Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that deals with diagnosing, preventing, and correcting teeth and jaw misalignment. Orthodontics does not only enhance the aesthetic aspect of malocclusion and dental misalignment, but it can drastically transform your oral health. From improving dental functions such as biting and chewing to speech and even oral hygiene.
Dentists who specialize in orthodontics have to have ample dental training in the field to become an orthodontist. The field is very diverse and can use surgical solutions or non-surgical solutions such as braces and other appliances to correct the alignment of your teeth and jaws.
The purpose of orthodontics
As we have mentioned above, having an aesthetically pleasing smile is merely a bonus to the other health benefits that orthodontics can provide. Having a correct alignment of the jaw and teeth is essential for digestion. One of the primary functions of your teeth is breaking down food to help your stomach in the process of digestion.
Having moderate to severe malocclusion in the jaws where they don’t align, such as an overbite or underbite, will hinder this process. That is because your teeth do not close over each other properly to crush the food. Similarly, teeth help in speech and they should be in the proper alignment to help your tongue make the specific sounds of the letters and maintain normal speech.
Having proper alignment is also very crucial for dental hygiene. Crowding, especially cases that range between moderate to severe, is at a higher risk of cavities . This is because the additional crooks and crannies create the perfect dark environment for bacterial growth since food can easily get stuck between them and are challenging to clean.
Lastly, there are also issues with jaw pain and discomfort as well as facial symmetry and facial structure that accompany severe cases of malocclusion which orthodontics can correct and eliminate.
What kind of dental problems does orthodontics treat?
Orthodontics can treat a wide array of dental problems that affect the teeth, jaw, or both. Some of these conditions include crowding, a dental condition where the jaw doesn’t have enough space to accommodate all the teeth so they overlap or crowd into each other. Orthodontics is also capable of treating spacing and gaps between teeth such as diastema. Other issues that affect the alignment of the jaw such as:
- Deep bite: a condition where the upper teeth protrude ahead of the lower teeth when you close your mouth.
- Underbite: a condition similar to overbite but in this case, it is the lower jaw that protrudes over the upper jaw when you close your mouth.
- Overbite: a condition where your upper front teeth fit behind your lower front teeth when you close your mouth.
- Open bite: a condition where there is a gap between the upper and lower teeth when your mouth is closed.
When the upper and lower jaws do not close together properly, they can negatively affect chewing, and speech, alter your facial structure and symmetry, and even cause discomfort and pain to your jaw area.
How does orthodontics work?
As you can see, it seems that braces, aligners, and other appliances can correct a wide range of dental problems. So how can one solution be suitable for all these different cases of malocclusion? The answer is in the underlying mechanism of how braces work.
Braces work by exerting pressure and force on your teeth. The distribution of the pressure has to be very strategic to move your teeth in the right direction. By applying pressure, the connective tissue that surrounds your teeth in the jaw called the periodontal ligament, will send signals to bone cells to break down bone tissue in some areas and build new bone tissue in other areas, creating space to accommodate the new positioning of your teeth.
The process of remodeling that takes place is what allows braces to gradually move teeth while maintaining their stability in the jaw. Attending your dental appointments for braces or aligners is essential. These appointments allow your doctor to adjust the fit, monitor your progress, and ensure your teeth continue moving in the right direction for optimal results.
These practices are non-surgical solutions to treating malocclusion. Surgery is not the first line of treatment in orthodontics; in fact, orthognathic surgery is only necessary in really complex and severe cases of malocclusion that will not respond to orthodontic practices alone. Even if your case was eligible for surgery, your dentist will still include traditional orthodontics in your treatment plan following surgery to maintain the results.
Types of orthodontic treatments and practices
1. Braces
Braces are a very popular treatment option in orthodontics and are even more effective than aligners for treating complicated cases. Braces can be of two types: either metallic or ceramic.
Both types of braces will have brackets that can either be metal or ceramic, that your dentist will glue on the surface of your teeth. Once your dentist places the brackets, they will begin to tie them together with wires that will apply pressure on your teeth to stimulate your jawbone to shift.
Ceramic braces can look less prominent and eye-catching than ceramic braces, but if the aesthetic look of braces is putting you off, you can consider adult braces such as lingual braces.
Lingual braces are traditional places that your doctor places on the inside of your teeth instead of the outside. This positioning and placement provides a more discreet option.
