Orthodontics

Orthodontics is a concern of the Department of Dental Services at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Navi Mumbai. It is concerned with correcting improperly positioned teeth and jaws. Keeping crooked and malformed teeth clean is very challenging. Due to tooth decay and periodontal diseases, they are at risk of being lost early. The extra stress they induce on the chewing muscles leads to TMJ syndrome, headaches, and shoulder and back pain.

Orthodontic treatment ensures you get a more appealing and healthier smile and teeth that last a lifetime. An orthodontist is a medical professional specialised in orthodontic treatment. Using the information from your dental history and examination, diagnostic procedures, and special X-rays and photographs, he determines whether you require orthodontic treatment and what treatment plan is best suited for you.

You may require orthodontic treatment in case you have overbite, underbite, crossbite, open bite, misplaced midline, gaps or spaces between the teeth, or tooth crowding. Various dental devices and appliances are used to restrain muscles, help the teeth move gradually, and affect jaw growth. These devices function by applying gentle pressure over the teeth and jaw. The severity of your problem determines the orthodontic treatment recommended for you.

Orthodontic appliances may be fixed or removable. Fixed orthodontic appliances include braces, fixed space maintainers, and special fixed appliances. Removable orthodontic appliances include aligners, removable space maintainers, jaw repositioning appliances, lip and cheek bumpers, palatal expanders, removable retainers, and headgear. Of these, braces are the commonest ones. Braces consist of bands that are fixed around the teeth and serve as anchors and brackets that are fixed to the front surface of the teeth. They put pressure on the teeth and move those to their proper position over a period of time.