Orthodontist

The orthodontist profession is in high demand due to the fact that about 90% of dental patients have bite disorders.

The name of the dental field orthodontics comes from the Greek word "orthos" (straight) and the Latin "dens" (tooth). The branch of medicine solves problems of malocclusion and corrects the position of teeth.

As doctors themselves claim, the number of people who need professional help increases every year. This is due to the nutritional characteristics of modern humans, who eat mostly soft food, which in turn provokes underdevelopment of the masticatory apparatus.

The orthodontist attributes the following factors that influence the curvature of teeth and the formation of bite pathology:

• congenital anomalies (for example, fewer teeth);
• heredity;
• artificial feeding;
• bad habits (such as thumb sucking);
• injuries to teeth or jaw bones;
• ecology.

A visit to an orthodontist and getting rid of aesthetic defects will not only restore a beautiful smile, but will also make it easier to maintain oral hygiene, and will also allow the most complex temporomandibular joint in the body to function normally.

Who is an orthodontist?

An orthodontist is a doctor who improves the appearance of teeth, ensuring their alignment and proper functioning, and corrects malocclusions.

To begin practicing in the field of orthodontics, a medical university graduate must devote 2-3 years to specialization. A practicing specialist must constantly improve his/her level of qualification in accordance with innovative technologies.

An orthodontist is first and foremost a doctor, and it will be difficult to hide the results of his work from others. That is why it is so important to find a competent specialist. Unfortunately, having a lot of experience is not a guarantee of the orthodontist's professionalism. The decisive role in the final choice is played by the initial consultation, during which:

• pay attention to how widely the doctor covers the essence of the problem and ways to solve it;
• the orthodontist answers all your questions clearly, understandably and logically;
• the specialist offers modern treatment technologies with justification for the choice of braces;
• receive reliable information about leading manufacturers, positive and negative aspects of treatment.

When should you see an orthodontist?

The younger the patient, the better the orthodontist can correct the position of the jaw and teeth as quickly and efficiently as possible, as well as prevent possible anomalies. The first consultation with the doctor should be planned at the age of six. However, this does not mean that adult patients are absolutely hopeless. There is no age limit in orthodontics, the complexity of treatment lies in the ability of the adult body to adapt to a long treatment and recovery period, as well as the condition of the teeth. The largest group of orthodontist patients are teenagers.

First of all, it makes sense to consult a specialist if you feel discomfort and lack confidence in your smile. Common problems that people come to the appointment with:

• uneven teeth;
• discomfort when closing the jaws;
• problems chewing and biting food;
• lack of teeth;
• facial injuries with damage to the jaw and teeth;
• incorrect position of one of the jaws;
• any violations – “deep”, “open” bite;
• "crowded" arrangement of the teeth of the lower jaw.

Very often, a dentist refers a patient to an orthodontist for a preventive examination, when prosthetics cannot be performed, or for treatment purposes.

What tests should you take when visiting an orthodontist?

To the question, what tests should be taken when visiting an orthodontist? – the answer should be that everything is individual. Any additional diagnostics are allowed only upon doctor’s prescription.

But bite correction and the formation of a beautiful smile necessarily begin with oral cavity sanitation. The complex of treatment and preventive measures includes:

• caries treatment;
• elimination of gum diseases;
• professional teeth cleaning with removal of plaque and tartar;
• removal of damaged teeth and roots that cannot be restored;
• replacement of defective seals;
• performing prosthetics.

After sanitation, remineralization is recommended - replenishment of mineral composition and restoration of protective properties of tooth enamel. The procedure increases resistance to caries, reduces tooth sensitivity. For this purpose, special compositions or gels with phosphates and calcium are used, and preparations with fluoride are administered.

What diagnostic methods does an orthodontist use?

An experienced orthodontist, already based on a visual examination of the patient’s jaws, makes a conclusion about existing anomalies, talks about possible options for correcting defects and can predict the development of pathology over time.

The preparatory period before treatment consists of diagnostics, which makes it possible to assess the complexity and duration of the correction, and additional methods that help to make all the necessary measurements and calculations.

What diagnostic methods does an orthodontist use? Most often, it is necessary to make a so-called panoramic image - an orthopantomogram and a teleroentgenogram, on the basis of which a therapy plan is built. Digital X-ray diagnostics allows you to visualize: bone tissue, the location of the roots, the main sinuses.

