An orthodontist is a dentist who deals with prevention, diagnosis and correction of malpositioned teeth and jaws. They help in correction of improper bite, and malocclusion.

An orthodontist gives treatments for correction of malocclusion, underbite, crossbite, overbite, spacing, crowding of teeth. He uses many appliances for correction like
- braces
- aligners
- space maintainers
- palatal expander, headgear
- jaw repositioning appliances
He also performs jaw surgery to fix severe malocclusion.

An orthodontist completes a postgraduate course of 3 years in orthodontics after completion of basic undergraduation in general dentistry (4 yrs).

Yes, an orthodontist can perform surgery on your teeth. He can perform jaw surgery to fix severe malocclusion.

An orthodontist has more experience and knowledge regarding treatment of malocclusion, alignment of teeth, and corrective appliancesthan a general dentist. An orthodontist completes a postgraduate course of 3 years in orthodontics after completion of general dentistry, whereas a dentist only deals with tooth caries, gum diseases, and simple root canals.