The ideal age to have orthodontic treatment is around 12 or 13, while you're still growing. The opportunity for improvement in an adult is more limited and surgery is more likely to be needed.
Treatment usually lasts from 18 months to 2 years, during which visits to Portman Dental & Implant Clinic are needed every 4 to 6 weeks.
The ideal age to have orthodontic treatment is around 12 or 13, while you're still growing. The opportunity for improvement in an adult is more limited and surgery is more likely to be needed.
Treatment usually lasts from 18 months to 2 years, during which visits to Portman Dental & Implant Clinic are needed every 4 to 6 weeks.
Orthodontics is the area of dentistry concerned with the growth of the teeth, jaws and face.
The purpose of orthodontic treatment is to make the best of your teeth. This includes allowing you to bite correctly, eat more comfortably, and to care for your teeth and gums more easily. And your smile will benefit, too. Common conditions requiring orthodontic treatment are:
There are many different types of braces. Some are removable, which you take out at night, to eat a meal, or clean. Some are fixed and stay in all the time. NHS braces are made of metal, but at Portman Dental & Implant Clinic we offer clear braces for private treatments- which use clear ceramic brackets, so you can hardly see them on your teeth.
Following completion of your course of treatment, you will be required to wear a retainer for a number of hours a day or at night, to ensure your teeth remain in their new position. Your Portman Dental & Implant Clinic dentist will advise you of how long you need to wear your retainer for on completion of your treatment.
Orthodontics usually works very well, but it's important to look after your teeth while you're wearing braces. Braces can trap food and cause more plaque to build up than usual.
You need to take extra care cleaning your teeth and watch what you eat – for example, by avoiding sugary foods and drinks. You also need to see your dentist regularly while having orthodontic treatment.
Read more about looking after your teeth while wearing braces.
Orthodontics usually works very well, but it's important to look after your teeth while you're wearing braces. Braces can trap food and cause more plaque to build up than usual.
You need to take extra care cleaning your teeth and watch what you eat – for example, by avoiding sugary foods and drinks. You also need to see your dentist regularly while having orthodontic treatment.
Read more about looking after your teeth while wearing braces.
Hidden braces sit on the inside of your teeth. Their positioning means you can't see them from the front of your teeth.
Retainers are used to ensure your teeth remain straight once you've had a course of straightening treatment, and can be either fixed or removable. Your orthodontist can advise which will be best for you.
Retainers are used to ensure your teeth remain straight once you've had a course of straightening treatment, and can be either fixed or removable. Your orthodontist can advise which will be best for you.
Hidden braces sit on the inside of your teeth. Their positioning means you can't see them from the front of your teeth.
Orthodontics
Who can benefit from orthodontic treatment?
At Portman, we have treated thousands of patients, aged from eight to 88 years old. There is never a point in life where we cannot move healthy crooked teeth into their ideal positions.
Orthodontics
Why are my teeth not straight?
There are many causes of overcrowding, gaps and crooked teeth. For some people it can be inherited or possibly acquired, either due to a habit (sucking of the thumb, prolonged use of a dummy), or because of the premature loss of milk teeth or adult teeth.
Orthodontics
What can be treated?
Orthodontic treatments have evolved enormously over the last 20 years. Now problems such as gaps between the teeth, crowded teeth, overbite (upper teeth covering the majority of the lower ones), open bite (upper and lower teeth almost don’t touch) and cross bites can all be treated.
Orthodontics
What will the impact of orthodontic treatment be?
Orthodontic problems can have a profound impact on a person and their social and professional life. Depending on the extent of a problem, you might even be too self-conscious to smile. Effective orthodontic treatment not only improves your appearance, but also goes a long way to improving your self-confidence.
Orthodontics
Should teeth be straightened for health reasons?
The correction of poor dental positioning also improves oral hygiene, as crowded or crooked teeth are often hard to clean properly. With such an improvement, the risk of gum disease for example – which can result in loss of teeth in extreme cases – is prevented.
Orthodontics
What other benefits does teeth straightening offer?
Orthodontic treatment improves chewing efficiency by re-establishing the correct relationship between lower and upper teeth, removing the difficulty you may have when chewing certain kinds of food, and so providing better nutrition.
In some cases, orthodontics can also prevent complications in the temporomandibular joint (the joint which joins the jaw to the skull). Chronic pain in the head, face, neck or ears, as well as dizziness, nausea and restricted ability to open and close the mouth can originate here.
If you're ready to book a consultation, get in touch today.
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