Orthodontics Orthodontics is the correcting of tooth alignment and bite problems. It deals with the straightening of teeth and with fixing over or underbites. A perfect smile should consist of straight teeth, be gap and overlap-free, and the top teeth should align with the bottom. Mouth injuries, prolonged pacifier use in infancy or thumb-sucking in early childhood can all cause misalignment. Most often, though, orthodontic problems occur simply because the teeth and mouth are growing at different speeds.
Orthodontic appliances such as braces and retainers put pressure on your teeth and/or jaw, forcing them into a more aligned form. These appliances are popular for their aesthetic benefits; they can pull teeth together to close gaps and push teeth apart to avoid overlaps. However, straightening your teeth improves more than just your smile. Crooked or overlapped teeth can impair chewing (and, therefore, digestion) and complicate dental hygiene. Poorly aligned teeth can lead to other complications (such as when teeth bite down on the tongue or gums). Jaw irregularities can cause the roof of your mouth to block your nasal cavities, leading to breathing difficulties. All of these potential problems can be prevented with the use of orthodontics. Finally, recent evidence even suggests that braces might play an indirect role in preventing cardiovascular disease: former braces-wearers learn to care for their teeth, thus reducing the amount of oral bacteria; a oral bacteria dissolves calcium in the mouth and pushes it into the arteries, possibly leading to cardiovascular disease.
Orthodontic treatment can occur at any age, although dentists recommend starting the process while the child is still growing, as the teeth and jaw will move into place quicker. Most orthodontic patients are in their early teens; however, orthodontists recommend interceptive orthodontic treatment, wearing a face brow and/or palatal expander to stretch your jaw and/or widen your mouth, at the age of eight or nine, in time for the permanent teeth to come into place. With interceptive orthodontic treatment, once the child's permanent teeth have grown and he or she is ready for braces, the mouth has already been shaped in such a way that the teeth can easily fit into place. Interceptive treatment can reduce the braces-wearing period down to 3-6 months in some cases. Successful orthodontic treatment can occur later in life, too, but in general, the earlier you start, the less the process hurts.
On average, orthodontic treatment tends to take about two to two and a half years. After a few initial assessment appointments, the orthodontist will glue metal or clear brackets to your teeth, held together by a wire. If you have an over or underbite, he or she may also assign headgear or a facebow to push or pull your jaw into place. Expect to see your orthodontist at least once a month, to have your braces checked and the wire holding your brackets together tightened. When the braces are removed, you will have to wear a retainer for a specified period of time to keep your new smile in place.
Invisible Braces
No one wants to wear braces! They're ugly, painful, and just plain troublesome. Eating food is a hassle, chewing gum is problematic, and any lover can tell you that kisses just aren't the same with braces. Most patients are still in school too, and can face a slew of teasing from kids in the playground or in the cafeteria. For adults, the prospect of getting braces at a later age can also be quite embarrassing.
So now that we've established that wearing metal in your mouth is not desirable, let's talk about invisible braces. Also known as Invisalign, invisible braces are a new trend in tooth alignment correction. For the average patient, it means freedom from the horror of braces.
The invisible brace system is a series of clear plastic aligners that gradually achieve the same result of metal braces. The plastic is nearly invisible and can be removed when the patient wishes to eat or chew gum. Oral hygiene is made easier with invisible braces because you can still brush and floss without obstruction by removing the braces.
The process of getting invisible braces begins with a careful examination of your teeth. A 3-D model must be created and each case needs to be addressed independently. The treatment plan involves custom aligners that will shift the tooth position over two-week intervals. That means that every two weeks you'll receive a new aligner that will continue where the old one left off. Most patients do feel a bit of pain while they're wearing it, but it's nothing compared to the gut-wrenching feel of an orthodontist tightening the wires of metal braces.
Depending on the severity of your case, the treatment can last months to years. However, the peace of mind you'll have knowing that no one will notice your braces is priceless.
Today, over 100,000 people are using invisible braces, and the number grows every day. Though invisible braces will never replace metal braces fully, the majority of patients should be eligible for invisible braces while only severe cases will require metal braces.
Orthodontists require only a little additional training. A 3-D imaging computer controls most of the procedure. It produces the treatment plan from the original 3-D model of your teeth. The orthodontist only needs to monitor the fit and progress of the aligners and let the braces do the work.
Imagine a perfect smile without the prolonged period of sharp metal and wires in your mouth. That's what invisible braces promise. Consult an orthodontist certified with the Invisalign system today and get on the road to great teeth without the ordeal of a metal mouth. |
