Orthodontics, in layman’s terms, is the slow movement of teeth into their correct position by applying a constant, gentle and correct force to the teeth. Our orthodontic goals are aesthetics, health, function, and stability.
Who can undergo orthodontic treatment?
Orthodontic treatment can be performed on both children and adults. Orthodontic treatment not only gives you an attractive smile, but also prevents gum recession, bleeding, loose teeth, early loss, and other diseases. This is because disorders of tooth alignment are an important cause of these diseases. Chewing pain and temporomandibular joint pain caused by bite disorders should be treated orthodontically.
When should orthodontic treatment be performed?
Orthodontic treatment is needed when parents notice that their child has a “bun in the sky” or that their child’s teeth are still very unevenly aligned at the age of 11-13 years old near the end of tooth replacement, or when they have buck teeth or a receding jaw that forms a small jaw. It is important to note that malocclusion has a strong genetic predisposition, so parents who have misaligned teeth, etc. must be highly alert to the possibility that it has been passed on to their children.
The most common question about the timing of orthodontic treatment is when you can take your child to have their teeth straightened. First of all, orthodontics is divided into several categories: early orthodontics, general orthodontics, combined orthodontic and orthognathic treatment (need to cooperate with surgical treatment).
1, early orthodontics as the name implies is the intervention at an early age, usually refers to before the age of 11 years, the most common indications for this type of orthodontics is the children “Geodetic”, young children “Geodetic” generated by two reasons.
(1) genetic factors, this kind of cause of children’s correction is not effective, most need to cooperate with the adult surgery for a complete solution.
(2) Acquired environmental factors, such as breastfeeding posture, bad habits, etc., which are more common in clinical practice. Once parents find out that their baby’s “encephalitis”, they can take their baby for early correction at the earliest at the age of 3 weeks (when all the milk teeth have erupted and the bite relationship has been established). It is important to note that if a young child’s “envelope” is not corrected in time, the lower jaw will limit the normal development of the upper jaw, forming a bad facial and side appearance.
2, general orthodontics, generally refers to the orthodontic treatment at the age of 11-13 years. At this stage, the child’s permanent tooth replacement has been completed, the child in adolescence grows rapidly, the plasticity of jaw bone and the ability of periodontal tissue reconstruction is stronger, and the orthodontic treatment has the best effect.
3.Orthodontic orthognathic joint treatment, usually before adulthood through the intraoral orthodontic appliances to correct the malocclusion of teeth, with adult surgery to completely correct the bone type malocclusion. Most patients in this group have a strong genetic predisposition to “bunions”.
Adults can also undergo orthodontic treatment, which is primarily designed to solve aesthetic problems and improve overall oral health conditions. There is never a time limit to having an attractive, confident smile.
How long does orthodontic treatment take?
We generally expect the orthodontic treatment course to be about 2 years. However, the degree of deformity varies from patient to patient and so does the time taken for treatment. As long as you work well with your orthodontist, keep your follow-up appointments on time, maintain good oral hygiene and protect your aligners from damage; then the orthodontic treatment time will be greatly reduced.
How much does orthodontic treatment cost?
The cost of orthodontic treatment is determined by the complexity of the condition, the age of the patient, the type of aligner chosen, and the estimated length of the treatment course. The cost of orthodontic treatment varies from patient to patient because each patient’s case is different.
Does orthodontic treatment hurt?
Modern orthodontic treatment has taken many approaches to make orthodontic patients feel more comfortable. These methods include: making the locking grooves smaller and smoother; and improving the orthodontic treatment archwires to produce a consistent, gentle orthodontic force. There is usually a 2-3 day period of discomfort after each follow-up visit and archwire loading. However, there is no need to take any analgesics at all.
Why do I have to wear a retainer?
Retainers are made to prevent relapse after orthodontic treatment is completed. If you do not wear your retainer as required by your orthodontist, you can describe your treatment as a “failure”. This is because when the teeth are aligned, they are not yet stable in their new position and if you do not wear a retainer, your tooth will move back to its original position, which we call a relapse.
You must wear a retainer to stabilize the tooth in its new position and give it enough time to undergo biological modification (about 1 year) before you can truly have a straight tooth.