Adult orthodontics
Adult orthodontics is one of my favourite areas within dentistry, because here patients decide for treatment of their own accord, without exception. Therefore, the treatment takes place in a good atmosphere, even though it usually takes relatively long (1-2 years almost without exception). There is no revolt against the treatment and we always have a shared goal. It is important to emphasize that just like in childhood, there is a special significance of thorough planning, so there is no excuse, we need more X-rays (known as OP or panoramic X-ray and full x-ray) and plaster models and photo documentation for the sake of completeness.
Most of the treatments is solved with fixed braces, unfortunately it is rarely sufficient to wirk with removable devices, the so-called invisible orthodontic appliances. Although it is hard to believe, such a procedure often requires greater discipline and co-operation than the one with fixed appliances. Other dental problems, of course, have to be taken care of before we start the treatment – such as tooth decay or gingivitis. There is no age limit, I had the pleasure of having a 76-year-old patient once as well.
And what do we gain with this long treatment? The often very serious problems caused by irregular teeth cease to exist or don’t even develop, and it will be worth again to send a broad smile to the world.
Orthodontics for children
It turned out that adult orthodontics is one of my favorite areas – it is therefore not surprising that working with children is the other one. This one is, however, a much more difficult task. It is hard to imagine a situation where a 7-year-old youngster himself would be walking into my office and ask for a treatment to start in order to reach the the proper chewing function and aesthetics. This is a very hard task, because young humanoids do not believe in what neighbours tell them, nor what relatives or ads. The dentist should give it all to establish good relations and mutual agreement to the full, it is not enough to be professionally prepared and to be maximally polite. They must know all the current tale heroes of that age, football stars, and not only the ones of Barca, but Real as well, and Monster High dolls also, and so on, and so forth. In addition to that, kids grow up, and I should recognise another person every six months on the check-ups. It’s not easy, that’s why I love it. Childhood possibilities of aligning teeth also vary on a very large scale. As the bones continue growing and reshaping, it is possible to influence the development into the right direction with a variety of orthodontic appliances. This isn’t only true for the jawbones and teeth – if we are lucky, we can even get to the muscles affecting development at an early stage, so we’ll have a better starting position.
Until the child is 6, we primarily speak of preventative orthodontics. Early detection and care in many cases prevents the development of more serious dental abnormalities. In most cases I try to solve the issue with a removable brace made of resilient material, that also affects the muscles in the above mentioned way. These are called trainers in the official terminology.
In the early mixed dentition period (between 6-12 years) the most important task is to help the correct replacement of primary teeth. Aim is to ensure the normal development of permanent teeth. During this time it will be visible if we have to count with more or less teeth during the development – normally, the ideal number would be 32. Often canines don’t want to participate in the process and remain stubbornly in the upper jawbone in a variety of acrobatic positions. There are many things to pay attention to in this period as well.
In the late mixed dentition period bone development is approaching completion – this is usually 16 years for girls and around 18 for boys. Of course, this differs by person, but usually this is the time when the era of fixed braces starts. Please note that orthodontic appliances do not respect prom balls, summer festivals and end-of-school photo shoots, so it’s worth addressing the issue in time! 🙂
