Your Gainesville Orthodontic Specialist

If you are suffering from crooked teeth, you probably should give some consideration to seeing an orthodontist specialist. Making an informed and appropriate choice to straighten your teeth could be one of the best decisions you ever make. Here is a guide, which will help you get an insight into the orthodontic profession and hence help you make informed choices in the future when it comes to your teeth!

Orthodontics – a dental specialty is the study of the alignment of teeth and jaws. “Ortho” refers to correct and “dont” means teeth. The specialty has been is the dental field for about a hundred years. Orthodontists also known as orthodontic specialists are dental specialists who are concerned with the alignment and straightening of teeth. Misaligned teeth can lead to pain and eating problems. Moreover, they often result in problems with brushing of teeth and flossing. If food gets trapped in overlapped teeth, it can result in premature tooth decomposition and cavities. Orthodontic specialists have expertise in dental-facial orthopedics as well. That is, they are specialists not only in the correct alignment of the teeth but jaws as well.

A person may have straight teeth but out of sync jaws. In this case, an underbite or an overbite problem–scientifically termed as malocclusions–can exist. The improper bites are usually hereditary in nature leading to tooth and gum injury. However, they can also be caused by the early loss of baby teeth, congested teeth, tooth decay and other physical injuries. Orthodontic specialists are also consulted for cosmetic reasons to make the appearance of the teeth and smile look better by adults who think that their success is judged by the quality of their smile.

What does it take to become an orthodontic specialist?

A person aspiring to become an orthodontist or even a general dentist must first attend college to earn an undergraduate degree. It is recommended to take up the courses of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics at the graduate level which takes four years to complete. After that, prospective students can seek admission in a dental school to get a doctor of dental medicine degree which further takes three to four years. Orthodontist specialists then venture into orthodontics residency which could take another two to three years before they can start their private practice. Thus, it can be said that all orthodontists are dentists but all dentists are not necessarily orthodontists.

A dentist can do for people what an orthodontist does but lacks certain specialties and cannot claim to be an orthodontist specialist. Orthodontic services are sought both by children and adults. While the adults are likely to approach an orthodontist to bring an improvement in the appearance of their teeth and smile, children may seek such treatments for physical reasons.  Orthodontic treatments generally begin between the ages of 7 and 14 and span from 18 to 24 months. However, in case of some teeth problems, the treatment is started at an earlier age. The length of treatment depends upon but is not limited to the severity of the malocclusion, the procedure used for treatment, and cooperation of the patient.

What procedures do orthodontist specialists employ?

The mode of treatment primarily depends upon the teeth condition but generally they may use one or more of the following – tooth removal, fillings or repair, braces, rubber bands and headgears. Although the use of some orthodontic appliances was embarrassing earlier but with the advent of modern technology, such appliances are made striking so that they lead to augmented self-esteem rather than making things worse. Braces, for example, give an unsightly look to the user. It constitutes of a wire, small elastic ties, and silver brackets. Silver brackets are affixed on the front of each tooth while the elastic ties are used to hold the wire in place. With advances in technology, braces appear to be attractive nowadays. Silver brackets are now made available in metal, tooth colored ceramic, or even gold, whereas, elastic ties are obtainable in plenty of colors. Apart from braces, other orthodontic devices are also in vogue these days. Invisalign–a series of plastic trays is also being used for correct teeth alignment. Every aligner is worn for a period of two weeks needing a replacement after that.

The time duration of such a treatment depends on how much the patient’s teeth needs to be moved. Generally speaking, Invisalign needs to be worn 16-22 hours a day but for optimal benefits, it should be used almost 22 hours a day. Orthodontic headgear is used to correct for anteroposterior discrepancies. Earlier, headgears tended to reduce self-esteem by giving users unorthodox look but now they have become trendier. Orthodontist specialists also recommend the use of pendex appliance or distal jet. They are meant to treat bite problems by pushing the upper teeth back. Another appliance commonly used is the space maintainer which is meant to prevent unwanted shifting of teeth which usually results from early loss of primary teeth.

Orthodontists use devices to improve the growth of jaws besides teeth alignment and correcting for bite problems. They include forsus, herbst and mara. Often used with children and adolescents, these devices operate by applying forward pressure to the lower jaw of the client. Adults may have more of cosmetic reasons to seek treatments from an orthodontist and the orthodontist specialist can work in collaboration with the general dentist to ascertain the best possible treatment. For example, if the client has missing teeth, the orthodontist can either close the space or in some cases go for correct alignment of teeth around the space and let the patient’s general dentist fill the gap. These health professionals also use therapeutic and reconstructive techniques to give a boost to the oral health of their patients.

To ensure the new position of the teeth, retention methods are employed after the completion of the main orthodontic treatment. The retention appliances can take the shape of removable plates or braces. In the nutshell, timely visit to an orthodontist specialist can be life-changing for the individual with various kinds of teeth problems it does help in raising the self-esteem of the individual. A cost-benefit analysis tells us that benefits of orthodontic treatment outweigh the overall expenditure over time.

To schedule your complimentary examination with Wilson Orthodontics call:

· Gainesville, GA 30501  Tel: 678-971-2458

· Hoschton, GA 30548   Tel: 678-866-1404

· Cleveland, GA 30528   Tel: 706-865-0081

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