What is Orthodontics?
Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry aimed at preventing dental deformities, resolving existing disorders and providing patients with aesthetic, speech and function in children and adults. Tooth distortions can be caused by genetic or environmental (finger sucking, nail eating, loss of milk teeth at an early age, etc.). Untreated crowds can cause psychological problems in adulthood, many problems such as dental and gum problems, speech problems, and joint problems due to poor brushing.
Who can apply orthodontic treatment?
Orthodontic treatment can be done to people of all ages, but an orthodontic treatment that takes advantage of the growth potential of the jaws during the growth and development period in children becomes easier and takes less time.
Treatment is possible, no matter how old the patient is. Treatments concerning teeth can be done at almost any age; as long as the teeth and surrounding tissues are healthy. However, if there is a problem in the anomalies involving the jaw bones, that is the bone structure, if the growth does not end, the correction can be done with functional and mobile appliances, while in adult patients, this correction is only achieved by surgery.
Milk dentition period preschool years are habit breakers and jaw enlargement appliances, which are applications for reducing the problems that arise due to the habits of the child such as finger sucking, eating lips, inserting a foreign body into the mouth as much as possible.
The mixed dentition period covers primary school children, it is the period of both permanent and milk teeth in the mouth. During this period, loss of milk teeth prematurely or after the time can not guide the permanent teeth from below, resulting in some stenosis problems.
In the period of permanent dentition, defects in the dental rows can be corrected with fixed or mobile devices with or without tooth extraction.
Orthodontic tips that your child should pay attention to:
- Loss of early or late fetus
- Difficulty in chewing or closing
- Mouth breathing
- Thumb sucking
- Distortion, incorrectly positioned or unprotected teeth
- Chin positioned too far ahead or behind
- Cheek bite and lip bite
- Teeth positioned in the front
- Upper and lower teeth not touching or abnormally closing
- Unbalanced face appearance
- The clenching and grinding habit
In which cases is orthodontic treatment performed?
- If there is a cross closure in the mouth. Normally, the upper teeth should be ahead of the lower teeth when closing the mouth. If there is a reverse situation, that is, if the lower teeth are beyond the upper teeth, this is called "cross closing".
- When the front teeth stop too far and the lips do not touch each other,
- When the teeth are not properly placed or overlapped,
- In cases where teeth are spaced too intermittently,
- When the teeth are brought to closing, if there is a big gap between the upper and lower front cutters, if the teeth are located far away from each other, that is, in cases we call openbite,
- If the front incisors are wide open,
- If you have difficulty in chewing or saying some letters even though there is no obvious intricacy in the teeth,
- If your child is still sucking fingers or pacifiers after 4 years of age,
- Orthodontic treatment is required in children who have lost their milk teeth before the fall, especially in the age of 6, in the absence of milk molars that have fallen prematurely due to withdrawal or trauma.
When should the first orthodontic examination be done?
It is very important to catch people who need orthodontic treatment in the early period. In children, the first orthodontic examinations should be performed after the upper and lower incisors are applied. If treatment is necessary, it is treated by using the growth potential of the jaws in the 7-10 age growth period. Thus, there will be no need for more difficult and longer-term methods to treat in the future. The Turkish Orthodontic Society recommends that all children receive an orthodontic assessment before they are 7 years old.
How long does the treatment take, will the teeth be restored after the treatment?
The duration of orthodontic treatment varies from 6 months to 3 years. As soon as the structures around the tooth (periodontium) cannot adapt to the new position of the teeth and the bone tissue does not mature, the teeth can return to their original place immediately after the treatment. To prevent this, it is necessary to stabilize the situation with other devices to be made in the improved teeth. This last stage of treatment is called reinforcement therapy. During this period, it is imperative that children take due care.
How is orthodontic treatment done?
- Movable Appliances: These are the appliances that can only have simple dental movements that can be attached and removed by the patient. The springs, screws, put on them apply a force to the teeth to be straightened. It is applied in early treatment and in simpler cases.
- Functional Appliances: These are the devices that can be used during the active growth period and direct the growth. These are special apparatuses that the patients themselves can put on and take off at a young age prior to the adolescence period in order to correct the deteriorated relations (orthopedic problems) of the lower and upper jaw. It is often used with fixed orthodontic appliances.
- Fixed Appliances: These are appliances that cannot be removed by the patient adhered to the teeth by special techniques, and are removed by the orthodontist at the end of the treatment. The brackets used in fixed treatment can be metal or porcelain according to the wishes of the people. Today, it is possible to get rid of the wire appearance, which is the most appealing feature of orthodontic treatment with less noticeable materials. In some cases, they can even be applied to the invisible back of your teeth. Your doctor will tell you the most appropriate form of treatment after examining you.
- Orthognathic Surgery: When there are situations that cannot be corrected with orthodontic or orthopedic treatment, orthognathic surgery is used in adult patients whose growth and development have been completed.
What are the benefits of orthodontic treatment?
- The proper placement of the teeth in the jaw bone eliminates joint, head and neck pain caused by closing disorders.
- Your speech function improves.
- It contributes to the beauty of the face. The soft tissue profile improves along with the teeth. In this way, the psychosocial development of the patients is positively affected.
- By chewing effectively, gastrointestinal problems are solved.
- Oral hygiene is provided more easily by correcting the crap of the teeth. Thus, the formation of interface caries is prevented.
- Effective plaque cleaning prevents gum diseases that may occur.
Things to consider during orthodontic treatment
- After applying brackets, there may be sensitivity in the teeth and injuries in the cheeks. These complaints will disappear for up to ten days in a week. You can use the special candles given to you to reduce your complaints.
- During our treatment, teeth should be brushed very regularly. The frequency of caries is increasing in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment and white spots may appear around the brackets if sufficient cleaning is not provided. Brushing should be continued until there is no accumulation around the brackets. The health of your gums also depends on correct brushing.
- Hard food (nuts, plums, chips, etc.) should be avoided during orthodontic treatment. All hard foods should be cut into small pieces and eaten.
- During the treatment, you will have checks every 4-5 weeks. In order for your treatment to reach its purpose, you need to stick to your appointments.
- Intra-oral or in-mouth devices to be given during your treatment should be used regularly in the time and ways to be specified to you. Otherwise, it will be impossible to get a result as desired.
Oral hygiene during orthodontic treatment
- Those who receive orthodontic treatment need more careful care. If there is a toothbrushing method recommended by the dentist, use it.
- Clean around the braces by first brushing them from top to bottom and then from bottom to top. There are specially designed toothbrushes for orthodontics. Then brush the gaps between the brackets gently with the interdental brushes, taking care not to break or bend the brackets. Brush the teeth and braces twice a day, especially after meals.
- At least once a day - strictly before bed - floss clean the interfaces of the teeth.
- To reduce the risk of tooth decay, use fluoride mouthwashes or fluoride products pastes according to our dentist's instructions.
- Take the toothbrush and floss with you wherever you go so you can clean your teeth when you're not at home.