Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry aimed at correcting defects in the positioning of the teeth and the relations between the jaws. Excess crowding or spacing, tilted teeth or teeth outside the jaw arches and improper occlusal (bite) relations between the jaws all affect esthetics and normal functioning. The correction of such defects helps improve esthetics and confidence and restore normal functioning.
It is worth starting orthodontic care before all the milk teeth have dropped out, thus sparing the patient of various orthodontic problems that develop during their shedding. Early identification of pathological developmental conditions requires intervention at a relatively young age to reduce the problem, or even eliminate it altogether long before the milk teeth drop out. However, as already mentioned, orthodontic care can be done at any age, both for a 12-year-old child and his 60-year-old grandmother.
Orthodontic care does deal with the problem of straightening out teeth, but at the same time it provides a solution to a wide range of other esthetic and medical problems, including: changes in the jaw structure, front or rear crossbite, and functional and esthetic defects.
A routine examination for evaluation of the child’s dental state helps significantly reduce tooth disorders to which he may be exposed at a later age. However, if the defects are not corrected in childhood, some may be corrected at a later age (except for the effect on bone growth).
