Most of us see the standard 6-monthly dental check-up as just part of our routines and perhaps the occasional scale and polish, but when might you see our orthodontist Hampshire? And how are they supposed to help? Is there really a difference between your local dentist and your orthodontist?
There is quite an overlap between dentists and orthodontists; they are both fully qualified dentists, but not all dentists can call themselves an orthodontist. There are additional training and qualifications in order to practise under the title of orthodontist.
Noticing an orthodontic issue is probably going to be the reason why you're referred to our orthodontist Hampshire from one of the dentists in our area. This can occur at any age, but orthodontic problems are usually spotted in most people when they are a child and their adult teeth are coming in. This is why many people associate the wearing of braces with children and young adults. This specialisation in our team allows you to get the best quality care from our clinic, without having to travel to a hospital or a specialist surgery.
What treatments do orthodontists provide?
The role of an orthodontist is to rearrange otherwise healthy teeth that may be misaligned, or due to some other reason, not forming a consistent and closed bite. This is an example of how a healthy tooth in the right location is capable of performing its role in helping you eat and talk, and that conversely not having it correctly aligned can be problematic.
Treatment is carried out with a set of orthodontic tools and the fundamentals of orthodontics relies on the flexibility of teeth. It may not be obvious to know that in day-to-day lives teeth are mobile, but with consistent pressure, their location can be altered. It is the job of orthodontic tools to provide that consistent pressure, and it is the role of the orthodontist to ensure those tools are used to the patient’s benefit.
Booking an appointment with an orthodontist
In some cases, patients may be very aware that their teeth are misaligned and this is causing an issue.Such patients are often able to directly book an appointment with an orthodontist or brace specialist. But this is more of the exception than the rule, as the vast majority of patients who see our orthodontists have actually seen our dentist first and have been advised to wear a brace or aligner.
Some patients will seek out our orthodontist Hampshire after seeing adverts for orthodontic treatment like clear aligners on the internet, and are curious to see if they would be suitable for them and are provided in the surgery. We do provide the aligners, but require an in-person assessment and a thorough check-up before being able to comment on their suitability for your case or if they are required at all.
We do not endorse the use of online services or orthodontic services provided via phone apps. as the aligners we use are only provided under the guidance of our qualified orthodontist.