Orthodontics
Orthodontics is the branch of dentistry that diagnoses and fixes a variety of dental problems and imperfections that interfere with the bite, the health of the mouth and the smile.
Common conditions treated by orthodontics include:
- Missing teeth
- Malocclusion or an inadequate bite
- Overcrowding
- Crookedness and misalignment
- Overbites and underbites
- Extra teeth
- Incorrect jaw position.
What causes malocclusion?
When the jaws, teeth or tempromanidbular joint become misaligned, this leads to malocclusion or a ‘bad bite,’ named because it renders biting and chewing inefficient and potentially harmful. Malocclusion can also be detrimental to your appearance. The condition is regularly caused early in life due to a traumatic incident, such as baby teeth being knocked out or cracked. When these young teeth are replaced they link incorrectly with the surrounding bone and misalign the jaw. Also, other teeth moving into the gap left by a missing tooth can prevent proper alignment of the new tooth. Prolonged thrusting of the tongue during swallowing is a contributing factor to the upper teeth protruding over the lower teeth.
Typical treatment methods
Orthodontic problems are usually corrected with braces. Traditional braces are manufactured from wires attached to small metal brackets. With the right amount of positioning and tightening, the braces gently manoeuvre the irregular teeth into a better position for the patient’s health and smile. Removable, see-through aligners or retainers are also common, often implemented in conjunction with braces in order to maintain the new alignment. Reaching a successful new alignment is particularly effective in children, for whom treatment is quickest, but innumerable adults use orthodontics to fix nagging problems with their teeth.
Evolution of aligners
The treatment options for adults have expanded enormously over the years, taking into account important factors such as discretion, which is vital both for maintaining confidence and having the least impact on everyday interactions, and time taken out of a busy lifestyle. To this end there are multiple alternatives to regular metal wire braces, and these are discussed on their own pages in this section. Invisalign boasts perhaps the fullest discretion with its near ‘invisible’ aligners that blend into the teeth, while products such as 6 Month Smiles offer an unprecedented shortness of treatment.
Benefits of orthodontic treatment
There are a number of long term health benefits of having treatment to correct orthodontic problems. Especially important are the reduced risk of tooth or gum decay, which can prevent further expensive treatment or tooth loss in future, and the fact that aligned and healthy teeth are easier cleaned and flossed than teeth left crooked or irregular. Bad bites can affect your nutrition and cause premature wearing of the back teeth, while a misaligned jaw may interfere with your speech. Misalignment and malocclusion also affect the look and lower the self-esteem of many adults, who feel renewed and more confident after treatment.