Orthodontics

There are different good, biological ways to correct dislocated (“crooked”) teeth, and they all come together under the field of orthodontic treatments. These include braces (teenagers and adults), removable plates (mostly for the early treatment in children), or lately aligner splints (mostly adults). In its idea, all forms of orthodontic treatment set guided forces to move the teeth in the wanted direction.

A possible disadvantage with having orthodontic treatment is the time factor. In general, one can say that the more dislocated the teeth are, the longer time is needed to properly align the teeth. Also, in general, orthodontic treatment takes somewhat longer in adults, because the jaw bone is harder (more mineralized).

Although today it is much more common to see adults with braces, there are still those who hesitate for pure aesthetic reasons. If that is the case, there is the possibility to use ceramic brackets. Also, the white covered wires can be used. They tend to lose their white covering though after some time.

For those who would like to have an orthodontic treatment but would not consider anymore wearing conventional braces, there is a possibility to use aligners (aligner splints). These are plastic, transparent splints, that can be used to solve many of the orthodontic cases, especially the 

Once it has been decided that you are a candidate for the Invisalign® system, a very exact impression is taken of each jaw. From the resulting models, a computer program produces a series of so called aligners, made of very thin but stiff, transparent plastic. These aligners fit snugly over your teeth and are comfortable. The number of aligners could be as many as 20-35 for each jaw. Each aligner moves the teeth little by little. Normally, each aligner is used for two weeks, after which the next aligner in the series is used. The aligners have to be used day and night, except when eating and when the teeth are being cleaned. During the treatment, you will notice a gradual movement of your teeth until an even and healthy smile has been achieved. A drawback with Invisalign® is that it cannot be used in more complex Orthodontic cases.