Why Orthodontic or Braces treatment done?
Orthodontics is a speciality of dentistry that focuses on treating patients with improper positioned teeth, lips, tongue and jaws to improve a person’s smile and oral health. This is done with the use of specialized appliances, which are either fixed dental appliances or removable dental appliances. These devices can be used to straighten teeth, correct an irregular bite, close unsightly gaps and bring teeth and lips into proper alignment. Crooked teeth that do not fit together correctly are harder to keep clean and are at risk of being lost early because of tooth decay or Gum disease.
Who Needs Braces-You may be a good candidate for braces if you have the following problems in your teeth or mouth:
- Closing wide gaps between the teeth.
- Cross bite: One or more of your top teeth don’t line up properly with your bottom teeth.
- Open bite: Your top and bottom front teeth don’t meet as they should.
- Overbite: Your top front teeth cover too much of your bottom front teeth.
- Overjet: Your top front teeth stick out.
- Under bite: Your top teeth sit behind your bottom teeth rather than in front of them
- Bad habits. Thumb sucking, mouth breathing, and nail biting can affect your teeth.
- Issues with baby teeth. Losing your baby teeth too early or too late which lead to bite problems.
- An accident might have knocked one or more teeth out of place, causing the other teeth to shift out of place and cause unpleasant looks.
- Gum diseases– food getting stuck between teeth due to spaces between teeth or crooked teeth.
- Reduce or eliminate the need for major jaw surgeries.
- Guide permanent teeth into more favorable positions.
- Improve self-esteem for kids struggling with teasing/bullying due to appearance of their teeth.
- For getting space for replacing missed teeth- Teeth that have shifted due to space created by removal of teeth long ago.
Types of Braces
- Fixed braces– Metal, Ceramic, Plastic, Lingual.
- Removable appliances – Removable plates or blocks with bows, springs etc, Clear aligner, and Retainers
