Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that focuses on the proper development of the face, as well as the jaws and teeth. To function properly, and also look aesthetically pleasing, your teeth need to be straight and well aligned. In most cases, this is achieved using either fixed braces or clear, removable aligners. While any dentist can provide orthodontic treatments; a specialist orthodontist will have trained first as a dentist, and then undertaken an additional three years of post-graduate training to become a fully qualified orthodontist.
During this training, they will have gained the necessary experience by working in maxillofacial surgery and restorative and paediatric dentistry. This specialised training is undertaken in hospitals linked to university schools of dentistry and is a full time commitment. During their training an orthodontic specialist will learn the theories of orthodontics and build their experience by treating members of the public.
Orthodontics for all
If you think that you are too long in the tooth to have straighter teeth, you may be pleasantly surprised to find out that you are wrong. While most of us are familiar with the traditional orthodontic treatments for children and teenagers using fixed train-track braces on the fronts of their teeth, hopefully you will be less familiar with many types of braces designed for adults. The reason I say this is because the range of braces available now has increased dramatically in the past few years. Now there are braces designed to fit a wide range of orthodontic needs for adults.
In many cases as an adult, you may find that you only need to have your front teeth straightened. This means that you could look forward to having a straighter smile in just six months. Of course, this does depend on the complexity of your orthodontic requirements. In some cases, you will need a longer treatment if there are more serious issues with the alignment and your bite.
The clue is in the name
As you might expect, here at our practice in Weybridge, orthodontics are what we do. Almost all of the members of our team are all qualified in various aspects of this type of work, and we are committed to providing you a first class orthodontic treatment.