During the transformation from childhood to adulthood, the teenagers have to go through a lot of changes. There are also many dental problems that they have to face. They face issues of bad breath, facial appearance, third molars, and braces. A lot of difficulties can be avoided by taking the good of the teeth from a very young age and maintaining a beautiful smile for a lifetime.
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| Orthodontics |
Here are a few things that could be bothering your teen and should be discussed:
- Whitening: Dirty teeth can be a reason for self-consciousness in my teens. Teeth whitening can be done using toothpaste, mouth rinses or can be done by the dentist in their office.
- Bad breath: It is also known as halitosis. It is caused due to many reasons but mainly due to the accumulation of bacteria on the tongue. Change in the oral hygiene measures and visiting the dentist periodically, can help them to a great extent.
- Smoking: Smoking or any other form of tobacco use can cause problems like bad breath, tooth discoloration, gum problems or even cancer. Smoking is a practice that should be kicked sooner than later.
- Piercings: Teenagers tend to experiment with piercings in the tongue, cheek, lips and even uvula which can adversely affect their oral health. Problems like swallowing or aspiration of the jewelry, impairment of speech and fracture of teeth can occur.
- The most common problem is crowding of teeth or unaligned teeth and can be solved with an orthodontic branch of dentistry.
Why orthodontics?
Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry recognized by the American Dental Association which specializes in correction of improperly positioned teeth and jaws. Crooked teeth can lead to many other problems like tooth decay and gum diseases as they can cause improper cleaning due to their shape. The irregular shape of teeth also causes stress on the muscles that help in chewing causing pain in the head, TMJ, shoulder, and neck.
A specialist, called an orthodontist that specializes in the orthodontics after completing dental school can do orthodontic treatment. An orthodontist will make sure you have a good bite and beautiful looking smile.
Are you a candidate for orthodontic treatment?
It can only be decided by an orthodontist if you need an orthodontic treatment or not. They make their treatment plan according to the diagnosis. The diagnostic tools used are:
- Patient’s medical and dental history
- Clinical examination
- Plaster models of teeth
- X-rays
- Dental photograph
Dental Implants Dallas professional, Dr. Cory Nguyen, recommends that it is essential to identify if you could be an orthodontic patient and contact your orthodontist to have a beautiful smile. If you have any of the following problems it could indicate that you are an orthodontic patient:
- Overbite: Patients with overbite have their upper teeth lying little or too forward than the lower teeth. They are commonly known as ‘buck teeth.'
- Underbite: Unlike overbite, the lower teeth, in this case, are extended in the front or the upper teeth and too far back.
- Crossbite: In this case, the upper teeth rather than falling slightly in front of the lower teeth are placed edge to edge with it.
- Open bite: There is the presence of space between the two front teeth.
- Midline misplacement: In this type, the midline of the upper two teeth don't line with the midline of the lower teeth.
- The spacing of teeth: Missing teeth or smaller teeth cause gaps or space in the mouth.
- Crowding: Crowding refers to the presence of more teeth than the space available to accommodate it.
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| Healthy Smile |
What options does an orthodontic treatment provide?
The orthodontic appliances can work by applying mild pressure on the teeth or jaws to change their shape and appearance. They can be either fixed or removable appliance. These are some fixed appliances:
- Braces: This a very common fixed appliance. It consists of brackets that are attached to your teeth, wires that are held by the brackets, and bands that are fixed to the back teeth for support. The tightening of wires applies pressure on the teeth that help it move into its place.
- Fixed space maintainers: It is used to maintain a space caused by the loss of a tooth in children until the eruption of its successor.
- Especially fixed appliance: They are attached to the teeth and controls thumb sucking or tongue thrusting.
- Removable appliances include:
- Aligners: They are a replacement for braces and are invisible and easy to use.
- Removable space maintainers: They are similar to the fixed ones but are easier to use.
- Removable retainers: Their primary function is to shift the teeth back into the previous position.
- Palatal expander: This appliance is placed on the roof of the mouth and expands the upper arch of the jaw.
Important Article: Get Healthy Smile
Orthodontic treatment was associated only with children in the past but is now a choice of treatments for many adults. So if you think you are in need of orthodontic treatment, contact your dentist immediately.
References:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodontics
- http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/o/orthodontics
- http://beyondsmiles.com/early-phase-1-orthodontic-appliance-treatment/
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