Treatments

Treatment Timing

How Early Can A Child Seek Orthodontic Treatment?
In some cases, children as young as two or three years of age may need limited interceptive orthodontic treatment. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that young people be seen by age seven. Twenty-six percent of orthodontic patients in America are treated with baby teeth still present. Many orthodontic problems are easier to correct if detected early rather than waiting until jaw growth has slowed. Early treatment may enable a patient to avoid surgery or other more serious corrections later in life.

The benefits of early treatment
Those patients who have clear indications for early intervention, early treatment presents the opportunity to:

Influence jaw growth in a positive manner.

• Harmonize width of the dental arches.
• Improve eruption patterns.
• Lower risk of trauma to protruded upper incisors.
• Correct harmful oral habits.
• Improve esthetics and self-esteem.
• Simplify and/or shorten treatment time for later corrective orthodontics.
• Reduce likelihood of impacted permanent teeth.
• Improve some speech problems.
• Preserve or gain space for erupting permanent teeth.

Common Problems

Class 1 Malocclusion
Your jaw relationship is relatively normal but your teeth may be very crowded and unattractive.

Class 11 Malocclusion
You have an overjet (commonly called an over-bite) Your lower jaw has not grown forward like your upper jaw. This has been described as being "buck teeth." It may also look like your chin is too far back.

Class 111 Malocclusion
You have an under-bite. This may be caused by your upper jaw not growing forward enough or by your lower jaw growing forward too much. A bad bite which the lower teeth are in front of the upper teeth when you bite down.

Crooked Teeth/Crowding
An orthodontic problem that gives the appearance of having too many teeth and not enough room for them.

Anterior Crossbite
A bad bite where some of your upper front teeth are inside of your lower teeth when you bite down.

Posterior Crossbite
A bad bite where some of your upper back teeth on one or both sides are inside of your lower teeth when you bite down.

Deep Bite/Overbite
A bad bite where your upper teeth cover most or all of your lower teeth when you bite down.

Diastema
A space between two teeth.

Open Bite
A bad bite where the front teeth do not come together when you bite down. This can be caused from thumb sucking, tongue thrusting or mouth breathing.

Overjet
The horizontal (front-to-back) relationship of the upper front teeth to the lower front teeth. Some people mistakenly refer to this as an over-bite.

Impacted Teeth Crossbite
When the roots of the teeth fully develop and the teeth fail to erupt, these teeth are considered to be impacted. The most commonly impacted teeth are the 3rd molars (wisdom teeth) and the upper cuspids. An impacted tooth such as an upper cuspid needs to be moved into its correct position. After braces have been in place for some months, an oral surgeon or a periodontist will "expose" the tooth and attach a bracket to it. The orthodontist will then move the tooth to its proper position in the mouth.

Missing Teeth
You are considered to have missing teeth if you have fewer than 20 primary (baby) teeth or fewer than 32 permanent teeth. This condition is usually genetic. The most commonly seen missing teeth are the upper lateral incisors, the lower second bicuspids and the wisdom teeth (3rd molars).

Orthodontic Terms

Hygiene
The practice of measures designed to attain and preserve health. The actions taken to keep your teeth, bone and gums clean and healthy.

1) Archwire
A wire applied to two or more teeth through fixed attachments to cause or guide orthodontic tooth movement. A wire used as a source of force to direct teeth to move in desired directions.

2) Bracket/Band (orthodontic)
A thin metal ring, usually stainless steel, which serves to secure orthodontic attachments to a tooth. The band, with orthodontic attachments welded or soldered to it, is closely adapted to fit the contours of the tooth and them cemented into place.

4) Ligature/Steel Tie
A tie used to secure individual teeth to an orthodontic archwire, typically made of wire or elastic material. A small steel wire tied to the bracket to secure the archwire to the bracket. Also used to secure brackets together.

6) Coil Spring
Small spring placed around arch wire to either maintain or increase the space between teeth.

8) Gingiva
Soft tissue around and between the teeth. The tissue that surrounds the teeth consisting of a fibrous tissue that is continuous with the periodontal ligament and a mucosal that is continuous with the lining of the mouth.