While dentists and orthodontists both take care of your teeth, dentists perform routine dental services, such as cleaning teeth, treating cavities, and even extracting damaged teeth. Orthodontists, on the other hand, specialize in fixing smile irregularities. This also means that orthodontists have to have higher qualifications than dentists. Orthodontists must comply with all the requirements that dentists have to have, and they also have to have completed a post-dental school residency that can take two to three years. They also have to complete hours of orthodontic training before they are considered fully qualified. While orthodontists and dentists take care of different aspects of your oral health, both professions have the same goal—to make sure your teeth are healthy and strong.