The easiest way to understand whether you need treatment is to see a dentist or orthodontist. If there is no orthodontist in your area, your own dentist can make the necessary diagnosis and, if necessary, refer you to the nearest orthodontist.
Remember;
If there is a forward, backward or curvature in the lower or upper jaws that causes you discomfort
If your teeth are crooked
If you have problems with your biting, tearing off food and chewing functions due to the closing of your teeth
If you have or have had long-term habits such as thumb sucking, pencil biting, nail biting, etc.
If you cannot close your lips due to curvature or forward positioning of your teeth
If you can only breathe through your mouth and your teeth do not meet each other in the front area
If any of your family members have had orthodontic problems in the past or lost their teeth at an early age
If you have missing teeth and other teeth have shifted or fallen into that space
If you cannot brush your teeth comfortably due to crowding and you suffer from gum disease.
If you have gaps between your teeth
If your baby teeth had to be extracted prematurely
If you have cleft lip and palate, syndrome or bone deformity, you may need orthodontic treatment.
Untreated disorders can cause a variety of problems.
Crooked teeth make it difficult to brush properly and use dental floss, which can cause tooth decay and gum disease.
Fractures may occur in teeth positioned forward as a result of trauma.
Closure disorders may cause asymmetric wear and breakage of teeth due to irregular jaw movements.
Cross and reverse bite teeth cause asymmetrical development of the face and aesthetic deterioration of the teeth.
Open bites cause the tongue to come out between the teeth and cause speech impairment.
Closing disorders in the jaws can lead to painful and difficult-to-treat problems in the jaw joint area over time.
Again, if the chewing function cannot be fully performed due to these closing disorders, digestive system problems may occur.
In addition, research shows that individuals with an aesthetic tooth alignment and smile, as well as a symmetrical and smooth facial structure, have more self-confidence; have shown to provide a more positive impact in school, work and social communities.
Children should meet the orthodontist around the age of 7-8. Because by this age, the first permanent molars appear and the permanent incisors take their place. Early diagnosis and timely detection of irregularities allow preventing serious problems that may occur in the future. Even if no treatment is required at these ages, the orthodontist monitors growth and development and ensures that treatment is started at the most appropriate time.
While there is no age limit for dental corrections, if there is an irregularity in the bone structure, the treatment should be performed during the growth and development period. This period is around 11-15 for girls and 13-17 for boys.
Contrary to popular belief, dental correction can be done at any age. As long as the bone and gum tissue supporting the teeth are healthy. In recent years, with the developments in orthodontics and dentistry and the elimination of age limits in treatments, various treatment methods designed for different age groups, including adults, are offered. However, anomalies involving the jawbone can only be corrected by surgery at older ages.
Naturally, the biggest concern of adults is the appearance of the devices used in treatment and the impact they may have on their social lives. This problem has been largely solved with transparent, semi-transparent and white brackets compatible with tooth color and removable transparent plaque applications used for slight tooth movements. Although advanced ages may extend the duration of treatment and make the process more difficult, it is not as important as the health of the supporting tissues of the teeth.
Irregularities between the jaws can be corrected during the growth and development period with orthopedic applications. However, this treatment also has its limits. In adult patients who have passed this limit and/or growth and development period, skeletal corrections are only possible with surgery performed together with orthodontic braces treatment in cooperation with the orthodontist and surgeon. First, with orthodontic fixed braces treatment, the teeth are positioned in their correct positions on the jaw bones. Then, surgically, the jaws are brought together and brought together in a way that is compatible with the skull base and facial structure.
Operations take place under general anesthesia. Some anomalies that are thought to require surgery can only be treated with fixed device applications, thanks to the developments in orthodontics in recent years.
After the teeth are straightened with orthodontic treatment, the tissues surrounding the teeth need time to adapt to these new positions of the teeth. Because bone tissue is not yet fully mature. Therefore, when the devices are removed, the teeth tend to return to their previous positions. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to reinforce the teeth in their new places. For this purpose, various fixed or mobile devices are used. The duration of reinforcement treatment and the type of devices used in treatment vary depending on the duration of active orthodontic treatment, the amount of tooth movement performed, the age of the patient and the type of anomaly at the beginning of the treatment.
When reinforcement devices are not installed as desired, teeth may return to their original positions. Therefore, it should not be forgotten that reinforcement devices play an important role in orthodontic treatment.
Towards the age of 20, the third molars appear and irregularities begin in the lower front teeth. In the past, it was thought that the pressure created by the eruption of these teeth caused deterioration in the front group of teeth. Today, research shows that the two events are not related. In fact, it is normal for the front teeth to become irregular with growth, regardless of whether they have wisdom teeth or not.
Removing wisdom teeth is not a routine event.
Your orthodontist can advise you about the condition of these teeth. Generally, an x-ray may be required to see all wisdom teeth.
As a general rule for wisdom teeth;
If it has fully erupted, is in a functional position, can be cleaned and is healthy, the tooth can remain.
If it is half gone and there is not enough room for it to come out completely, local gum problems begin to occur. Especially when body resistance decreases, gum infection develops intermittently. In such cases, the tooth must be extracted.
If it is impacted and does not cause any problems and does not damage other teeth, it can remain where it is. However, if it causes problems when body resistance decreases, it can be removed through surgery.