Specialists use computer and magnetic resonance imaging. The latter method helps to analyze the complexity and depth of damage in a number of dental diseases. X-ray examination in orthodontics is considered a low-effective diagnostic method, used more often after the installation of a bracket system.

Proper oral hygiene and the absence of concomitant diseases are of great importance, therefore oral cavity sanitation, remineralization and tartar removal are performed.

What does an orthodontist do?

The main task of the orthodontist is to correct the relative position of the jaws (align the bite) and give the teeth the correct direction of growth.

An orthodontist works with both babies and adult patients. It is possible to predict the presence of dental anomalies from the age of one year. In addition to direct treatment, the specialist gives recommendations for weaning children off pacifiers, teaches nutrition rules (the need for timely introduction of solid foods) and hygiene.

Based on the information received from the primary diagnostics and additional studies, the orthodontist makes a diagnosis and plans treatment. Bite correction occurs in three stages:

• preparatory – getting rid of infection foci and treating caries, making a plaster cast of the jaws. If necessary, additional photos/X-rays are taken;
• installation of special devices (bracket systems) – this period is supported by control appointments over the course of 1-3 years;
• retention stage – fixing the teeth in an aligned position using removable or non-removable appliances (retainer). The duration of wearing is approximately 2 years.

The duration of treatment with braces and retainers is determined individually based on the patient’s age, the complexity of the bite curvature, the presence of bad habits and genetic predisposition.

What diseases does an orthodontist treat?

The most common problem that people consult an orthodontist with is malocclusion. The physiological (normal) position is considered to be the absence of a gap when the jaws close, when the upper teeth protrude above the lower ones by approximately a third, and the gaps of the central incisors fall on the midline of the face. It would seem that only an external defect is the cause of diseases of the digestive tract and ENT organs, respiratory dysfunction, improper functioning of the speech apparatus and swallowing reflex. An orthodontist also helps to eliminate the curvature of teeth in childhood, when the baby teeth have changed, as well as in adult patients.

An orthodontist eliminates the following pathologies:

• dysfunctions of speech, breathing and chewing;
• aesthetic problems with the shape of the face due to malocclusion;
• congenital/hereditary dental anomalies (edentia, supernumerary teeth, abnormally shaped teeth, etc.);
• caries;
• periodontitis (inflammation of the gum, bone and muscle tissue adjacent to the tooth) and periodontosis (a systemic disease of the periodontal tissues with dystrophic changes in the gums);
• gingivitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the gum without damage to the integrity of the periodontal junction).

Advice from an orthodontist

The formation of a beautiful smile begins from the first month of a baby's life. In modern society, in addition to charm, competent orthodontic treatment allows you to form a harmonious facial profile, ensure normal functioning of the temporomandibular joint, prevent periodontitis and periodontosis, which are fraught with early tooth loss.

The orthodontist pays special attention to the prevention of malocclusion in childhood. If the child is bottle-fed, then parents should definitely get specialist recommendations on how to properly feed through a pacifier, how to behave during teething. In order to ensure physiological chewing and swallowing functions, solid foods should be introduced in a timely manner and do not forget about the correct position of the baby during sleep.

Here are the main tips from an orthodontist:

• You should wean your baby off the pacifier when he or she reaches the age of one year;
• do not allow your baby to develop the habit of thumb sucking;
• the formation of the temporary bite ends somewhere around three years of age, by this period mouth breathing, the use of a bottle, incorrect swallowing, only soft food should be excluded;
• Use a toothbrush at least twice a day;
• teach children from the age of two to brush their teeth, and from the age of three to brush their teeth with toothpaste;
• remove baby teeth only in extreme cases, as this leads to malocclusion;
• If you discover dental problems (including bite defects), do not delay in contacting a specialist.

When wearing braces, the orthodontist recommends:

• visit your doctor regularly to monitor the quality of your treatment;
• refrain from biting hard foods - cut vegetables, fruits and tough meat into small slices before eating;
• avoid foods that can damage braces (seeds, nuts, etc.);
• You should not eat toffees, chewing candies and other sticky foods, or use chewing gum;
• restrictions are imposed on colored drinks and food (coffee, berries, sprite, etc.);
• the food consumed should be at a comfortable temperature;
• Particular attention should be paid to oral hygiene, using a toothbrush, interdental brush, and floss (brushing your teeth should take at least 10 minutes twice a day).