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Malocclusion and Orthodontics - Treatment Overview
Orthodontic treatment uses appliances, tooth removal, or surgery to fix the way teeth and jaws are aligned. There are many ways to treat poor bite (malocclusion). Expert opinions differ about when to start treatment. Your dentist or orthodontist may give you a choice between early or later treatment or may prefer one specific approach.
The general categories of orthodontic devices (appliances) are functional and fixed.
Functional appliancesuse the
muscle action from speaking, eating, and swallowing to create forces that move
teeth and align the jaws. See a picture of a
functional appliance
.
- Some functional appliances are removable, while others are bonded to the teeth.
- A functional appliance may fit between the upper and lower teeth (a splint) or may span across the mouth between the molars, pressing the bone outward.
Fixed orthodontic appliances are
sets of wires and brackets cemented to the teeth. These are commonly called
braces. Over a period of about 24 to 28 months, the
wires are tightened and adjusted, gradually applying enough force to move the
teeth (bone remodeling).
Retainers
are removable
appliances made of molded plastic and wire. They hold the teeth in place after
braces are taken off. If the teeth start to move back out of position, the
orthodontist may bond a short retaining wire to the back of some teeth. This
wire will hold the teeth in place.
Child and adolescent treatment
The aim of treatment in the childhood and teen years is to move permanent teeth into place. The orthodontist will time the treatments to match your child's natural growth spurts.
Treatment for crowding, the most common malocclusion problem, may mean removing (extracting) some permanent teeth. But orthodontists avoid removing permanent teeth when they can.
The malocclusion treatments for children and adolescents are:
- Extraction (serial removal). Removing some baby teeth may ease severe crowding.
- Growth modification. This involves wearing fixed or functional appliances during the day and night to move the jaw into a better position.
- Fixed appliances (braces) gradually move the teeth. For children and teens, this treatment phase usually lasts about 24 months; for adults, about 28 months.
- Retainers. Retainers hold the teeth in place after orthodontic treatment. Some orthodontists recommend that retainers be worn for many years, because teeth have a natural tendency to drift out of place.
- Space maintainers, made of metal or plastic. Spacers keep the surrounding teeth from moving (drifting) into open spaces created when teeth are pulled or lost in an accident.
Adult treatment
Orthodontic treatment for malocclusion is a popular option for adults, due in part to better technology. In the past, wide silver bands held braces in place. Today they are less obvious. Instead of the wide bands, a small metal or ceramic fastener is bonded to each tooth, and a narrow wire passes through the fasteners.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Malocclusion and Orthodontics Topics
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