You have to visit your dentist every 4 to 6 weeks where he is going to adjust the wires on your braces, ensuring that your teeth have enough pressure on them to continue moving.
2. Aligners
Aligners are clear trays that look like retainers but work differently. The Invisalign is one popular example of aligners, and it consists of two trays customized digitally for each jaw to give you optimal comfort in wear.
These are ideal for people who want a more discreet option than braces. Likewise, aligners are removable, giving you the opportunity to take them off between meals and when cleaning your teeth.
But you should remember to wear your aligners for a minimum of 20 – 22 hours a day to achieve quick results. Failing to commit to wear times can drastically delay your results.
Your doctor will provide you with a set of aligners that you will change every 2 weeks for a few weeks or months. While you won’t have to visit your dentist to change your aligners, you still have to visit your doctor every 4 to 6 weeks to make sure your treatment is going well.
3. Retainers
Retainers are clear alignments that you will have to wear once you complete your initial treatment with braces and aligners. You will start out by wearing the retainers for longer hours initially, but within weeks you can reduce the use time to night-time wear only.
Retainers are simply a maintenance technique that prevent your teeth from shifting back to their original position.
When you’re undergoing Invisalign treatment and changing aligners on your own, you’ll receive a set of aligners in advance, usually for several weeks or months.
What to expect in an orthodontics appointment?
When you see your orthodontist, they will perform an oral evaluation of your teeth to check for any visible signs of inflammation, cavities, or dental diseases. Next, your dentist will request an x-ray of your mouth to better understand the structure of your jaw and detect any underlying problems with your teeth or jaw bones.
How long does treatment with orthodontics take?
Orthodontics works gradually to achieve the desired results, so patience is an important part of this treatment. While you may not get your dream smile in one day, you will certainly begin to see small changes in your teeth day by day.
The minimum period for treatment with braces or aligners will be 6 months for really simple and mild cases. The more complicated your malocclusion, the more time you will need to correct the alignment of your teeth. But on average, it can take anywhere between 6 months to 18 months for most people to get the right alignment.
Does age matter in orthodontics?
Age does not matter in orthodontic practices, kids, teenagers, and adults can benefit from braces and aligners to correct their dental problems. However, because kids are constantly growing, their jaws respond faster to treatment than adults. Yet, both kids and adults have to commit to wearing their retainers just as their dentist instructs to maintain the results of orthodontics. Otherwise, your teeth will begin to gradually move back into their original position over time.
Another advantage to introducing children to orthodontics as early as 7 years of age is early intervention. Interceptive orthodontics addresses all the development problems related to the child’s facial bone structure and malocclusion to prevent the issue from exacerbating over the years.
Benefits of orthodontics
- Non-surgically corrects facial asymmetry, malocclusion, and other alignment problems that affect the teeth and jaw.
- Improve bite, chewing & digestion, and speech that stems from crowding, spacing, overbite, and underbite.
- Reduce discomfort and pain around the jaw bone by eliminating unequal stress distribution resulting from any form of dental misalignment.
- Improves oral health by making it easy to clean, floss, and take care of your teeth.
How to choose a good orthodontist?
Make sure the clinic is board-certified because this will ensure that the cadre is qualified. For instance, Dentakay is board-certified by the Slow Dentistry Association. Second, you need to make sure your dentist has great experience in the field, you can ask for pictures of patients they have treated or watch testimonies from past patients talking about their experience with the clinic you’re interested in.
For additional tips, you can check our article on How to Choose the Right Dental Clinic and Dentist.
The takeaway
Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that uses non-surgical methods such as braces and aligners to correct crowding, spacing, jaw problems, and bite issues. The practice can correct an array of dental problems by strategically applying pressure to your teeth (through aligners and braces) causing them to change their position. The process is gradual and slow, but it will give you your dream smile once you complete treatment.
Whether through traditional braces, clear aligners, or other appliances, orthodontic treatments offer effective solutions for people of all ages.
Maintaining the results from your orthodontic treatment will require you to wear your retainer as your doctor instructs to prevent your teeth from moving back into their original position before treatment.
If you would like to learn more about orthodontics, you can contact our medical specialists at Dentakay. Winner of the Europe Awards for Best Dental Clinic in Europe for 2022, Dentakay provides free online consultations for patients who have any dental concerns and are seeking a professional opinion.
