What Type of Dental Procedures Does an Orthodontist Do?
June 1, 2023
What Is Orthodontics?
It is a dental specialty that focuses on teeth straightening and bites alignment. Orthodontics helps align twisted, crooked, overlapped, or gapped teeth and correct bad bites. They use braces, retainers, palatal expanders, and clear aligners to fix these problems. Orthodontic procedures improve oral health, enhance a smile and restore teeth function.
Who Are Orthodontists?
These are dental professionals who specialize in teeth and jaw alignment. They are trained and certified to perform procedures that improve the functioning and appearance of teeth and jaws. Orthodontists in Dickinson, TX, help improve the quality of life. Also, they prevent future severe oral issues through orthodontic treatments. They focus on the following:
- Diagnosing and treating misaligned teeth and jaws
- Performing teeth straightening surgical procedures
- Supervising facial growth in kids to achieve proper bite and alignment
- Creating and implementing treatment plans using orthodontic appliances
Why Are Orthodontists Different From General Dentists?
Orthodontists and dentists are oral health professionals who ensure you have a healthy mouth. They work in a dental office setting and attend to patients of all ages. However, there are differences in their education and treatments.
General dentists and orthodontists both attend four years of dental school. However, orthodontists get additional education and training. They follow an orthodontic residency program for 2-3 more years for special certification. This gives them superior knowledge and techniques to treat jaws and teeth.
They also differ in their treatments and areas of focus. General dentists in Dickinson focus on general oral health concerns. They perform procedures that contribute to healthy and attractive smiles. These include extractions, whitening, fillings, oral exams, root canals, sealants, implants, and cleaning.
On the other hand, orthodontists specialize in the positioning of the jaws and teeth. They perform procedures designed to improve teeth bites and alignment. So, orthodontists correct speech impairments and chewing difficulties caused by malocclusion. Also, they improve a smile making it more attractive and healthy-looking.
Which Procedures Do Orthodontists Perform?
Orthodontists fix problems that involve overlapping, rotated, crowded, crooked, and impacted teeth. In addition, they correct bite issues such as overjets and underbites. Therefore, they perform various treatments for a proper bite and well-aligned smile. Below are a few orthodontic procedures provided by these specialists.
- Traditional Braces
It is an orthodontic treatment that has been performed for decades to straighten a smile. Braces consist of metallic brackets connected to wires that are fixed on teeth. They place pressure on the teeth to shift them into the correct position. The dentist will adjust and tighten the wires frequently. They may use orthodontic elastics to move teeth more effectively.
- Clear aligners
These are a more discreet alternative to traditional braces. Instead of using brackets and wires to straighten teeth, these systems use clear removable plastic dental trays. They are custom-made to fit over teeth and shift them slowly into the correct positions. These appliances are worn for 20-22 hours daily and removed to eat and clean only.
Clear aligners are fabricated in sets where each set of trays is worn for two or three weeks. The sets move teeth differently; once one has achieved its goal, you will switch to the next. Once you have worn all the trays, the dentist will ensure you have achieved your smile goals. Popular brands of clear aligners include Byte®, Invisalign®, and ClearCorrect®.
- Retainers
These are custom-made oral appliances that resemble mouthguards. They are worn once orthodontic treatment with braces or clear aligners ends. Retainers keep teeth from drifting into their former positions after orthodontic treatment. You will wear them at night until the jaw and teeth are set into their new posts.
- Palate expanders
These orthodontic appliances widen the upper jaw to create more space for the teeth. They improve how the upper and lower teeth fit together. As a result, they correct crowded, crooked, overlapped, or impacted teeth. Palate expanders are usually for kids. their jaws are still developing and easy to adjust correctly.
Are you considering straightening your or your child’s smile? Then contact us at Bay Colony Dental and Orthodontics to schedule a consultation appointment.