‘Looking good, Feeling good’ is the way to go these days.
One of the most important parts of looking good and feeling good is having a beautiful smile. A smile says a lot about a person, and a bright white smile with nice straight teeth will make people respond to you better and will boost your confidence and self-esteem. For your convenience, we have a specialist orthodontist that works in our practice for all your orthodontic needs.
Many people suffer silently; they feel embarrassed to show their crooked teeth when smiling so they avoid smiling altogether. This has an effect on their confidence and self-esteem. Straight beautiful teeth, on the other hand, enhances confidence and security. In addition, crooked teeth are more difficult to clean, cause problems with jaw joints and can lead to facial muscle pain.
Improperly positioned teeth and jaws can cause serious damages if left untreated. That is why we want our patients to get the best orthodontic treatment as early as possible.
Here at Brite Dental, we diagnose, treat, and correct different kinds of orthodontic problems.
Phases of Treatment
Early Treatment
The best age to diagnose bite and teeth alignment problems in children is between 7-9 years of age according to the American Orthodontic Association. This is important because children are still growing, providing the opportunity to correct problems early as they start to develop thus encouraging and guiding natural growth and development of the child.
The goal of early treatment is to correct jaw growth and bite problems in children, lessening the need for extractions during orthodontic treatment in the future by making more room for permanent teeth to come in properly.
Teen Treatment
Wearing braces during your teen years is the best age for achieving excellent results in a short time. Postponing treatment will make it longer and more complex as crowded or spaced teeth will get worse with age, they will become difficult to keep clean, which may result in bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease, leading to early loss of teeth.
The sooner you start, the sooner you can have that attractive smile so you can look better and feel better. Once your teeth are straight and you can bite together correctly, you can eat more comfortably and clean your teeth more easily. Most importantly though, you will never lose an opportunity to smile on every photo, in every party, and every minute of every day!
Adult Treatment
The value of a confident, attractive smile cannot be underestimated. It has great benefits for your personal, social and professional life, especially in our culture where people want to look their best.
Many adults are choosing to receive orthodontic treatment because they understand the importance of maintaining their health and they want to feel better about their appearance.
Common Orthodontic Problems
Here are some of the most common problems that we encounter.
Crowded teeth
This is a condition that occurs when there is a mismatch between the size of the jaw and the size of the teeth. If the teeth are too big, they will not be able to fit in the jaw properly. Hence, crowding occurs.
Often, the new tooth grows at the back or in front of an existing tooth. Thus, the teeth look unattractive. A common orthodontic treatment plan for crowded teeth involves teeth extraction and dental braces.
Spaced teeth
In this condition, the person’s teeth are too small for the jaw. As a result, widely spaced gaps between the teeth can form anywhere in the mouth. Dental braces can help close both small and large gaps.
However, spaced teeth may also be a result of other factors like habitual thumb sucking, abnormal tongue thrusting, and advanced periodontal disease. Elimination of the cause should be part of the treatment plan.
Protruded teeth (Overbite)
Protruded teeth are not only unattractive, but they can also affect a person’s bite and speech. Teeth protrude naturally when the upper jaw is too far forward, the lower jaw is too backward, or a combination of both factors. This condition, also known as an overbite, is often hereditary.
Aside from genetics, there are other reasons why teeth protrude. In addition, the severity of the condition differs among people. Treatments include alignment of the teeth, correction of the bite, and in severe cases, a jaw surgery.
Underbite
An underbite is the opposite of an overbite. In this case, the lower teeth protrude and extend farther than the upper teeth. Aside from affecting the person’s appearance, this condition may cause difficulty in speaking, chewing, and swallowing.
An underbite may be corrected with the help of a dental device, like the upper jaw expander, if the patient is still young. However, for more severe cases involving adults, treatment may require bite alignment through jaw surgery.
Deep bite
A deep bite is an increased overbite. In severe cases, the overlap is so deep that the upper teeth completely cover or hide the lower teeth. The condition can result in excessive damage to the teeth, temporomandibular joints, and gums.
A deep bite can happen to both children and adults, although treatment is much easier for children.
Open bite
When the mouth closes and there is a resulting gap between the upper and lower teeth, the condition is called an open bite. It can be due to a jawbone problem or a result of habits like abnormal tongue thrusting and thumb sucking.
Orthodontic treatment options include clear aligners and dental braces. Severe cases of this condition may even require orthognathic surgery.
If you want to know more about orthodontics or to book a consultation, call us on (02) 9774 4662.
Brite Dental is located at 62 Anderson Avenue, Panania, NSW 2213.
