ORTHODONTIC TREATMENTS

ORTHODONTICS

LIFE-CHANGING DENTISTRY

What is orthodontics?

Orthodontics involves correcting teeth that are badly positioned, crooked or overcrowded, as well as closing gaps between teeth and correcting bites.

More and more adults as well as children are turning to orthodontists to improve their smiles, although that’s not the only dividend of wearing braces. Ensuring that your tooth spacing and alignment is correct allows for easier brushing and flossing, helping you to keep your teeth healthy well into your later years.

Protecting healthy teeth

Many patients are surprised to discover that they can improve their smile with bleaching and orthodontics rather than veneers. The advantage of orthodontics as part of an aesthetic treatment is that it minimises any changes to the existing teeth. Using veneers to straighten teeth can sometimes result in bulky uncomfortable restorations as well as extensive preparation of otherwise healthy teeth.

Life changing solutions:

The challenge: Crowded, worn and irregular teeth and a deep bite The solution: Orthodontics, tooth-coloured fillings, veneers, crowns and dental implants This middle-aged gentleman was unhappy about the unattractive appearance of his front teeth. He had congenitally missing lateral incisors, a deep bite, and teeth that were crowded, worn, heavily-filled and broken down. The upper canines next to the central incisors contributed to the poor overall aesthetics. Orthodontic treatment was essential to move the canines into the right position and create space for the missing lateral incisors, which were restored with dental implants and crowns. The arches were expanded to the correct form, the teeth realigned and the whole mouth restored with tooth-coloured fillings, crowns and veneers. Orthodontics, tooth-coloured fillings, veneers, crowns & dental implants (before/after)

The reason that braces work so well is also the reason they are required to treat people. Teeth will readily move to a new position with braces but also if there is no resistance in a particular direction when teeth are missing or lost. This can often be the beginning of the collapse of an otherwise healthy mouth, a domino effect if you like.

For example, if a back tooth is lost and something not placed in the gap, like a dental implant or bridge, all of the teeth adjacent to the gap will begin to migrate into the gap. The teeth behind and in front will typically tilt in the direction of the gap, and even the tooth opposite in the opposite jaw will ‘overerupt’ as there is no longer chewing pressure keeping it in place.

Of course this will happen at different rates for different people, but ultimately it affects everyone. We do recommend implants for missing teeth as they do not require disturbing healthy adjacent teeth as is the case with making a bridge. There are a variety of methods of preparing bridges, most all of which do require cutting into the adjacent teeth to anchor the bridge.

Treatment Options

Modern orthodontic treatment usually involves the use of fixed braces to move teeth, enabling patients to be treated to a high standard and giving the best possible results.

Treatment options are more varied now than ever. Conditions that were not possible to be treated can now be treated as a matter of course.

Kinds of Braces

Labial (exterior) fixed braces

Conventional labial fixed braces are the best value, and come in more varieties than ever before. Traditional metal braces are smaller and less obvious than ever, for youngsters we make these with changeable coloured elastics so you can surprise your friends with a different colour after each visit to the dentist.

Ceramic braces are available that are tooth coloured and are very difficult to see.

Crystal brackets are now available which are made from clear crystal, and are virtually invisible as well.

Selection of these types of exterior braces is mostly down to personal preference and budget, as they all are able to achieve similar results in equivalent time scales.

Lingual fixed braces

Lingual braces are placed on the inside (backs) of the teeth in a similar fashion to labial braces and are an equally effective option. Although these are more expensive in that they require specialist expertise and longer visits they have the huge advantage of being hidden from view and therefore are not visible in the smile.