Why Choose an Orthodontist?
Why Choose an Orthodontist to Straighten Your Teeth?
An orthodontist is to teeth what a cardiologist is to the heart. Orthodontists are highly trained specialists who partner with your dentist to provide you with the best oral health care.
Orthodontists are qualified dentists, who after graduating from dental school, go on to additional full-time university-based education in an accredited orthodontic residency program supervised by orthodontists. That training lasts at least two academic years--sometimes more. By learning about tooth movement (orthodontics) and guidance of facial development (dentofacial orthopedics), orthodontists are the uniquely trained experts in dentistry to straighten teeth and align jaws.
Orthodontists diagnose, prevent and treat dental and facial irregularities. Members of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) limit their practices to orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. Orthodontists treat a wide variety of malocclusions (improperly aligned teeth and/or jaws). They regularly treat young children, teens and adults.
Selecting an orthodontist who is a member of the AAO is your assurance that you have chosen an orthodontist: the dental specialist with at least two years of post-doctoral, advanced specialty training in orthodontics in a university-based program accredited by the American Dental Association. Furthermore, a board certified orthodontist is an orthodontist who has voluntarily gone through hundreds of additional hours of preparation to demonstrate their judgment, skills and knowledge required for providing the highest level of patient care.
Only orthodontists may be members of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO). Dr. Gary Chu graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. From there, Dr. Chu was accepted to the rigorous program at University of Texas San Antonio Dental School where he received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. He spent an additional two years completing his orthodontic residency at The University of Iowa College of Dentistry.
Dr. Chu is a member of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Society, and has received numerous awards for his research and clinical skills. He has also earned the title of diplomate with the prestigious American Board of Orthodontics, in addition to belonging to the American Association of Orthodontics, the American Dental Association, the Wisconsin Dental Association, the Wisconsin Society of Orthodontists, and the Racine Dental Society.
