What Makes a ‘Specialist Orthodontist’
It's well-known that an orthodontist can help with teeth alignment in ways that some dentists cannot. However, what is it that sets them apart from a regular dental practitioner?
For someone to become a Specialist Orthodontist, they would first need to become a dentist. This means they would need to obtain a dental degree. This can take up to 5 years, followed by another 1 or 2 years of training at the postgraduate level.
- Moving tooth decay
- Performing surgery on gums
- Repairing damaged/fractured teeth
- Filling cavities
- Teeth whitening
- Taking X-rays
They also offer advice so that you can continue to keep your teeth clean and look after your gums to avoid diseases and complications.
Although a lot of dentists remain as general dental practitioners, providing regular dental treatment, some choose to study even deeper and specialise in a particular field of dentistry such as orthodontics. This means more years are spent in orthodontic training, studying subjects related to teeth such as dental materials and paediatric dentistry. At the end of this training, they are required to sit an exam from the Royal College of Surgeons. After passing this exam, they can then be registered as specialist with the General Dental Council (GDC).
Whereas dentists focus on oral health, orthodontists specialise in straightening teeth, and the treatment of problems with jaw position and the misalignment of your teeth, and also your ‘bite’, which is the method in which your teeth fit together when closed. Using up-to-date technologies and the experience of many years working with teeth, they can offer you the most effective and up-to-date- measures needed to fix the myriad of problems that can occur in the mouth.
What Can Cause Orthodontic Problems?
Many problems can occur with our teeth, this can lower self-esteem, and alter first impressions, this can cause us to feel sheepish in the situations where our teeth are expected to be on show. But how do these problems appear in the first place?Issues with our teeth can come from a majority of sources such as:
- Dental diseases
- Accidents
- Losing baby teeth prematurely
- Inherited Jaw problems from parents
Although we can’t always help what happens to our mouths, it can only be reassuring to know that orthodontists are trained in practices that improve tooth alignment and help to solve the many problems that can occur.
What Problems Can a Specialist Orthodontist Help Remedy?
There is a vast array of treatment options available for realigning teeth, each with their own strong and weak points. Specialist orthodontic treatment goes beyond regular treatment, taking into account multiple of your smile and bite, and how best to achieve the desired result. Here are a few solutions that are available:Traditional Fixed Braces
One of the most recognised form of braces that can help to guide teeth into alignment using metal brackets and wires. These are ideal for crowded teeth, or teeth that cross over. These braces can also come with elastic bands which assist in aligning your bite.
Ceramic Braces
These are similar to traditional braces, the main difference being that they come with either clear or tooth-coloured braces to mask them from sight and blend with the colour of your teeth. Perfect for those who would prefer for the braces to be less visible.Lingual Braces
These can also be compared to the traditional metal brackets; however, they reside behind your teeth as opposed to being in front.
Plastic Aligners
Removable, clear, plastic aligners are an advanced form of braces in which our specialist orthodontist creates slight changes in the tooth mould overtime to help align teeth. This modern treatment consists of a series of aligners to achieve the desired result. Invisalign braces are one of our most popular treatment options, and is suitable for resolving a large number of different orthodontic problems.Lip and Cheek Bumpers
For patients whose lips add too much force on their teeth, lip and cheek bumpers help separating the lips and/or cheeks away from the teeth, by reducing the pressure which can typically boost the quality of life.Retainers
Retainers are a removable plate that is kept at the roof of the mouth and has the purpose of keeping your teeth from moving back to their original position after treatment. These are usually worn at night and are a common item of use after orthodontic treatment.What Happens at my First Appointment With a Specialist Orthodontist?
Before you take the plunge to have your teeth's alignment corrected by a specialist orthodontist, you may be wondering what’ll happen when you first go to an appointment. Before visiting a specialist, you should ensure they are registered on the GDC specialist lists.After you’ve acquainted yourself with the orthodontist, they will usually take a set of photos of your teeth, mouth and/or jaw. This is don’t so that they can fully assess your teeth and show you the areas where work is needed. X-rays are also taken to give the orthodontist information on how your jaw is aligning, and if there any treatable problems.
At this point, you and the orthodontist will discuss any misalignment problems with your teeth, along with your desired results after treatment. The orthodontist will then go over your treatment plan, covering things such as what you should expect to happen, how long it should take to happen, and also discuss when you need to return for adjustments to be made, or when to switch aligners, and also to make sure that the treatment itself is working effectively.
When you are happy with the treatment plan, your orthodontist will take impressions of your teeth, which are used to create your aligners. Once these have been created, you can start your treatment process.
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