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IT MAY be likely that either you or someone you know have had a long-standing and expensive relationship with your dentist. Before you jump to the inappropriate conclusion, let me explain. While your 13- year-old daughter may just want straight teeth for her graduation, there are some very good health reasons for having straight teeth as well.
Straight teeth are easier to keep clean and less prone to collecting debris and plaque than crooked teeth. Teeth that are in proper alignment function better, and provide more sound support for the occlusion (bite). Given the benefits, orthodontic treatment is a better investment than a luxury car, or a big-screen television.
Several factors conspire to create a mouthful of crooked teeth. As humans have evolved, overall, jaw size and arch length (where the teeth grow) have decreased. Often, children inherit their father’s teeth and their mother’s jawbone structure. This can mean that the teeth are too big for the alveolar housing (ridge), hence, the crowding (“riders”).
In certain races and ethnic groups, malocclusion (bad bite), due to crowding, is more the rule than the exception. The opposite can also happen, so that spaces will occur between teeth because the mother’s teeth are in the father’s jaws.
In rare cases, teeth are congenitally missing. My own daughter was born with a tooth missing. Unfortunately, this does not seem to occur in those who are susceptible to crowding in the first place. So, good orthodontic treatment may have to start early.
Although some dentists do, I, personally, do not make braces for persons below the age of nine years because I want to give the bones and bad habits, if any, sufficient time to clearly define their conclusion. If I notice a child has unusually small jaws, I may advise the parent that there are techniques to solve that problem. For instance, sometimes the roof of the mouth is constricted, leaving the upper arch too narrow. I can then construct a palatal expansion appliance which can stretch the maxilla (upper jaw) by widening the mid-palatal suture. This type of treatment, called interceptive orthodontics, should be done before the suture starts to calcify, otherwise the treatment can take longer.
The purpose of preventive orthodontics, as the name suggests, is to try to prevent occlusal problems from occurring in the first place. The use of space maintainers when the “baby” teeth are lost prematurely may prevent crowding, and allow the permanent tooth to erupt properly. Severe crowding can also be avoided by what is termed serial extractions. When a tooth size/arch size discrepancy has been detected, the first permanent premolars may be removed as they erupt into the mouth, thus creating space where the rest of the teeth can line up in a more orderly fashion. Subsequent orthodontic treatment may be less complicated, of a shorter duration, or perhaps totally avoided.
Orthodontic tooth movement is accomplished by the placing of a controlled force, through the use of brackets, wires, springs, and elastics on the teeth. As light, directed forces are applied to teeth, the alveolar bone on the pressure or compression side will begin to resorb. Bone on the tension side, away from the directional force, will be formed, thereby maintaining the overall shape of the tooth socket. The patient will experience pain when the force is initially applied. Within two days after an adjustment visit, the body begins to accommodate to this force, and the pain disappears.
Movement of teeth through bone is a slow process. Good compliance with the dentist’s directions is critical to timely treatment. Failure to keep the teeth and gums clean, return for repairs to a broken appliance, or tightening may significantly delay completion of treatment. At the end of treatment, any prescribed retainers must be faithfully worn, or teeth will tend to move back to their original locations. Poor oral hygiene while one is wearing braces may lead to severe decay around the appliances.
Orthodontic treatment (braces) is not only for children. Over the past ten years, a significantly greater numberof adults have sought orthodontic care. As a matter of fact, there are more adults wearing braces that I have made when compared to those fabricated for children.
While the biomechanics are similar in adults and children, there are several major differences. In adults, there can be no redirection of skeletal growth, as this aspect of life is finished. Adults may also have some overlying jaw joint problems, which should be addressed to the greatest extent possible before treatment. Also, the spectre of gum disease is real in adult orthodontic patients.
Straight teeth are easier to keep clean and less prone to collecting debris and plaque than crooked teeth. Teeth that are in proper alignment function better, and provide more sound support for the occlusion (bite). Given the benefits, orthodontic treatment is a better investment than a luxury car, or a big-screen television.
Several factors conspire to create a mouthful of crooked teeth. As humans have evolved, overall, jaw size and arch length (where the teeth grow) have decreased. Often, children inherit their father’s teeth and their mother’s jawbone structure. This can mean that the teeth are too big for the alveolar housing (ridge), hence, the crowding (“riders”).
In certain races and ethnic groups, malocclusion (bad bite), due to crowding, is more the rule than the exception. The opposite can also happen, so that spaces will occur between teeth because the mother’s teeth are in the father’s jaws.
In rare cases, teeth are congenitally missing. My own daughter was born with a tooth missing. Unfortunately, this does not seem to occur in those who are susceptible to crowding in the first place. So, good orthodontic treatment may have to start early.
Although some dentists do, I, personally, do not make braces for persons below the age of nine years because I want to give the bones and bad habits, if any, sufficient time to clearly define their conclusion. If I notice a child has unusually small jaws, I may advise the parent that there are techniques to solve that problem. For instance, sometimes the roof of the mouth is constricted, leaving the upper arch too narrow. I can then construct a palatal expansion appliance which can stretch the maxilla (upper jaw) by widening the mid-palatal suture. This type of treatment, called interceptive orthodontics, should be done before the suture starts to calcify, otherwise the treatment can take longer.
The purpose of preventive orthodontics, as the name suggests, is to try to prevent occlusal problems from occurring in the first place. The use of space maintainers when the “baby” teeth are lost prematurely may prevent crowding, and allow the permanent tooth to erupt properly. Severe crowding can also be avoided by what is termed serial extractions. When a tooth size/arch size discrepancy has been detected, the first permanent premolars may be removed as they erupt into the mouth, thus creating space where the rest of the teeth can line up in a more orderly fashion. Subsequent orthodontic treatment may be less complicated, of a shorter duration, or perhaps totally avoided.
Orthodontic tooth movement is accomplished by the placing of a controlled force, through the use of brackets, wires, springs, and elastics on the teeth. As light, directed forces are applied to teeth, the alveolar bone on the pressure or compression side will begin to resorb. Bone on the tension side, away from the directional force, will be formed, thereby maintaining the overall shape of the tooth socket. The patient will experience pain when the force is initially applied. Within two days after an adjustment visit, the body begins to accommodate to this force, and the pain disappears.
Movement of teeth through bone is a slow process. Good compliance with the dentist’s directions is critical to timely treatment. Failure to keep the teeth and gums clean, return for repairs to a broken appliance, or tightening may significantly delay completion of treatment. At the end of treatment, any prescribed retainers must be faithfully worn, or teeth will tend to move back to their original locations. Poor oral hygiene while one is wearing braces may lead to severe decay around the appliances.
Orthodontic treatment (braces) is not only for children. Over the past ten years, a significantly greater numberof adults have sought orthodontic care. As a matter of fact, there are more adults wearing braces that I have made when compared to those fabricated for children.
While the biomechanics are similar in adults and children, there are several major differences. In adults, there can be no redirection of skeletal growth, as this aspect of life is finished. Adults may also have some overlying jaw joint problems, which should be addressed to the greatest extent possible before treatment. Also, the spectre of gum disease is real in adult orthodontic patients.
