Count on Specialist Orthodontists to Help You Smile with Confidence

Being born with a perfect set of teeth is no less than a blessing, but for those who are not so fortunate, getting that perfect smile is possible, thanks to orthodontists. Orthodontics is the discipline of dentistry that deals in the study, diagnosis and treatment of tooth irregularities and disproportionate jaw relationships resulting from malocclusions.

What are malocclusions?

Occlusions refer to the alignment of teeth and malocclusions refer to the misalignment. Ideally, the upper jaw and lower jaw should be so aligned that the upper and lower teeth fit together with little or no overlapping. A bite is used to denote the way in which the upper and lower teeth are aligned with respect to each other. Overbite is used to describe the condition of misalignment in which the upper jaw significantly overlaps the lower jaw, when the opposite happens the term underbite is used.

Depending on the alignment of the upper and lower jaws Malocclusions can be classified into three types.

Class I malocclusio

The most common type of malocclusion, in this type the lower teeth are overlapped by the upper teeth, however the overlapping is not very severe. Although, the alignment is nearly perfect, there may be problems of spacing, crowding, over or under eruption, etc.

Class II malocclusio

Also known as retrognathism and overbite, it results when the upper teeth and jaw severely overlap the lower teeth and bottom jaw.

Class III malocclusio

In this particular malocclusion, the lower jaw juts forward and severely overlaps the upper jaw. It is also known as prognathism or underbite.

Apart from this, crowding of teeth is a type of malocclusion in which presence of extra teeth or absence of one causes the teeth to erupt in a crowded fashion. Childhood habits of thumb sucking may also play a major role in the development of this type of malocclusion.

Malocclusions are often the result of heredity. Sometimes accidents that cause jaw injuries may also lead to malocclusions. If malocclusions are left untreated they may cause speech impairments, gum diseases and bone loss, discomfort in eating food, injuries to protruding incisors, adverse effect on development of the facial structure and appearance. It is therefore, advisable to correct misalignment early as children in the age group of 5 to 14 years do not require extensive treatment. The duration of treatment largely depends on the stage of development, severity and the condition of the teeth and supporting bones.

Modern orthodontic procedures mostly involve placing metal wires into brackets to realign the teeth and refine occlusion. Orthodontic appliances used for the treatment include Headgear, which are attached to braces and used to apply pressure on the upper teeth and jaw, Herbst appliances and jaw expansion devices.

There are several orthodontists in Richmond. At Quadrant Orthodontics, we aim to provide the best in class orthodontic treatment to all our patients. Our team of well qualified and experienced specialist orthodontists can help you get the perfect smile. They rely only on tried-and-tested modern orthodontic procedures and use orthodontic appliances of the finest quality, thus ensuring the best results for every patient.