Why Orthodontist Training Is a Crucial Part of Becoming a Successful UK-Based Dentist
In 2025, in order for your dental practice to reach the heights expected from a dentist active in a major UK city, you will need to pick a specialisation. Do you think orthodontics is one of the most lucrative subdomains of the dentistry field, and were you always interested in expanding your professional services to braces and orthodontic treatments for people with maxillofacial issues? In such a case, going for a diploma in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics could represent one of the most inspired decisions of your medical career. What are the main, practical benefits of orthodontist training? Let’s start with the basics and discuss the expansion of your clinical skills.
Yes, in order to become a dentist in the UK you had to obtain a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from an accredited university and then register with the General Dental Council. The process is complex and not everyone can successfully graduate, as the exams are difficult and the curriculum is hard to navigate. But that’s kind of the point. Only the best are allowed to practice dental operations in the UK, and since you are reading this post, we can safely assume that you are one of them. However, just because you graduated with a BDS, this doesn’t mean you possess the right knowledge to offer orthodontic services. At least not yet.
An orthodontist course will be the way to gain experience with techniques and orthodontic appliances like retainers or traditional braces, which are becoming more and more relevant for the general public. During the 12 months of the course you select, you will learn techniques for diagnosing malocclusions, you will expand your capabilities as a dentist, and after the program’s completion, you will increase the ROI of your services and hopefully attract new clientele.
What Are the Financial Benefits?
In a recently published survey, 76% of orthodontists reported a substantial increase in the number of adults searching for professional orthodontic treatment. And the causes for this are multiple. For one thing, crooked teeth have, in recent years, started to become frowned upon in the professional environment and more and more people are starting to look into long-term treatments in order to further their career trajectory. Is this fair? No, but it is what it is. Plus, recent advancements in the field have made it so the options for patients are more plentiful than ever before.
Gone are the days when conventional wire braces were the only option available for orthodontic treatments. Nowadays, for example, according to a study published in 2023 in the Journal of Orthodontics, no less than 77% of all UK-based orthodontists use clear aligner treatment in their practice. All these factors combined had a positive effect on the ROI of the high-value procedures conducted by orthodontists in our country. Are you looking to expand your patient pool, make your practice more popular in your local area and diversify the services you offer in your practice? In that case, going for specialised orthodontist training should be one of your priorities.
But let’s talk money. How much can you actually earn by going for an orthodontist course? Well, it depends on what treatments you want to offer. However, if you live in a medium-sized UK city like Sheffield, you can expect to earn somewhere around £80,000 per year. Sure, these sums can vary depending on your patient’s influx and reputation. But, as a general rule, orthodontists in the UK typically earn more than conventional dentists, especially in large cities like London.
What Are the Perks of Online Orthodontist Training?
It’s just easier. You are probably involved with your own practice, and because of this, your free time is limited, to say the least. A PG diploma in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics will be accredited at level 7 by EduQual, a regulated awarding body approved by the Scottish Qualifications Authority and will be equivalent to a Master’s Degree. In other words, in just 12 months and fully online, the orthodontist training you receive could deepen your professional expertise and help you become authorised to perform complex orthodontic treatments.
The professional orthodontist training program you select will take 12 months to complete, and the curriculum will be available fully online, on a VLE that will allow you 24-hour access to the program’s units. For the required hands-on technique, participants will usually receive a clinical simulation kit and extra workshops should be available on interactive video platforms like Zoom. The curriculum of these kinds of orthodontist courses will usually be split into 25 separate modules that will be separated into six units. Units one to three will deal with treatment planning, principles of patient diagnosis and the application of orthodontic appliances.
Units four to six, on the other hand, should teach advanced orthodontic principles like the application of TADs, the utilisation of CBCT imaging and teach orthodontists how to deal with potential complications after maxillofacial surgeries. At the end of the orthodontist course, you should benefit from the necessary skills to handle complex orthodontic treatments in-house and you will also complete your mandatory 100 days of continuous professional development.
What Services Could You Provide After the Orthodontist Course?
For starters, you will become knowledgeable enough to identify malocclusions in children and adults alike, create treatment plans tailored to the specifics of the patient’s maxillofacial structure and perform interceptive interventions before the patient’s issues become too severe to correct without invasive surgeries. Secondly, you will learn how to apply traditional metal braces, including the ones utilised for complex cases that require wisdom tooth extractions, and learn how to incorporate Invisalign in the services offered by your practice.
After the completion of the orthodontist course and the subsequent receival of your level-7 diploma, you will become knowledgeable enough to deal with TMJ corrections, you will have the necessary skills to use CAD/CAM for treatment planning, help patients that suffer from overbite, and will even become familiar with TADs, which are mini implants who can assist in complex tooth movements without the need of invasive and painful extractions. Going for an orthodontist program could be a brilliant idea for your professional development and in the long term, the cost associated with its completion will seem modest in comparison to the financial benefits you’ll enjoy after you start offering new orthodontic treatments.