orthodontist
Americannoun
Explanation
An orthodontist is a type of dentist who specializes in straightening crooked teeth. If you go see an orthodontist, you could walk out with a mouth full of braces! A dentist can fill cavities and encourage you to floss, but an orthodontist can help straighten crooked teeth or misaligned jaws. The word orthodontist comes from the Greek word orthos for “straight, correct” and odon for "tooth." The most common thing an orthodontist does is provide braces for kids and adults. An orthodontist can help if you have a serious tooth or jaw problem or if you just want your teeth to look better.
Vocabulary lists containing orthodontist
Smile
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Body Language: Dent, Dont ("Tooth")
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #15
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I’m a 30-year-old newly graduated orthodontist with substantial student debt, planning to live at home temporarily to pay it off.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 27, 2025
He glanced at his 15-year-old, who wants to be an orthodontist, and was listening intently.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2025
He owns a pet tortoise he named Tyrosine after an amino acid, and dreams of being an orthodontist after he retires from racing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2025
When the orthodontist informed me I would have to replace my veneers in 15 to 20 years, I shrugged his words off, figuring that adult me would have no problems with money.
From Salon • Dec. 15, 2024
And that’s when I remember that I was supposed to meet Dad downstairs at five o’clock to go to the orthodontist.
From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
