What Does an Orthodontist Do?

You will most likely have seen people with stylish braces and gold-plated teeth in their mouths, while you may admire such features, it is important to note that they are not only worn for aesthetic purposes but also medical reasons. These dental appliances are referred to as orthodontics, and an orthodontist is responsible for deciding whether you or your child needs them. Below are some answers to the question, “What does an orthodontist do?”
What Does an Orthodontist Do?
An orthodontist determines whether you or your child requires orthodontics by looking at your overall medical history and your dental health history. An orthodontist prepares a treatment plan to fit your dental health problem, which may include orthodontics.
You may require orthodontics if you have the following problems:
• Underbite: this is when your lower front teeth stick out in front of your upper teeth.
• Overbite: this is when your upper teeth stick out in front of your lower front teeth.
• Open bite: this is where the biting surfaces of your front and/or middle teeth leave spaces when your back teeth are together in a bite.
• Crossbite: this is where your front teeth fail to come down slightly over your lower teeth in a normal bite.
• Spacing: this is where there are gaps between teeth either from missing teeth or existing teeth fail to fill the mouth.
• Crowding: this is where the number of teeth is not accommodated by the dental ridge in your mouth.
If you or your child have any of these conditions, your treatment plan may include removable or fixed appliances.
Fixed appliances include:
• Appliances to maintain spaces between teeth in children when milk teeth fall out too early.
• Appliances to control behaviors such as thumb sucking and thrusting of the tongue in young kids.
• Braces: common appliances made from wires, brackets, and bands.
Removable appliances include:
• Spacers: these are made from acrylic
• Jaw repositioning appliances. These are splints that are used to train either your upper or lower jaw to maintain a good position.
• Expanders: these widen the arch of the upper jaw and are fitted on the roof of your mouth.
• Aligners: such as Invisalign® and ClearCorrect to adjust your teeth.
• Carriere Distalizer: used to solve an overbite prior to application of braces or Invisalign®
Only an orthodontist can decide whether you have a problem that can be corrected using orthodontics. Make an appointment with the team at Runnels Orthodontics to further answer the questions, “What does an orthodontist do?” We are conveniently located in Inlet Beach and Destin, and we serve residents in Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Freeport, Miramar Beach, Santa Rosa Beach, Seaside, Rosemary Beach, Panama City Beach, and Panama City. Contact us today to schedule your consultation!