Orthodontics

Orthodontics involves the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental and facial irregularities or malocclusion.  Children and adults of all ages can have their teeth straightened.

Sunil, our Orthodontic Specialist at LATCHFORD AND LATCHFORD will carefully carry out a full examination, together with radiographs and models as appropriate, and advise on treatment possibilities.  Here at LATCHFORD AND LATCHFORD we take a multidisciplinary approach to our cases, especially complex treatments.  Orthodontic tooth movement and alignment prior to restorative treatment often has an important role in improving the outcome.

We usually involve the use of orthodontic braces of which there are a number of different types.

FIXED BRACES:

These are the most common type of orthodontic brace.  Small brackets are bonded to each tooth and connected using a thin archwire.  The wire is held in place with small elastic rings.  This appliance cannot be removed, working full-time, and so is very effective at achieving fine detail.

The bracket can be of different materials.  Metal brackets made of stainless steel or clear brackets made of ceramic or plastic.  These can be translucent or the same colour as the teeth, making them much less noticeable than metal brackets.  They can also be placed on the inside of teeth which makes them almost invisible.

REMOVABLE BRACES:

Sometimes fixed braces are not the ideal and a removable brace has to be used.  A removable brace consists of a plastic base and custom-made metal wire components.  A removable brace simply clips onto the teeth and can be easily fitted or removed.

FUNCTIONAL/ORTHOPAEDIC BRACES:

A functional appliance is worn on both upper and lower teeth at the same time in order to correct the way upper and lower teeth fit over each other.  A functional brace may be used to correct very protruding upper or lower front teeth, improve the way molar teeth bite together, or even improve the facial profile so that the jaws look more aligned with each other when you look at the face in profile.

Functional braces only work in growing children and adolescents.  Research is still being carried out to evaluate exactly how functional braces work.  It is thought that functional braces deliver their effects through a combination of ways.  They may promote or modify growth of the jaws, adapt the soft tissues and muscles of the face to new positions, move whole groups of teeth at the same time or change the angulation of teeth.

RETAINERS:

Retainers are appliances that maintain and the alignment of your teeth after completion of active treatment.  Retainers are either removable or fixed to the inside of teeth.  These must be worn for life to prevent relapse.

INVISALIGN

A series of clear removable aligners are digitally produced and worn resulting in tooth movement.  The advantage of having this treatment carried out here at LATCHFORD AND LATCHFORD is that this is provided by a specialist orthodontist with the skills and training to recognise and quickly intervene with more complex procedures when tooth movement does not follow the computer-generated predictions.