Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that specialized in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of dental and facial abnormalities. The practice of orthodontics requires professional skill in the design, application and control or corrective appliances, such as braces, to bring teeth into proper alignment and to achieve facial balance.

An orthodontist is a dental specialist in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental and facial irregularities. Orthodontist must attend dental graduate program at a university dental school and complete three years of residency program in orthodontics. Your orthodontist is able to straighten teeth, correct misaligned jaw structure, and improve the function of your smile.

If you want to improve the look of your smile, then any age can be a great age to see the orthodontist. But the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children first visit to an orthodontist around the age of seven. This allows early identification of potential problems. Certain orthodontic conditions are also best treated at this age. Full braces are places after most of the permanent teeth erupt, at around twelve years old. Whether you’re considering treatment for yourself or for a child, any time is a good time to visit the orthodontist.

Most orthodontic problems, orthodontist call this as malocclusions, are inherited. Inherited problems include crowding of teeth, spacing between teeth, missing teeth, large gap between upper jaw and lower jaw, and other irregularities of the jaws, teeth and face.

Acquired malocclusions can be cause by bad habits such as thumb or finger sucking, pacifier sucking, mouth breathing, dental premature loss, or trauma (accidents). Whether inherited or acquired, many of these problems affect not only alignment of the teeth but also facial development and appearance.

There is two main reasons why is orthodontic treatment is important. First reason is esthetic issue. Going for orthodontic treatment will improve your smile. According to a survey, the first thing people mostly notice when they meet someone is their smile. A person’s smile is arguably the most memorable feature after a first encounter. What’s more we tend to equate their smile with level of confidence or warmth or intelligence. More women than men say that an imperfect smile make someone less appealing. You only got one chance to make a first impression.

Second reason is the health issue. Crooked and crowded teeth are hard to clean and maintain. This may contribute to conditions that cause not only tooth decay but also gum disease and maybe tooth loss. Other orthodontic problems such as misaligned can contribute to inefficient chewing function which can cause muscle imbalance.

In general, active treatment time with orthodontic appliance (braces) ranges from one to three years but most standard treatment takes about 24 months. Interceptive or early treatment procedures, may take only a few months. The actual time depends on the growth of the patients mouth and face, the cooperation of the patient and the severity of the problem. Mild problems usually require less time, and some individuals respond faster to treatment than others. Use of rubber bands and/or headgear, if prescribed by the orthodontist, contributes to completing treatment as scheduled. 

Diagnostic records are made to document the patients orthodontic problem and to help determine the best course of treatment. Complete diagnostic records typically include a medical/dental history, clinical examination, plaster study models of the teeth, photo of the patients face and teeth, a Panoramic X-ray, Cephalometric X-ray and other appropriate X-rays. This information is used to plan the best course of treatment for each patients, help explain the problem, and propose treatment to the patient and/or parents.

Orthodontist will make a custom treatment plan for each patient and designed custom-made appliances, or braces according to the problem being treated. Some patients only need braces to fix their problem while other patients may need additional orthopedic appliances, such as headgear, facemask, maxillary expansion appliances etc. to help direct the growth and development of the jaw.

Braces are fixed appliances used by your orthodontist to help you improve the look and feel of your smile. Brackets can be bonded to the front of the teeth or may be bonded behind the teeth (lingual braces). It can be metal, clear or colored, depending on the patient preference. 

With conventional fixed braces and clear aligners such as invisalign, speech will not impeded or affected. If your treatment requires you to have a removable appliance in the upper jaw or palatal expander at the roof of your mouth, these appliances may interfere with your speech. Similarly, lingual braces will also take some time to adapt to and for your speech to be normalized

Most people have some discomfort after their braces are first put on or when adjusted during treatment. After the braces are on, teeth may become sore and may be tender to biting pressures for two to five days and is a result of your teeth moving. Soft diet is recommended. The lips, cheeks and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the surfaces of the braces 

If your teeth begin feeling a little loose, don’t worry; this is normal! Your braces must first loosen your teeth to move them into the right position. Once your teeth have been repositioned, they will no longer be loose.

To relieve the pain, we recommend dissolving one teaspoon of salt in 250 ml of lukewarm water. Swish and gargle this solution in your mouth for just a couple of minutes (do not swallow the saltwater). If rinsing with warm saltwater doesn’t relieve the pain, patients can take whatever pain medication they might commonly take for a headache, or patients and/or their parents can ask advice from the orthodontist what pain relievers to take.

If your mouth irritated to the surfaces of the braces, you can put some wax over the braces to lessen the tenderness. If the mouth irritated because of extended wire, you can ask emergency appointment to your orthodontist to cut the excess wire.

