Orthodontics

It’s common to have teeth that are a little crooked or otherwise don’t line up well together. This can greatly affect your bite, and it can have other influences on your teeth. With orthodontics treatments, you can get your teeth straighter and get a better bite.

However, the right orthodontic treatments can help you to get straighter teeth easily. Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that diagnoses and treats certain dental problems and incorrect bites. This may include the use of braces or other treatments that can correct the specific problems with your bite.

The Benefits of Orthodontic Treatments

Getting aesthetic benefits from having straighter teeth is important to many people, but it isn’t the only reason to get orthodontic treatments. When your teeth are crooked, they are harder to brush and floss. This can make them more vulnerable to periodontal disease as well as tooth decay. When your teeth don’t have a good bite, it can also be harder for you to chew. This can cause TMJ disorders, pain in the back and shoulders, and headaches.
When your teeth are moved into the right position, they are much easier to clean. They also give you a more comfortable bite and can prevent the pain that a bad bite can cause.

Using Orthodontic Treatments

There is a range of orthodontic treatments that can be used to move the teeth slowly, retrain the way the muscles work, and change the growth of your jaw with the gentle pressure they provide to your jaw and teeth. There are fixed orthodontic appliances as well as removable ones. Which type is right for you will depend on your specific teeth and your bite.

Traditional braces are a fixed by of orthodontic appliance. They use brackets that are installed on the teeth as well as wires and bands to put the right pressure on teeth to change their positions. They can be worn for less than a year or for several years, depending on how far the teeth need to move.

Using space maintainers is another way to use orthodontic treatment to keep the teeth in better positions. This is often used in children who lose a tooth early and need to keep that space open for the permanent tooth to grow in. This is also a fixed appliance.

Aligners are a type of removable orthodontic treatment that can be used for many adults to move their teeth in certain situations. They work much like traditional braces do, but they are invisible to others and don’t require any brackets to be installed on the teeth.

Retainers are a common way to keep the teeth in a better bite and prevent them from going back to their original positions. These are removable devices that are often worn after wearing braces or clear aligners. A palatal expander is another orthodontic treatment that is fixed in place. It is placed in the roof of the mouth in order to widen the upper jaw when needed.

Your specific needs will have to be evaluated to find out which treatments would work best for you. This may include impressions, x-rays, and digital photos to get a complete look at what is going on with your teeth. Then, a proper plan can be made for you for the best outcome with your teeth.