things right. Just like you want a cardiac surgeon, not your family doctor, to perform heart surgery, you want a certified orthodontist to do your braces. Look for the FRCD(C) designation to ensure you are treated by a certified orthodontic specialist.