On average braces are adjusted every 3-8 weeks, depending on what type of braces do you wear. However depending which stage of treatment you are in sometimes the orthodontist may recommend a different length of time between appointments.

Sometimes in order to straighten teeth you may need to have some teeth removed to make enough space. Everybody is different and your orthodontist will design a suitable treatment plan for you which may possibly involve having some teeth removed. However this will be discussed with you and it is your choice if you want to go ahead with braces.

The main risk is damage to the teeth and surrounding gums. This can be decalcification (damage to the enamel causing permanent marks) or gingivitis (swollen, bleeding gum) or caries (tooth decay). These are generally caused by not looking after your braces properly, not cleaning well enough and eating/drinking things we recommend you should avoid. If any of these problems occur then your orthodontist would inform you and help you to overcome these problems. If these problems continue then we would advise you to stop the orthodontic treatment to save the health of your teeth.

ALWAYS remember to brush your teeth after every meal and floss at least once a day. Make sure to use toothpaste that contains fluoride.

During your treatment, try to avoids foods with a lot of sugar, which increases the amount of bacteria that grows in your mouth, causing more plaque and possibly cavities

Avoid sticky and chewy foods, hard foods, or any foods that could possibly get stuck in your braces.

Patients must not chew on pens, pencils, or fingernails because chewing on hard things can damage the braces. Damaged braces will almost always cause treatment to take longer and will require extra trips to the orthodontist office.

Foods to avoid with braces:

• Chewy foods : bagels
• Crunchy foods : popcorn, chips, ice
• Sticky foods : gum, mochi
• Hard foods : nut, candy, crab
• Foods that require biting into : corn on the cob, apples, carrots

Foods you can eat with braces :

• Dairy : cheese, pudding, milk
• Breads : pancakes, muffin without nut, tortilla
• Grains : pasta, rice
• Meats/poultry : soft cooked chicken, meatballs, lunch meats
• Seafood : tuna, salmon, shrimp
• Vegetables : steamed spinach, bean sprouts, mashed potatoes
• Fruits : banana, watermelon, fruit juice
• Treats : ice cream without nut, milkshakes, soft cakes

Playing an instrument or a contact sport may require some adjustment when you first get your braces, but wearing braces will not stop you from participating in any of your school activities. If you play a contact sport, it is recommended that you wear a mouth guard to protect your braces or appliance

Successful orthodontic treatment requires a consistent, cooperative effort by both the orthodontist and the patient. To successfully complete the treatment plan, the patient must carefully clean his or her teeth, wear rubber bands, headgear or other appliances as prescribed by the orthodontist. And keep appointments as scheduled. Damaged appliances can lengthen the treatment time and may undesirably affect the outcome of treatment.

Call our office as soon as possible if you break or loosen any of your appliances. Please do not come directly to the office. By calling us, you will allow us to create time to see you. Even if you have a regular appointment scheduled, call us immediately to notify us if you need an appliances repaired.

If you need to cut a wire in case of emergency, you may use fingernail clippers that have been washed and sterilized in alcohol.

You will need retainers to hold your teeth in their beautiful new positions. Without retainers, your teeth will start to shift back to their original positions, especially during the first month.

There are various types of retainers, they can be classified as removable retainers or fixed retainers.

Removable retainers can come in the form of a Hawley retainer that has a wire across the front teeth, or a clear plastic retainer. Fixed retainers come in a form of a wire ‘permanently’ bonded behind the teeth where it will remain for several years. It is commonly placed on the lower teeth, and in selected cases, on the upper teeth as well, although it can interfere with your bite and is more prone to breakage when its placed behind the upper teeth.

As long as you want your teeth to stay straight.

After removing the brackets, normally teeth will takes about a year to become stable in a new position. Therefore, retainers should be worn for at least 24 hours a day, but removed the retainers during eating, right after braces are removed. Usually after 6 months, you will be instructed to wear your retainers at night, every night; while you sleep.

Clean retainers thoroughly once a day with toothbrush and soap. Brushing retainers removes the plaque and eliminates odors. Any orthodontic appliances cleaners can be used but these do not take the place of brushing.

Retainer replacement is expensive, so when retainers are not in your mouth they should ALWAYS be in the retainer case. (Most appliances are lost in restaurants). Keep retainers away from hot water, hot car dashboards, pockets, the washing machine, napkins and tissue.

Retainers are breakable, so treat them with care.

If you lost your retainers you can call the office immediately, and we can make another one, or fixed it for you, but it comes with a cost though.