Common Problems That Are Addressed By An Orthodontist

By Author: Eric Campbell
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Crooked and wrongly aligned teeth are difficult to clean, hard to maintain and often lead to further complications like tooth decay and gum diseases. An orthodontist is a specialized professional who has undergone 2-3 years of post doctoral study in orthodontics, after graduating from dental school. He not only corrects these problems, but also restores the patient’s self esteem by helping him to get a beautiful and healthy smile. Here are some common problems that are addressed by an orthodontist:

Open Bite:

When the upper and lower incisor teeth do not touch when biting, there’s an open space that’s left between these teeth. Chewing pressure is therefore placed on the back teeth, exposing them to wear and tear. This is often caused by habits like thumb sucking. Treatment often involves the use of braces to realign the jaws and get a proper bite.

Crowding:

This is the most common problem, and often caused by an imbalance between the size of the dental arch and the size of the teeth. When your teeth are big and the dental arch is too small, the teeth look crowded and unattractive. This problem ...
... can be solved by fixing braces, and in some cases the orthodontist may have to extract the tooth.

Spacing:

When the size of the dental arch is too big, and the size of the teeth too small, there appears space between the teeth. This spacing may also be caused by a missing tooth as a result of trauma or accident. Needless to say, they look embarrassing. Treatment for this problem involves the use of braces that can close these spaces.

Cross Bite:

A cross bite takes place when the upper front teeth bite inside the lower front teeth. Such a condition can often cause strain in the jaw joints and also lead to temporomandibular joint problems. There’s also another condition where the upper back teeth bite inside the lower back teeth. It’s important that this issue is addressed at the early stage. Treatment includes the use of braces or removable plates that help in realigning the jaws.

Protruding teeth:

This problem is often caused when the lower jaw is set behind the upper jaw. Habits like thumb sucking also add to the problem. Treatment for protruding teeth often ranges from fixed braces to even jaw surgery in extreme cases.

Besides these problems orthodontists can also treat problems related to ectopic, impacted, and missing teeth. General dentists can address minor orthodontic issues, but major problems such as these can only be corrected by an orthodontist.

Raleigh orthodontist Dr. Eric Campbell writes on orthodontic issues and helps people understand common issues such as child braces, damon braces etc. More info visit http://www.ericcampbellortho.com/