Orthodontics: An Overview of Procedures

In this day and age a growing number of people are interested in orthodontics. Indeed, orthodontics is not a procedure that is limited to children and teenagers any longer. Many adults are now seeking orthodontic care with regularity.

Orthodontic care has become one of the most widely sought after cosmetic dentistry procedures. Thousands of people can be found flocking to cosmetic dentistry specialists to obtain orthodontics each and every month.

Perhaps you are a person who is interested in seeking and obtaining orthodontic care and treatment. You may be interested in considering some basic information about orthodontics and orthodontic procedures. Through this brief article, you will be provided with a basic and general overview or orthodontic procedures. Naturally, if after reading this article you find that you have more questions about orthodontics, you should schedule an appointment with an orthodontist who will be able to provide you with additional information that you do need.

The most common orthodontic procedures include:

Braces

Braces are sets of brackets and wires that work to apply pressure to the teeth. The pressure applied by the brackets and wires work to guide teeth into a correct position within a person’s mouth.

Retainers

Retainers are removable dental appliances that generally are worn after braces have been used and removed to make certain that teeth will remain in the desired positions.

Bite Planes

Bite planes also are known as dental splits. These dental appliances are designed to assist in dealing with an overbite.

Functional Appliances

Functional appliances are used to adjust the position of the jaws and the teeth. For example, if one jaw grew faster than the other, functional appliances can assist in balancing the resulting disparity out.

Headgear

Headgear is a system of straps around a patient’s head that connects to a person’s braces. Headgear assists in speeding up the teeth straightening process the braces are being used for in the first instance.

Dentofacial Orthopedics

This refers to dental appliances that are worn by growing children to balance the size of the upper and lower jaws.