Orthodontist:Newest Techniques for a Winning Smile at Any Age

Parents are advised to have their children's teeth looked at as soon as possible. According to the orthodontist, by the time they turn seven years old, they can determine if treatment will be necessary because they can compare the teeth coming in, the jaw and bite.

This is basically what the orthodontist does. He works on the relationships and alignment of the teeth, jaws, and the bite. They fix the misalignment’s and any gaps that may be present. In the past, the most popular method for doing this was by placing braces as the tensional forces to help the teeth get into a better position over time. The idea of braces in the mouth caused some people, including parents, concern. Some did not always follow up because of the the thought of having to keep these in the mouth for so long. Today, braces have improved dramatically and are no longer the only option.

When a child has been going for regular check ups the dentist can follow the progress of what is going on in the mouth. The orthodontist can start to make preparations if it is obvious that the child will need more treatments done soon. They will know this even before their own parents because the dentist will normally take x rays so that they will have all of the information they need to diagnose properly. Radiation is used for x ray purposes but they use the lowest dose of radiation possible, an ultra low dose digital imaging.

The orthodontist is famous for the use of devices that will put the constant pressure on the teeth to move. Every situation is different but all of them should result with a happy smile and perfect bite. The traditional braces have been improved upon somewhat but are still very cumbersome because in the past having the metals inside the mouth cause cuts on the cheek areas as well as much pain when the metals were twisted and adjusted.

Today, orthodontists have developed techniques that do not require metal for braces. They can now be specifically glued directly on to the teeth and then adjusted. Whatever the treatment required, it most likely could have been less severe if the first visit was at an early age such as the suggested seven years. This is strongly recommended because the dentist can still locate the problems even if some of the baby teeth are still there.

If it is obvious that there will be crowding issues, the dentist can space the teeth and even widen the palate so the new adult teeth coming in will have the necessary space. There are other devices that they can use to help lessen the time the child may need to have braces in the future. Because of the early intervention, the patient can avoid having a permanent tooth extracted in order to make more room. This could be prevented by starting check ups at an early age.