Benefits of Orthodontics & Orthodontic Treatment
Some people have straight teeth lining up together, but many have crooked teeth fitting incorrectly. Your bite gets affected by crooked teeth. Thankfully you can comfortably straighten your teeth and correct your bite with the help of orthodontics near you. Learn more about what orthodontics is and how it helps you.
Explaining Orthodontics
Orthodontics is a specialty of dentistry to address the diagnosis, interception, prevention, guidance, and correction of bad bites or dental flaws using braces. Professionals specializing in orthodontics are called orthodontists. Orthodontics in Pearland is the appropriate dental professional to consult if you need orthodontic treatment. This specialist has attended two or more years of education after graduating from dental school.
Benefits Of Orthodontics
Do not assume orthodontic treatments are merely for straightening your teeth for aesthetic purposes. Crooked teeth are challenging the clean resulting in tooth decay and gum disease. Likewise, incorrectly fitting teeth make it challenging to chew, causing headaches, shoulder or back pain, and even temporomandibular joint disorders. Receiving treatment from an orthodontist helps prevent these complications besides letting you have straighter teeth and a beautiful smile.
How Do Orthodontic Treatments Function?
Orthodontic treatments involve using different types of dental appliances to restrain muscles, gradually move your teeth, and affect the growth of your jaw by applying gentle pressure on your teeth and jaw. Orthodontics in Pearland, TX, may provide fixed or removable dental appliances depending on the severity of the condition affecting you. The orthodontist advises you on the approach best suited for your unique situation.
Orthodontic Appliances
Depending on the situation affecting you, the orthodontist recommends:
Fixed Traditional Braces
Fixed traditional braces are the most common, and you most likely have heard about them. Fixed appliances comprise brackets, bands, and wires. The brackets are connected to the front of your teeth. The bands function as anchors and are held in place around your teeth. Archwires attach the bands to the brackets. Tightening the wires exert pressure on your teeth, gradually moving them towards their desired positions. Fixed braces need monthly adjustments and must remain on your teeth from a few months to a few years.
Special Fixed Appliances
Special fixed appliances are used as a last resort to prevent thumb-sucking or tongue thrusting. However, as they are attached to the teeth with bands, they are pretty uncomfortable when eating.
Fixed Space Maintainers
Premature loss of teeth is common among children. In such cases, orthodontists place a space maintainer in your child’s mouth to ensure the remaining teeth don’t move towards the vacant space until the permanent teeth erupt.
Removable Orthodontic Appliances
Removable aligners are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative for traditional braces. Transparent dental-grade plastic helps make removable aligners functioning similarly to conventional braces. However, they remain virtually invisible in the mouth because metal wires and brackets do not accompany them. If you are recommended removable aligners, it indicates your situation is mild to moderate. Therefore you have a comfortable alternative to straighten your teeth with these aligners that require removal when eating, brushing, and flossing.
Removable Space Maintainers
Removable space maintainers function similarly to fixed space maintainers. Plastic or wire branches with an acrylic base help make these appliances to fit over the jaw. These appliances are placed in open spaces between the teeth to keep them apart.
Jaw Repositioning Devices
These devices are also known as splints. They are placed either on the upper or lower jaw and are beneficial to treat temporomandibular joint disorders by teaching the jaw to close correctly.
Headgear
Headgear is helpful to slow down the growth of the upper jaw. Headgear is also beneficial to hold the molars in place while pulling the front teeth back.
How Do You Determine Whether You Need Orthodontic Treatment?
Whether you need orthodontic treatment or not is best determined by an experienced orthodontist who evaluates your mouth and teeth. Orthodontists look for overbites, underbites, crossbites, open bites, spacing, crowding, and a misplaced midline. Trying to determine by yourself whether you need the treatment is challenging. Still, the orthodontist uses diagnostic tools like clinical exams, x-rays, and plastic models of your teeth to develop a treatment plan best suited for you and your teeth.
When looking at possible orthodontic treatment plans, there is a lot to consider. However, now that you know what orthodontics is and how it is essential, we are confident you will look forward to experiencing the benefits of orthodontics for yourself.