Orthodontics is a specialty within dentistry that works with diagnosing and treating malocclusions of the teeth and jaws. Malocclusion refers to a misalignment of the teeth or the jaws that cause the patient to have teeth pain, to grind their teeth, to have cavities, gum disease, trouble chewing, trouble with pronunciation, and to possibly be concerned about their appearance, too. To become an Orthodontist, a practitioner must graduate with a degree in dentistry and then pass a 24 to 48-month long residency in orthodontics.
An Orthodontist Bel Air will usually treat a misaligned bite with the use of braces. Some teeth may need to be extracted first, such as the wisdom teeth or other teeth that are causing crowding. A newer kind of braces that doesn’t have the metallic look of traditional wire braces is the Invisalign. This is a clear tray that is placed around the teeth. The advantage of Invisalign is that the patient can remove the appliance when they want to brush or floss.
With traditional wire braces, which have brackets that are bonded to the teeth with cement, it can be very difficult to clean around the brackets and to run dental floss around the wire. The accumulation of plaque is a real problem with traditional braces for this reason. However, the Invisalign tray can be completely taken out, so it’s much easier for the patient to perform dental hygiene. There is also less chance of damaging the appliance when eating foods that might otherwise damage wire braces, like eating raw vegetables.
We usually think of braces as something that only adolescents wear, but adults can wear braces, too. In fact, our teeth may continue to face overcrowding conditions as we get older. After a person is finished with their time wearing braces, the orthodontist will often have retainers made that the patient may have to wear all day long or just when sleeping. Because the teeth may continue to move and get crowded as we get older, the Orthodontist Bel Air may recommend that the patient continue to use the retainers for years after the braces are removed.
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