The core of all orthodontist Hampshire treatment is that tooth position can be reordered through the application of consistent pressure in the desired direction. So, in short, during orthodontic treatment your teeth’s positions will be altered through them being pushed on until they move into their new locations. Then the teeth will be immobilised in their new positions by a retainer until they become ‘set’ or fixed in place.
Why are orthodontics performed?
Bites are important and to somebody who has never suffered with misaligned teeth, it may not be obvious, but overcrowded or crooked teeth impact dramatically on the way we eat, perhaps forcing eating to occur on a different side of the mouth causing inconsistency. This can lead to changing food choices significantly, having to avoid a ham sandwich because a non-meeting bite will leave the ham behind giving you only a mouthful of bread!
Crowded teeth can be very painful due to the lack of room and have to be shunted along as new ones erupt. Along with this is the challenge of cleaning and flossing crowded teeth, in some cases making cavities unavoidable.
Tooth position also has a significant effect on the way we pronounce certain words; this is particularly true with the ‘th’ sounds which rely on closed front teeth in order to prevent a whistle. This is associated with children who have recently lost their baby front teeth, but will occur throughout life in those who have misaligned teeth with a substantial gap.
Am I too old to receive orthodontic treatment?
Age is not considered a defining factor in whether orthodontic treatment with our orthodontist Hampshire is appropriate or not. You do require all of your adult teeth and if it is likely that your jaw will grow or change for any reason, it would be best to suspend orthodontic treatment until you have finished all of your growth spurts. Assuming you are healthy, there is no upper age limit to receiving orthodontic treatment. It would be inappropriate though to engage in orthodontics if your teeth are damaged or in some way structurally compromised, as the forces that will be put on them in order to alter their position could break or crack fragile teeth. Braces are also challenging to clean and if you already have cavities it would not be wise to place braces over them until they are treated.
Orthodontic treatment is associated with teenagers and young adults due to the age-related funding structure of the NHS and is not due to the clinical limitations of age and the effectiveness of orthodontic treatment.
Do I need to have teeth taken out to have a brace fitted?
This is a common misunderstanding. Teeth are removed as part of orthodontics in order to make room in an otherwise crowded mouth and then rearrange the remaining teeth, not to make room for the brace itself.
Each patient's journey with our orthodontist Hampshire is quite different, based on their needs and which treatment options they wish to pursue. It is therefore unfair to make a broad generalisation and teeth may or may not need to be removed depending on your specific dental needs.