Orthotown January/February 2023 - 16

SECOND OPINION
Orthodontics is a dynamic discipline of
dentistry where no exact consensus or
one-size-fits-all modus operandi exists;
rather, knowledge evolves as evidence
becomes available.
Orthodontics is a dynamic discipline of
dentistry where no exact consensus or one-sizefits-all
modus operandi exists; rather, knowledge
evolves as evidence becomes available. We
are gatherers of options and alternatives from
scholarly books, seminars and filtered experiences.
The more options we are exposed to, the
more experience we gain, and the more solutions
we accumulate in our armamentarium.3
Grandeur
This brings us to the concept of grandeur. When
general practitioners decide to add orthodontics
to their menu of services, treating only a few cases
and not intending to become specialists, their
treatment envelope is usually somewhat limited.
In several countries, a slew of weekend short
courses or continuing dentistry education programs
claim to offer " specialization. " Unfortunately,
these courses leave, in short order, the
attendees with a false sense of confidence with
promises of large profits.15
After such shortterm
orthodontic courses, some practitioners
feel invincible and misjudge, often overestimating
their competence.
Their cognitive bias of illusory superiority
results from training that claims to teach them
everything there is to know about orthodontics.
When they start treating a few basic cases
and observe positive results, a false sense of
proficiency is generated. This good fortune adds
to their conceits of grandeur, making them feel
omnipotent in the field of orthodontics without
ever enrolling in a residency program. That is,
until they run into a problem they didn't know
existed.
Continuing education enables practitioners to
initiate clinical treatment when they are ready.
In contrast, students in a graduate program
receive official, comprehensive and organized
training in which they are exposed to all parts
of their discipline-rather than just a cookbook
approach-and are tested and evaluated. The
dilemma of not knowing what one doesn't know
arises from self-selection of " schooling. " Probably
the vast majority of well-intentioned general
practitioners-those who have invested time and
money in continuing education and who perform
orthodontic treatment with the best interests of
their patients at heart-are simply oblivious of
their diagnostic and technical deficiencies.
Educators versus instructors
An educator is defined as " a person who imparts
intellectual, moral and social instructions, " while
an instructor is defined as " one who teaches; especially:
one whose occupation is to instruct. " There
is a distinct distinction between these two words,
implying there is a distinct difference between the
people to whom we apply them.16
Instructors, during weekend courses, teach
GPs only the fundamentals and extend a onesize-fits-all
strategy that may serve only a small
subset of patients. Educators, on the other hand,
develop in students a deep grasp of concepts they
will take with them for the rest of their life. This
type of education can be obtained only through
orthodontic residency and prolonged mentorship.
Although we believe there to be a clear distinction
between the two, there is still a lot of room
for debate. Additionally, it is inappropriate to
falsely accuse our colleagues unless their behavior
is blatantly against the ideals of our specialty
and only motivated by profit.
Let us now attempt to create a distinction between
what is right and when things begin to go
wrong. We have delivered numerous keynote addresses
and workshops at conferences hosted by
domestic and international orthodontic organizations,
as well as at gatherings hosted by for-profit
organizations that have paid us for our time
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 | 16 | ORTHOTOWN.COM
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Orthotown January/February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown January/February 2023
