How Does Orthodontic Treatment Work?
Orthodontics is an aesthetic dental procedure that can properly align the crooked and crowded teeth, thus, making sure that your smile is always as charming as you truly are. But still, there is so much more to learn about orthodontic treatment near Tarneit before going for the treatment. Let us understand the process in detail.
What do we mean by orthodontic phases?
The orthodontic process is the set of dental movements that are performed to improve the aesthetics, function and chewing of your mouth.
It is divided into several stages until the desired smile is achieved.
What are the stages of orthodontic treatment near Tarneit?
In total, orthodontic treatment has 7 phases: a zero phase in which a study is conducted and another 6 phases of active orthodontics when the steps of the treatment are performed one by one.
Zero phase, the orthodontic study:
The first thing to prepare is an orthodontic study to determine the precise diagnosis and to be able to develop a precise treatment plan. It is essential that professionals have good planning so that the patients obtain the desired results based on their own oral needs.
To do this, the orthodontist will perform a series of steps:
- Case evaluation: The orthodontist determines the oral problems that the patient may have by observing different aspects, such as bite, jaw, midline and as such.
- X – rays: The X-ray projection of the sides of the skull in a panoramic view can help to see if there are infections, the state of the roots and absence of molars, among other things.
- Extraoral and intraoral photographs: They might be useful to analyse facial symmetry and dental malpositions, among others. These images also help the patient to obtain a comparison between their dental aesthetics before and after treatment.
- Study models: It is very important that the orthodontist has a sample from the patient’s mouth.
This recreation can be more traditional, that is, be made of a material called alginate and plaster. However, thanks to the boon of technology, in many places, it is no longer necessary to make these uncomfortable moulds, but the professionals use a 3D intraoral scanner that provides a virtual sample.
After having planned the treatment, it is imminent to approach the treatment process correctly to achieve the most satisfactory results, be it using the metal braces or invisible orthodontics. This is what is known as the active phase of the orthodontic treatment near Tarneit, which is explained elaborately below.
Active phases:
- Alignment and levelling:
The objective of this phase is to modify vertical discrepancies and dental crowding, for which light forces are used. Likewise, in this phase, the actions aimed at correcting the dental crossbite and pulling the teeth that have not erupted are also carried out, in case the person needs it. This stage usually lasts 6 to 8 months and after its completion, the arches will be levelled and the teeth will be in line.
- Bite correction and molar relationship:
In this step, the occlusion or bite is corrected, and the teeth begin to fit in their correct position in the anteroposterior and vertical direction. Sometimes, it is necessary to use elastics (or rubber bands) as external forces to help us correct the bite.
- Eliminating gaps:
This is the next phase of the orthodontic treatment near Tarneit in which the spaces between the teeth must be closed once everything is aligned and placed.
- Finishing:
At the beginning of this period, the teeth should be aligned, the closed spaces and the bite must have a correct relationship. In this phase, small adjustments to improve the dental position will be made:
- Match the roots and check that all are parallel.
- Adapt individual dental positions (small modifications or rotations that may remain).
- Correct possible midline discrepancies so that the upper and lower match.
- Perform the final settlement of the denture.
- Removal of devices:
Once the orthodontist considers that all the objectives have been achieved, the apparatus is removed from the patient’s mouth and thus proceed to the retention phase. At this point, the teeth are aligned, there are no spaces between them and the bite is corrected.
- Retention stage:
It is a very important phase as it will help in maintaining the achieved results. The teeth will tend to return to their previous position. In order to prevent that from happening, the professional will put retainers in the upper and lower arch. As a general rule, the dentist recommends that the splint be worn throughout the day, and only for the nights spent a few months after orthodontic treatment.