Orthodontists are qualified dentists, who after graduating from a dental school, study for a period of 3 years in an accredited orthodontic residency program supervised by senior faculty.
They are experts who not only are trained thoroughly in moving teeth but also have intimate knowledge of the physiology, growth, biology of the underlying processes and so on. Hence, they are not only qualified legally but also knowledgably in treating crooked teeth, forwardly placed teeth, jaw problems and so on.
Selecting a specialist orthodontist who is a trained in a specialty post graduate program ensures that you are being treated in the right hands.
- The most obvious advantage of straight teeth is improved appearance. However there is far more to it than just the good looks. The role of straight teeth in a pleasing face cannot be overemphasized.
- An attractive smile is desired by all. It contributes to the psychological well being of an individual as it is directly related to self image and self esteem. It has been proven beyond doubt that a pleasing appearance not only increases self confidence but also bring about favorable responses from people you interact with.
- Properly placed teeth ensure that an individual can chew properly, bite properly and speak clearly.
- Properly aligned teeth and jaws prevent physical health problems.
- Not many people know that straight teeth are less prone to decay, injury and gum disease.
- Untreated orthodontic problems may become worse, which may ultimately lead to tooth decay, gum disease, destruction of the bone that holds the teeth as well as chewing and digestive difficulties.
What happens at my initial visits to the orthodontist?
- The first few visits to the orthodontist are about telling the orthodontist about your problem - whether it is forwardly placed teeth or crooked teeth or inability to chew properly because your teeth are crooked.
- The orthodontist will ask you about the problem. In addition he will ask you information regarding any other general health problem, your birth history, your child-hood history, your maturational status etc. Though these may seem unrelated to your problem they are in fact very essential because they enable the orthodontist to find the root cause of your problem and thus provide you with complete treatment.
- It is also the time you enquire regarding the financial implications of the treatment.
- The orthodontist will also obtain diagnostic records in the initial visits.
What are diagnostic records?
- Diagnostic records include x-rays, photographs and impressions (or measurements/ molds).
- X-rays are taken to determine where the problem lies or more specifically to determine whether there is a disharmony between the jaws. They also enable to determine the relationship between the teeth and the jaws. These are based on specific calculations and hence are an objective way of detecting your problem.
- Photographs are taken to evaluate and record the position of the teeth, your facial expressions and study what aspects should be improved to better harmonize your features.
- Impressions/measurements/molds are taken to develop models to enable studying how your upper and lower teeth relate to each other as well as study individual tooth positions.
- These diagnostic records enable the orthodontist to better understand your problem and develop an appropriate treatment plan according to each individual case.
When should I begin treatment?
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all children get a checkup with the orthodontist no later than age of seven years.
Although only a few orthodontic problems need to be corrected at that age, an early examination allows the orthodontist to offer advice and guidance as to when the appropriate age to start treatment would be. Further, if there are any developing jaw problems they can be corrected with growth modulation. These problems would require surgery at a later date if not corrected early.
How long will my treatment take?
The length of treatment varies from case to case depending on the complexity and treatment requirements of that particular case.
The orthodontic treatment requires maximum co-operation from the patient as well.
Maintaining appointment timings, following the orthodontists instructions, safeguarding the appliance against breakage are all important factors that play a role in determining treatment duration.
Generally, if all factors are in the right place on an average the treatment duration is anywhere between 18-30 months for regular cases.
Special cases such as functional appliances combined with orthodontic treatment or cleft lip and palate cases take longer to finish.
What are the stages of treatment?
Generally there are 2-3 stages of treatment: - one or two active phases followed by a retention phase. Only cases with growth modulation have 2 active phases.
The retentive phase begins after the orthodontic treatment is over. This stage is as important as the corrective phase. This is the stage when you have to wear the retainers/plates. If you do not wear the retainers the corrections are lost.
Even with retainers some changes are seen because the body is in constant state of change and teeth are not immune to this change.
Hence to ensure that the maximum amount of corrections achieved by treatment stay, you need to wear the retainers.
What will happen if I do not wear retainers?
