What is Orthodontics?
Orthodontics is a special branch of dental therapy associated with diagnosis and treatment of deformities related to the teeth, face and jaws. Orthodontists help in improving the function of teeth, maintaining good dental health and providing aesthetic appeal to your smile. Orthodontic therapy can be successfully provided to individuals of any age.
Do I need an orthodontic treatment?
Orthodontic treatments can resolve the following dental problems:
- Overcrowding of teeth
- Misalignment of the dental arches
- Bite correction (overbite; protruding upper jaw and underbite; protruding lower jaw)
- Cosmetic related dental issues (Missing tooth/ small tooth)
- To move teeth in correct position and create space to facilitate placement of crowns, bridges or implants
- Problems with tooth eruption and displacement
- Teeth spacing or gaps between teeth
What are the types of appliances used in Orthodontics? Appliances can be removable/ fixed/ combination of both.
Your orthodontic specialist will suggest specific treatment based on the severity of your situation.
There are multiple appliances. Few of those are mentioned here:
- Braces for teeth positioning
- Special fixed appliances to control thumb sucking / to control tongue posture
- Space maintainers to keep the space of a missing baby/ milk tooth open until the permanent tooth erupts
Widening of top jaw – palatal expander - Treatments with removable appliances include:
- Aligners (Invisalign)
- Removable space maintainers
- Jaw repositioning device
- Lip and cheek bumpers or twin block appliance
- Headgear
