Number 1 profession

Several years ago, I wrote an editorial that reflected that orthodontics was considered the ‘Number 1 profession’ in the USA. Despite the challenges we have all faced in the past few years, I certainly still firmly hold this view.

The reason I find orthodontics so interesting is that each and every patient encounter is a step into the unknown. We deal with variation, rarely disease, and as such our decisions are not binary, but more nuanced and cerebral, from the initial diagnosis and treatment planning to the decisions made at every visit. It is always a very pleasant surprise when seeing patients, and comparing the current situation with that 6 weeks ago, to see that various clinical parameters have improved. A small reduction in overjet or overbite, a diminishing extraction space or an improvement in sagittal relationship or the interdigitation in the buccal segments is positive affirmation that whatever clinical treatment was performed at the last visit, was indeed the correct thing to do. We can then pat ourselves on the back and reflect on how good we are at our jobs.