Taking care of our health and ensuring that nothing is wrong with our bodies is the most important thing. General well-being is the biggest factor in happiness, success, and generally being able to do anything in life. Ensuring that we are healthy in every way possible is taught to us from the earliest of age for a reason, especially the health that comes from everyday habits and keeping hygiene. Dental health prevails here and it is one of the easiest things in the world to perform.
However, it protects against so many problematic and painful conditions. Oral hygiene and dental health are not to be taken lightly, but when there is a problem you know who to turn to. It is dentists and orthodontists who help ups if there is ever something going on. But how does it all work and what even is orthodontics? If you have no idea what it implies, you came to the right place. In this article we talk about how orthodontics work. Keep on reading to find out more.
About Orthodontists
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Often times, healthy teeth also require some form of assistance. It is not always a bad tooth that causes issues. Sometimes it is a narrow jaw that simply cannot accommodate teeth and offer enough space. In those situations, a special type of care is required.
Teeth are aligned by applying gentle, guiding forces, and in most cases, the orthodontist uses appliances like clear aligners or braces to align them to their right positions over time. In most cases, tooth dislocation occurs because of the disintegration and restoration of the bone tissue.
After active treatment is done and when the teeth are being moved, patients normally will put on retainers to enable the new bone to harden and offer great support to the current teeth positions. There is a very complicated biological process included here too.
Most experienced orthodontists have a hands-on mastery of these multi-faceted complexities of the orthodontic process through years of practice. Alongside the basic four years they undergo in dental school which, they also have three years of accreditation program on orthodontics residency. All in all, they are not the same experts as dentists are as they perform a wholly different task.
Appliances that are Used in Orthodontic Treatment
Orthodontists use a wide range of appliances to do jaw and teeth alignment. For most people, braces are the number one tool that is needed when orthodontic treatment is a concern. However, there is a myriad of other appliances that are used by orthodontists too, depending on the situation. Every patient is different so the approach has to be different as well.
With that being said, the question remains. What are these sets of appliances that will always be around an orthodontist? In the following section we talk about some of the examples of the tools that orthodontists depend on to do their job and move or aligning a patient’s jaws.
1. Traditional Braces
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The tool everyone is familiar with and the basic name for anything that goes onto the teeth in order to guide them. These are the major and most common tools that are used by an orthodontist. They have been present now for quite a long time and they have really improved over the decades in the industry.
Typically, braces come with two major parts, wires and brackets. Wires enable easy teeth movement, while brackets ensure that the wires stay in place. If required for a person’s treatment, other parts can be included too.
Modern braces can be tooth-colored ceramic, gold-colored, or stainless steel. Stainless steel types are the most common one and often the most affordable. Brackets are attached straight onto the teeth, but the wires are intertwined via slots found in the brackets. The majority of the braces are placed on the fore teeth. At times, the braces may be placed on the hind teeth and these special ones are referred to as lingual braces.
2. Clear Aligners
At times, clear aligners can be referred to as invisible braces. These appliances are made from a plastic material and they are designed so that they can work seamlessly with the patient at different treatment processes. Every set of these aligners is put on for about three weeks, for over 22 hours a day, after which the patient can opt for a succeeding set. The aligners are less capable and less heavy-duty when compared to regular braces. They are used when there is no need for a full set of braces, with less serious teeth and jaw realignment.
3. Temporary Anchorage Devices (TADs)
These devices are tiny implants that usually act as fixed points from where a certain amount of force can be applied whenever there is a need to remove the teeth. The patient can place them in different parts of the mouth according to their desires and needs. Additionally, they can be easily removed when you no longer need them. TADs are quite versatile and flexible, which makes them easy to use and wear.
4. Power Chains
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Just like their name suggests, power chains are stronger than the rest of the choices. They are designed to perform just like braces. However, they are much stronger and therefore more efficient, particularly if you compare them with the elastic O-rings for a better force application.
The Best and Fastest Treatment
With the advancement in technology, most treatments are quite fast these days. Orthodontists usually use a wide range of orthodontic appliances and will tell you the best method to correct your particular orthodontic problem in the best, fastest, and safest manner available.
It also matters who performs the treatment, as it is not just the tools used that dictate the efficiency of the whole process. The best kind of orthodontic treatment is one that has been performed by an AAO orthodontist with a minimum of 2 years of experience. They must have also completed full 4 years at a certified dental school. Treatment done by such personnel can be said to be the best.
According to impactortho.com, orthodontic treatment requires highly professional skills since it involves aligning jaws and moving teeth, and because each new patient is different from the last. Therefore, orthodontists need to safely and carefully perform their tasks for the best results to be achieved. A lot comprehensive knowledge is needed for one to move teeth to new, better, and healthier positions in your mouth. Therefore, you should ensure that you visit the best orthodontist near you to get the best treatment.
Orthodontist services are also usually done once in a lifetime, since the teeth and the jaw remain in their intended position if the treatment is successful. Therefore, do not try to save up and make sure to visit the best professional you can find.