Orthodontics & Dental Tourism
Orthodontics is a dental specialty dealing with the study and treatment of improper bites or malocclusions, aa well as crooked teeth, which come as a result of disproportionate jaw relations and tooth irregularity. Orthodontics treatment focuses on dental displacement only, while orthodontics surgery corrects conditions of the jaw and the face, which cannot be treated with braces.
Orthodontic treatment can help set the patient’s teeth in the right place, using braces and retainers for that matter. A number of components are also used to move teeth and jaw bones, including:
- Plates
- Headgear
- Expansion appliances
- Functional appliances
- Braces
American orthodontics is known to be the leading producer of dental devices and the number one source of novel techniques.
Orthodontics cost, on average, ranges between $3,000 and $8,000 per brace plus the doctor’s fee charged for the consultation. For many other procedures, orthodontics cost depends on the type, duration and devices used for the specific condition.
Diagnosis and Treatment
First, orthodontists recognize various characteristics of malocclusion and define the nature of the problems. Afterwards, they design a treatment strategy and present it to the patient. The purpose is to satisfy the specific needs and desires of the individual.
The signs and concerns an orthodontist deals with are:
- Early or late loss of baby teeth
- Difficulty chewing or biting
- Mouth breathing
- Sucking the thumb or fingers, or other oral habits
- Crowded, misplaced or blocked-out teeth
- Jaws that shift, make sounds, protrude or are recessed
- Speech difficulty
- Biting the cheek or biting into the roof of the mouth
- Protruding teeth
- Teeth that meet in an abnormal way or don’t meet at all
- Facial imbalance or asymmetry (features out of
- Proportion to the rest of the face)
- Grinding or clenching of teeth
- Inability to comfortably close lips
Orthodontics Surgery
Orthodontics surgery is performed by an orthodontist and a maxillofacial surgeon. Surgery often requires the installation of braces before and after the surgical procedure and retainers after the removal of braces. In practice, only major craniofacial abnormalities require orthodontics surgery.
Some conditions treated by orthodontics surgery include:
- Sleep apnea
- TMJ disorders
- Malocclusion problems due to skeletal disharmonies
- Cleft palate
