Orthodontics Ireland focus

Orthodontics Ireland focuses on the area of dentistry that corrects teeth and jaws that are mis-aligned. When you have crooked teeth that do not fit together as they should they are much harder to keep clean which can lead to tooth decay which can lead to loss of teeth.

You can also cause stresses on your jaw when chewing which in turn can lead the headaches and other neck, shoulder and back pain. Simply put, crooked teeth are misaligned and will detract from your appearance as well as lead to oral problems.

The people who work on correcting these issues are called orthodontists which are dentist who have extended their education by several years beyond dental school to become approved by the Irish Dental Council as specialists in orthodontic treatment.

Orthodontic Treatment – is it something I require?

With a Free Consultation with one of Orthodontics Irelands specialists they will be able to determine whether this type of treatment will be of benefit to you.

These conclusions will be based on the use of diagnostic tools that will include a full medical and dental health history, a a full clinic examination, the taking of plaster models of your teeth and CT Scan x-rays to determine interior bone structure which will enable a correct diagnosis to be created.

Once this diagnosis has been achieved a full Orthodontic Treatment Plan will be provided in writing for you to read and digest.

Should you recognize any of the following issues you may well be a candidate for treatment:

• Overbite – also known as having ‘buck teeth’ or ‘bugs bunny teeth’ which is where your upper front teeth extend too far out over your lower teeth.
• Underbite – known to people as having a ‘bulldog’ look which occurs when your lower teeth extend too far forward or your upper teeth are pulled too far back.
• Crossbite – this is caused by the upper teeth not coming down correctly slightly over the lower teeth when you are biting down normally.
• Open Bite – this is a situation in your mouth when there is space between the biting surfaces on your front and/or your side teeth which occurs when the back teeth are biting together.
• Misplaced Midline – this is an ‘off centre’ look in your mouth when the centre of your upper front teeth do not line up correctly with your centre lower teeth.
• Spacing – this when your teeth contain gaps or spaces which could be the result of missing teeth or teeth that do not fill your smile correctly.
• Crowding – this is when your mouth and smile contain too many teeth for the dental ridge of your mouth to accommodate.

So what actually happens with Orthodontic Treatment?

There are more than one type of appliance which can be used to correct your teeth issues, there are fixed and removable braces, which will can be utilized to move teeth, retrain your mouth muscles and affect the growth of your jaw.

All of the appliances work in a similar fashion, applying gentle pressure on both the teeth and the jaws, and depending on the severity of your oral issue will be the determining factor on which orthodontic appliance will be most suitable for your needs.

Let us examine what ‘fixed’ appliances are:

• Braces – these are the most frequently used fixed appliances and they consist of bands, wires and brackets. The ‘bands’ are placed around the teeth or tooth which will then be used as anchors for the fixed appliance in conjunction with the ‘brackets’ which are more often than not bonded to the front of each of your teeth. Once they are in place an ‘arch wire’ will be passed through the brackets situated on your teeth and attached to the bands. Once this is all in place the arch wires will be tightened which will in turn place tension on the teeth in a gentle form which will gradually move the misaligned teeth into their correct position. It will be a monthly visit to the specialist for the braces to be adjusted to make sure we achieve the desired results, this period of time will depend on your particular case but times lines of several months to up to twenty four months will be the range of time. With the ongoing development in this field todays braces are smaller, lighter and show far less metal than have been previously supplied. We can even introduce e multi colored braces for children so they seem fun but more adults opt for the coloured braces.
• Special Fixed Appliances – these type of ortho appliances are usually used to control thumb sucking or tongue thrusting, these specialist appliances are attached to the child teeth with bands, and as they are extremely uncomfortable during eating they are truly a last resort option
• Fixed Space Maintainers – when you lose a baby too early the use of a space maintainer can be used to keep the space available until the permanent tooth comes through. A band will be attached to the tooth adjoining the empty space and a wire will be extended to the tooth on the other side of the space.

Let’s look at ‘Removable’ appliances which may be suitable for you:

• Aligners – this is one alternative to traditional braces, and they are also referred to as ‘serial aligners’ which are proving popular with patients and more orthodontists are providing them. The big difference is that the aligners are virtually invisible as there are no wires or brackets, you remove them when eating, brushing your teeth and flossing them.
• Removable Space Maintainers – this appliance will provide the same functionality as the fixed space maintainers, the difference is that they are created from an acrylic base that fits over the jaw and will contain wires to keep the space open between the teeth.
• Jaw Re-Aligning Appliances – these are more commonly known as ‘splints’ which can be worn on either the upper or lower jaw which will help re-train the jaw to align itself in a more favourable position. This is commonly done when a patient has temporomandiblular join disorders (TMJ).
• Lip/Cheek Bumpers – when a patient has cheeks that are exerting too much pressure on the patients teeth these ‘bumper’ have been designed to help minimize the pressure being exerted and stabilize the teeth.
• Palatal Expander – when the upper jaw needs the arch widening this type of appliance will be used. It consists of a plastic plate that will fit over the roof of the mouth, when attached by screws the plate will apply pressure on the joints of the bone to extend the palate in a lengthwise manner thus increasing the width of the palatal area.
• Removable Retainers – this appliance will be worn on the roof of the patients mouth and their role is to prevent the shifting of teeth to their previous position. This appliance can also be used for patients who want to prevent thumb sucking which cause damage to the teeth as well.
• HeadWear – this is by far the most obvious appliance which is utilized when the growth of the upper jaw needs to be retarded and holds the back teeth where they are currently situated while the front tooth are re-aligned into the correct position.

Teenage Oral Health Care

Teenagers have lots of things to worry about and some of which such as braces, facial appearance and bad breath are at the top of their list as they merge from childhood to adulthood. By staring a healthy teeth and gums programme from a young age is the best way to help your children be prepared to enjoy a nice smile and healthy teeth.

Common Issues for Teens from Oral Care

When you become a teenager there are certain issues which hove into view from the horizon, braces, wisdom teeth removal and bad breath. This is part of growing up but there is proactive steps you can take with your dentist to minimize the impact on your life.

Let’s look at the most common teenage issues:

• Bad Breath – this is caused primarily by bacteria that form on your tongue. Simple changes in your oral hygiene program can definitely freshen up your breath by simply brushing your tongue as well as your teeth and gums. Regular checkups with your dentist help as well to keep bad breath at bay.
• Whitening Options – By brushing your teeth twice a day with whitening toothpastes, using mouthwash and the correct toothbrush your teeth will be white and healthy.
• Smoking – just don’t do it. You know the damage it causes.
• Oral Piercings – again just don’t do it. This is one of the largest causes of damage to your teeth, lips, cheeks and uvula. People swallow their jewellery, find their speech impaired and fracture teeth with these fashion items.

Yes when you are moving into teenage years there is lots of changes but don’t forget that not looking after your oral health is the worst change to make.
Brush, Floss, Rinse and SMILE like you mean it!