If you do not wear retainers the teeth will return to the original position they were in before the treatment. Hence the corrections achieved will be lost
How do teeth move?
Teeth are living structures and hence they respond to external force. Because the teeth are embedded in bone it is the remodeling of bone in response to external forces that enables the teeth to move.
‘Braces’ are a combination of ‘brackets’ and ‘wires’. Brackets are part of the braces that attach to the teeth and act as handles to control the movement of teeth.
Brackets require a wire called as ‘archwire’ to deliver the force to move the teeth.
Sometimes additional force delivery mechanisms are required such as elastics, headgears and palatal expanders
Are there different variety of braces?
Braces differ from each other in many ways. The basic difference is in the way in which they attach to the teeth.
The braces that attach on the labial (cheek side) of the teeth are the one’s more widely used and are called labial braces.
The other variety is the one that attach from the inside or the tongue side of the teeth called as lingual braces.
In the labial braces there are metallic braces as well as tooth colored or ceramic braces.
What is expected of me during treatment?
Like other types of health care, patient co-operation plays a major role in determining the treatment time as well as quality of treatment.
You can’t have an attitude that the “braces will work for me”.
Patient compliance with maintenance of appointment timings, following the orthodontist’s instructions on elastic wear, tooth brushing and not breaking brackets is very essential.
If you are not co-operative in all these aspects the treatment time is unnecessarily prolonged and results are unsatisfactory.
To sum it all “You should be an active partner in the development of your smile… It’s your smile after all”.
How do I take care of my braces?
First and foremost they are fragile. So you must maintain them properly. You are supposed to follow the orthodontist’s instructions strictly.
You cannot eat hard, sticky, crunchy, chewy food when you are taking orthodontic treatment.
Incising (or biting with your front teeth) as in digging into an apple is a strict NO! You should cut the apple into small pieces and then bite using your back teeth.
Brushing
This is important not only from the point of speeding up your treatment but also from the point of maintaining the health of your gums and supporting bone.
- Use a soft toothbrush.
- Brush slowly.
- Brush 4 times a day; morning, noon, dinner & bedtime.
- Brush under, above, behind and around ALL surfaces of the teeth and braces.
- Brush inside and outside of both top and bottom gums.
- Rinse mouth thoroughly after brushing.
- Take your time!
See your dentist regularly while you wear braces.
Use a soft toothbrush. Start brushing on the upper right. Brush above and below the braces using a small circular motion. Slowly work your brush toward the front teeth and over to the left side. Then brush the insides and biting surfaces. Take your time (See Figure-1 above).
Starting on the right side, brush the outside of the lower teeth. Using the circular brushing motion, brush above and below the braces until the teeth and braces are sparkling clean. Move the brush slowly toward the front and left side. Then brush the insides and tops of teeth (See Figure-2 above).
Special interdental brushes to clean between braces and teeth
The 5 commandments to be followed during treatment
- Maintain good oral hygiene.
- No hard/sticky foods.
- In case a bracket breaks meet your orthodontist immediately.
- Follow all instructions for example elastic wear.
Maintain appointment timings.
Result of improper brushing
This is evident after the braces are removed in the form of dematerialized white spots on the teeth which can easily lead to decay
Approximate duration of visits based on the nature of treatment
Nature of treatment |
Number of Visits |
Duration |
1.OPD registration |
1 |
5-10 minutes |
2.X-ray/investigation |
1 |
1-2hrs |
3.Case allotment |
1 |
6 months |
4.Diagnostic records |
1 |
2 hrs |
5.Consultation |
1 |
1 hr |
6.Seperator placement |
1 |
10min |
7.Appliance placement |
1 |
30min-1hr |
8.Monthly visits |
28-30 |
30 min |
9.Repair of broken appliance-separate appointment and charge |
1 |
1 hr |
9.Post treatment records |
2 |
½ working day each |
10.Surgical consultation |
2 |
1-2hrs |
Note: For surgical cases and cleft cases no waiting period for allotment exists. Special investigations and special cases such as syndrome cases require additional visits.
We help you to have a better SMILE yeah we are Orthodontist!!!!!!!!
