Orthodontic Treatment

The first stage of any treatment is to assess the current position of your teeth and how they’re likely to change over time.

Orthodontic treatment uses appliances to correct the position of teeth.

The 4 main types are:

• fixed braces – a brace you cannot remove which is made up of brackets that are glued to the front of each tooth and linked with wires
• removable braces – usually plastic plates that cover the roof of the mouth and clip on to some teeth; these can only be used to achieve very limited tooth movements
• functional appliances – usually a pair of removable plastic braces that are joined together or designed to interact together and fit on to both the upper and lower teeth
• headgear – this is not an orthodontic appliance, but it can be used with other appliances and is usually worn at night.

In more severe cases, treatment may involve fixed braces plus surgery to move the jaw. This treatment is done in hospital.

To determine which treatment plan will be the best for you, the dentist will need first to assess you clinical situation. This assessment will be done during your first initial check-up with the dentist and might require taking X-Rays!