tooth straightening
‘make tidy or put in order again’
the branch of dentistry called orthodontics.
there is nothing quite as nice as the perfect smile.
it is attractive, welcoming and inviting.
no surprise then, that over the years, parents worldwide have encouraged their children to undergo orthodontic treatments in order to correct any ‘crookedness’ of the dentition!
as mankind has evolved our diets have changed – less raw, more processed – resulting in a gradual shrinking of our jaws.
commonly this in turn means there is not enough room for all our teeth.
no doubt as we evolve more, we will, in time, also have less teeth…. evolution will sort it!
hence, orthodontics.
it is very complicated but in essence involves moving teeth slowly through the jaw bone so as not to cause damage/death to the bone, teeth or surrounding tissues.
the aim is to achieve the best alignment possible.
there are many, many different types of retainers (more commonly called ‘braces’) available.
fixed, removable, lingual etc.
typically treatment should be sort from a specialist orthodontist.
Invisalign.
previously straightening teeth was for kids.
adults generally did not want to wear the ‘train-tracks’ as they were unsightly.
not anymore!
luckily, the advent of computer aided design and technology has now opened up a whole world of clear removable aligners which can move teeth from ‘a to b’ with minimal intervention, achieving maximum effect.
each aligner is worn for 22hrs a day. 7 days a week. the results are amazing.