Orthodontic Treatment
Orthodontic treatment is a way of straightening and moving teeth, improving the appearance and how the teeth work.
An orthodontist is a specialist within dentistry who will treat facial
and dental irregularities. Some examples of issues an orthodontist can
treat successfully are:
• Overcrowding
– This is the most common
problem specialists treat. Sometimes there is not enough space for adult
teeth to erupt in alignment with the teeth that are already there. An
orthodontist is able to realign the teeth.
• Underbite or Overbite
– An underbite means the lower teeth are positioned further forward than the upper teeth
– An overbite means the upper teeth are positioned further forward than the lower teeth
If you or your dentist feel you could benefit from orthodontic treatment you can be referred to an orthodontist.
They will firstly do a full examination, assessing the condition of
your teeth, dental impressions (moulds) are taken of your teeth to
study and dental x-rays are taken so the orthodontist can look at the
positions of your teeth.
In order for the teeth to be moved dental braces are placed on the
teeth. Braces, for the movement of teeth, are used specifically in
orthodontic dentistry. They consist of brackets which are bonded on to
the teeth and a metal wire is inserted through the brackets.
The metal wires are tightened and work with the brackets to move the
teeth into the desired position. The process of orthodontic treatment
needs to be done very slowly in order for it to work effectively, hence
the reason why wearing braces can take some time to achieve the
finishing results.
Once the braces are taken off, the orthodontist will evaluate the end results by taking more moulds and x-rays of the teeth.
After the orthodontic process dental retainers are then made to keep the
newly-positioned teeth from moving again. The two types of retainers
used are – removable or fixed. A removable retainer is a clear, plastic,
solid tray which can be taken out easily to brush and floss your teeth.
However, a fixed retainer is bonded to the back of your teeth which
cannot be removed without the use of relevant dental instruments making
it less likely to be lost of broken.
Usually retainers are worn for a lifetime to ensure no movement of your
teeth, however, as each case is different the orthodontist will
recommend how long to wear your retainers for.
