An effective long-term solution to straightening your teeth and correcting your bite is orthodontics. Orthodontics is a subspecialty area in dentistry that focuses on aligning and straightening teeth using wires and brackets, applying gentle pressure to the teeth to move them into a particular position. The discipline has advanced over decades and today treatment is a lot faster and more comfortable than it was in the past.
We offer flexible teeth straightening solutions by specialist orthodontist so you get a smile with beautiful aesthetics and perfect function safely, with the minimum disruption to your life.
Deciding on the best treatment is about finding a balance between the most mechanically efficient technique to achieve your desired outcome and what you are comfortable tolerating from a cosmetic point of view.
Specialist orthodontists only ever work in this field and they are trained to provide in depth diagnoses and design treatments that provide the most stable long term outcomes, reducing the risk of you ever needing further corrective treatment at a later stage.
We understand that different patients have different priorities in their lives, so we focus on tailoring the treatment plan to your needs.
Our treatment payment plans follow the same flexible patient-centric principles as our treatment options, putting the very best care by a specialist orthodontist within everyone’s financial means.
There’s no need to pay up front, you can pay as you go, and we will support you long after the conclusion of your treatment too — we keep an eye on our patients for 6 months post-treatment, or longer if you would like us to.
Dental issues are usually easier to treat if they are tackled before they have fully developed. Timely intervention can resolve potential issues with the bite and remove the need for more complex treatment later in life.
We are able to monitor the course of your child’s developing bite from an early age. Looking at aspects such as jaw length and the order and position of the developing adult teeth give us an impression of how your child’s mouth will develop in the years to come.
Of course, in many cases there will be nothing to be concerned about but in others there may be early indications of future issues. These early signs might be something that we can earmark for future treatment, but in some instances developing issues can be addressed immediately.
Prior to starting treatment, all patients will have an in-depth consultation with one of our Specialist Orthodontists to ascertain which system will suit their needs and lifestyle best.
In some situations, fixed braces are not the ideal appliances to bring about the required corrective changes to the bite, and a removable brace would be more appropriate. These are essentially used to move a limited number of teeth and also for the widening of narrow jaws.
These appliances have a plastic base with hand-made wires and components that have a specific action. Some of these components are used to secure the brace to the teeth, and some are designed to move teeth.
Removable appliances are often used for children, and are comfortable to wear. Their insertion or removable does not cause any pain. Removal allows proper cleaning of the teeth.
You will be recommended this option if your orthodontist feels that this may be the best solution for you or your child.
Here at Dorset Orthodontics we recommend that children should have an orthodontic opinion at around the age of 8. Our Specialist Orthodontist can detect many developing problems at this age. There are often numerous benefits to having brace treatment before the coming through of all permanent teeth such as prevention of potential complex problems and making future treatment much more simple.
If left untreated, crooked teeth could lead to an improper bite, tooth wear, tooth injury and even tooth decay and gum disease. Crooked teeth can also lead to a decrease in one’s self-confidence. Treatment by our Specialist Orthodontist to correct the original problem is often less costly than the additional dental care required to treat more serious problems that can develop in later years. For example, we can used removable braces as expanders to widen the dental arches and create more space for future adult teeth, thus avoiding the need for extraction of permanent teeth.
Another type of removable braces are functional braces. Common problems addressed by functional braces are protruding upper or lower front teeth, lower teeth biting into the gum of the roof of the mouth, poor bite of the back teeth, or a non-idea facial appearance such as a receding lower jaw. At Dorset Orthodontics, we recognise that using functional appliances appropriately will also reduce the risk of trauma and damage to protruding upper front teeth.
This does not mean that all children need treatment at the age of 8. However, it does allow your orthodontist to determine whether your child could benefit from early intervention with simple and relatively brief cost-effective treatment.
This orthodontic system is removable, and includes braces which are worn over upper and lower teeth at the same time. It is used mainly in children and teenagers so as to correct the way the upper and lower teeth fit/bite together such that they are stable and function in the correct way. Functional braces can also align the jaws and restore facial harmony and balance.
Diagnosis is made through a thorough examination of the bite and facial structures, and the orthodontist is also aided by making measurements on and analysing a cephalometric X-ray image.
Depending on the condition of the bite, functional brace treatment starts either at an early age when milk teeth are still present (age 7-10), or around the time of the pubertal growth spurt (age 11-14) when all or nearly all the milk teeth have been shed.
Apart from the aesthetic and functional benefits already mentioned, we know that addressing protruding teeth at an early age with functional braces reduces the risk of trauma and damage to these teeth significantly.
A female patient, aged 17 years, showed a mild Class III dental bases And a Class III molars relationship with reduce overbite. There was a slight upper arch crowding, posterior open bite on left side and cross bite bilaterally.
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Saturday & Sunday 10.00 am – 5.00 pm
