Braces
What are Dental Braces?
Dental braces are devices that orthodontists prescribe for dealing with situations requiring straightening or re-aligning of teeth. The objective of dental braces is therefore not only to help align teeth in relation to a patient’s “bite”, but to also address issues related to improved oral care.
The most common usage of dental braces are to rectify conditions such as Malocclusion(misalignment between the teeth), or Deep bites, Under bites and Over bites (as a result of misalignment between the lower/upper jaws).
In conjunction with other potential treatments, dentists or orthodontists may use appliances (such as dental braces) to widen jaws or the palate to help shape teeth and jaws.
When should I bring my kids to have a consultation about orthodontic treatment?
Generally, for kids with bite issues (overbite, under bite, deep bite etc.), the treatment will be much easier if we start early.
The early orthodontic treatment (before loss of all baby teeth) is called interceptive orthodontic treatment and it focuses on correcting poorly coordinated bites, which usually requires jaw surgery or at least teeth taken out during adolescent orthodontic treatment if left untreated at a younger age.
To be safe, the first orthodontic consultation should be before the age of eight to identify any unbalanced bite or jaw discrepancy. If the bite is satisfactory, the orthodontic treatment can start after a patient gets their full set of adult teeth, usually at age of 11-12.
Disclaimer: Information on this page is adapted from the Australian Dental Association Inc.
Medical and Detnal conditions are complex, you should not rely on information provided here for self-diagnosis and treatment/prescription