What Is Orthodontics?

Orthodontics is the branch of dentistry that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of dental facial irregularities. The technical term for these problems is malocclusion, which means bad bite.

The practice of orthodontics requires professional skill in the design, application and control of corrective appliances (braces) to bring teeth, lips, and jaws into proper alignment and achieve facial balance.

What Is an Orthodontist?

An orthodontist is a dentist who has completed a minimum of two years full-time additional graduate training beyond dental school and general practice. Orthodontists are trained to evaluate and correct problems related to the development and positions of the teeth and jaws.

There is a lot more to orthodontics than retainers, braces and wires. That is why the specialty is actually known as Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. During our training, a multitude of orthodontic patients are treated including those requiring jaw surgery, cleft lip and palate, and those with complex dentofacial abnormalities.

Orthodontists are extensively trained, licensed and certified to have the skills, expertise and experience to provide consistent quality orthodontic care. In fact, both of our doctors have years of training after orthodontic school to give you the smile you deserve. We work in conjunction with your family dentist, and if required other dental specialists, to provide comprehensive care in a team approach.

Benefits of Braces

Your dentist may have discussed with you the benefits of having healthy teeth and proper jaw alignment. Crooked and crowded teeth are hard to clean and maintain. This can result in tooth decay and increased gum disease, and may lead to tooth loss. Other orthodontic problems can also result in abnormal wear of the tooth surfaces, inefficient chewing function, excessive stress on gum tissue and the bone that supports the teeth, or misalignment of the jaw joints. These can lead to chronic headaches and face or neck pain.

Treatment by us can be less costly than the additional care required to fix poorly positioned teeth. For most people, a beautiful smile is the most obvious benefit of orthodontics.

Age for Braces

Our orthodontists can spot subtle problems with jaw growth and emerging teeth while some baby teeth are still present. While your child's teeth may appear to be straight, there could be a problem that only an orthodontist can detect.

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that every child have an orthodontic checkup by age 7. Often, Dr. Fender or Dr. Goggans will identify a potential problem but may merely recommend monitoring the child's growth and development. Then, if indicated, he or she may begin treatment at the right time for the child. In other cases, the orthodontist might find a problem that can benefit from early treatment.

Early treatment may prevent more serious problems from developing and may make treatment at a later age shorter or less complicated. In some cases, the orthodontist will be able to achieve results that wouldn't be possible once the face and jaws have finished growing.

Early treatment may give us the opportunity to:

• influence jaw growth in a positive manner
• reduce the need to extract permanent teeth

Phases of Treatment

Younger children (ages 7-11) who have chewing difficulties or psychological problems due to peer group teasing may benefit most from a two-phase orthodontic treatment plan. An early interceptive phase may be necessary to correct the more obvious problems, and then the routine problems can be addressed later in a second phase.

The first phase of treatment is accomplished with short-term partial braces, or a removable appliance. Specific goals are set for this phase and then all appliances are removed until the patient reaches dental maturity (usually between ages 11 and 13). A second phase with full braces is then used to detail the final position of the teeth.

Phase One Treatments: Limited objectives that can be treated in 1 to 1 1/2 years.

• Alignment of severely crowded or severely protrusive teeth. Partial braces in only one arch is common, and time in the braces is limited. Generally, the objective is to correct some major malformation or abnormal eruption pattern, and then hold that position until more growth occurs.
• Habit correction involving finger-sucking, thumb-sucking, or tongue-thrusting.
• Damon space gainer appliance can be used to expand the arches in order to correct crossbites or make room for crowded-out teeth. This is not a screw-type appliance, but a particular configuration of partial braces.

Phase Two Treatment: Full treatment objectives generally treated in two years or less.

• Full tooth alignment and final positioning of the jaws. This phase of treatment is the typical comprehensive teen orthodontic treatment initiated between ages 11 and 13.

To review: Instead of one comprehensive course of treatment as a teenager, the idea of two-phase treatment is to allow the young, growing child to have specific problems solved early. Not all orthodontic problems can be solved at this age, but in certain instances early treatment can help avoid potentially greater future problems. The typical age when full treatment is started is ages 11 to 13.

How Does It Work?

Orthodontic appliances may be removable or they may be brackets bonded to the teeth. By placing a constant, gentle force in a carefully controlled direction, braces slowly move teeth to a corrected position. This is a great time to wear braces! Gone are the days when a metal band with a bracket was placed around each tooth. You can choose the color of the elastic chains that assist in moving teeth during treatment. Wires are also less noticeable than they used to be, and the latest materials move teeth faster with less discomfort to patients.

How Long Does It Take?

Generally, full orthodontic treatment takes about 18 months to 2 years with the Damon system for a typical case. It will take longer with a complicated case or if you do not follow the orthodontist's instructions.

Do Braces Hurt?

As a general rule, Damon braces do not hurt. Usually after an adjustment, your teeth will be sore for a day or two. That annoyance could be relieved with an over-the-counter pain reliever if necessary. Damon braces are never tightened, so you will experience less pain than with traditional braces.

Sports

While wearing braces it is always recommended that you use a protective mouthguard while riding a bike, skating, or playing any contact sports, whether organized sports or a neighborhood game. We can recommend a specific mouthguard.

Musical Instruments

Playing wind or brass instruments, such as the trumpet, will clearly require some adaptation to braces. With practice and a period of adjustment, braces typically do not interfere with the playing of musical instruments.