Said upfront
There is no MDS orthodontist at Redefine Dental. Orthodontic treatment here is provided by Dr. Dhanya Saxena, BDS, MHA, FMC, FAOI, an oro-dental surgeon whose clinical focus is implantology and full mouth reconstruction. Straightforward crowding and spacing cases are treated with braces or aligners; skeletal and complex cases are identified at assessment and referred to a specialist. This page explains where that line sits so you can decide for yourself.
What the MDS actually means
In India, every dentist qualifies with a BDS. An orthodontist has then completed a three-year full-time postgraduate MDS in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics, which covers growth and development, cephalometric analysis, biomechanics and the surgical interface, alongside several hundred supervised cases.
A general dentist may legally provide orthodontic treatment, and many do so competently after continuing education and mentored cases. The honest framing is not that one is allowed and the other is not. It is that the specialist has seen far more of the cases that go wrong, and the gap between the two widens sharply as case complexity rises.
Cases that genuinely need a specialist
Skeletal problems, where the jaws are the issue
A significantly receded or protruded lower jaw, a severe open bite, or marked facial asymmetry. These are problems of jaw position rather than tooth position. In a growing child they may be guided with functional appliances; in an adult they may need combined orthodontic and jaw surgery. Both need specialist planning.
Impacted teeth needing surgical exposure
Most commonly an upper canine that has failed to erupt and is lying in the palate. It has to be surgically exposed and then guided into the arch over many months with a carefully controlled force system. This is specialist work.
Cleft lip and palate, and craniofacial cases
Managed by a multidisciplinary team over many years, from infancy to adulthood.
Complex extraction cases with anchorage demands
Where premolars are removed and the spaces have to be closed in a specific way without unwanted movement elsewhere. Getting anchorage wrong is difficult to undo and is one of the clearer arguments for specialist care.
Orthodontics on a compromised or heavily restored mouth
Moving teeth in a mouth with reduced bone support after periodontal disease, or where the plan combines orthodontics with implants and crowns, requires the sequence to be right and the forces to be light and precisely controlled.
Cases a trained general dentist handles well
Mild to moderate crowding and spacing
The most common presentation by a wide margin, and well within the scope of a general dentist with orthodontic training, using either fixed braces or clear aligners.
Relapse after earlier orthodontic treatment
Teeth that have drifted after braces years ago, usually because retainers were stopped. Often a short course.
Alignment before restorative work
Straightening teeth so that veneers or crowns need far less tooth removed. The orthodontic movement here is usually modest and the restorative plan drives it.
Aligner treatment for straightforward adult cases
Where the digital plan can be assessed upfront and the case is not skeletal.
What to ask, whoever you see
Which qualification do you hold, and what is your Dental Council registration number? Is my case skeletal or dental, and how do you know? What records are you taking before planning, since an OPG and a lateral cephalogram are the minimum? Are retainers included, and what do they cost if not? What happens, and what does it cost, if the case does not finish as planned?
That last question is the most useful one and it is the least often asked. Orthodontic treatment runs eighteen months to two and a half years, and what happens when a case stalls is worth knowing at the start rather than at month fourteen.
Questions patients ask
Questions patients ask about braces and clear aligners
- Clear aligners or braces: which is better?
- What is the best age for braces?
- Veneers or braces for crooked teeth?
- How long do braces take?
- Do I need a retainer after braces, and which type?
- What types of braces are there?
- Metal or ceramic braces: which is better?
- Do braces change your face shape?
- What are the side effects of braces?
- Do braces hurt, and what can I eat?
- Do braces for overbite work?
- Do clear aligners work, and what can't they fix?
- Are self-ligating braces better than regular braces?
- What are lingual braces, and who are they for?
- What is orthodontic wax, and how do you use it?
- What is the right way of brushing with braces?
- What do braces rubber bands do?
- Can adults get braces?
- What are metal braces and how do they work?
- What causes crooked teeth, and can they be fixed?
- What is an overbite?
- What is an underbite, and how is it treated?
- What are aligners, and how do they straighten teeth?
- What is overjet, and how is it treated?
- What does malocclusion mean?
- What are buck teeth (proclined teeth), and can they be corrected?
- What is a narrow jaw, and can it be corrected?
- What causes an asymmetrical jaw, and does it need treatment?
- What is an orthodontist and what do they do?
- What is a crossbite, and does it need to be fixed?
- What is a palatal expander, and how does it work?
- What is a snaggle tooth, and can it be fixed?
- What is a deep bite, and how is it treated?
- What is an open bite, and can it be corrected?
- What is a permanent retainer, and how does it compare with clear and removable retainers?
- What is headgear for braces, and when is it used?
- What is an impacted canine, and how is it treated?
- What does occlusion mean in dentistry?
- What causes a gap between teeth and how can it be closed?
- Braces Cost in Lucknow
- Clear Aligner Cost in Lucknow
- Retainer Cost in Lucknow
Common questions
What is the difference between a dentist and an orthodontist?
An orthodontist is a dentist who has completed a three-year postgraduate MDS specialisation in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics. A general dentist can legally and competently provide orthodontic treatment in India, and many do so with additional training, but has not completed that specialisation. The distinction matters most for skeletal and complex cases.
Do I need an orthodontist or will a dentist do?
For mild to moderate crowding or spacing, a general dentist with orthodontic training is usually appropriate. For skeletal discrepancies, impacted canines needing surgical exposure, cleft cases, or complex extraction cases with anchorage demands, see an MDS orthodontist. If you are unsure, an assessment with X-rays will tell you which category you are in.
Is there an orthodontist at Redefine Dental?
No. Redefine Dental provides orthodontic treatment with braces and clear aligners, delivered by Dr. Dhanya Saxena, who holds BDS, MHA, FMC and FAOI. She is an oro-dental surgeon and aesthetic physician, not an MDS orthodontic specialist. Cases needing specialist orthodontic care are identified at assessment and referred.
How much does an orthodontist cost in Lucknow?
Orthodontic treatment in Lucknow costs ₹25,000 to ₹45,000 for metal braces on both arches, ₹40,000 to ₹70,000 for ceramic, and ₹60,000 to ₹2,50,000 for a full clear aligner course. Specialist MDS practices generally sit at the upper end of these ranges. Retainers, at ₹5,000 to ₹15,000, are essential and are not always included.
At what age should a child see an orthodontist?
A first assessment at around age seven. This is not a recommendation to begin treatment; most children are simply monitored afterwards. It exists to catch crossbites, severe crowding and jaw discrepancies at the stage where growth can still be used to help correct them.
How do I check whether someone is a qualified orthodontist?
Ask for the qualification and the State Dental Council registration number. An orthodontic specialist holds an MDS in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics. Registration is a matter of public record. A practitioner who is evasive about which qualification they hold has answered the question.
About this page
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Prices are prevailing Lucknow market ranges, not a quotation. Whether your case needs specialist orthodontic care is determined after an examination and records, not from a description. For questions about your own case, call +91 83036 12717.