By Shen Chao
Many patients ask their orthodontist what it means to be specialized in dentofacial orthopedics. This means that your orthodontist has training and experience working with dental movements (orthodontics), and also the knowledge of facial growth and general head and neck development.
What Is Dentofacial Orthopedics?
Dentofacial Orthopedics deals with growth issues of your teeth and mouth, especially the jaw structure. It involves improving or repairing the deformities caused in your dentition due to problems in the neck or head development. Dentofacial Orthopedics thus treats dental malposition and jaw offsets. Contrary to the popular belief, this discipline concerns not just children or teenagers but also adults.
Dentofacial Orthopedics Uses and Treatments
In orthodontics, the early signs of malocclusions are easy to spot. At the age of three, it is possible to act to avoid the long and mutilating orthodontic treatment during adolescence.
Some early signs of dento-maxillary abnormalities or malocclusions are:
- No space between milk teeth or tight milk teeth are a sign of lack of palate development
- Pointed milk canines. These indicate that the teeth are not used properly for chewing and hence there is no wearing.
- The mandible or lower jaw is literally embedded under the maxilla (upper jaw). This often leads to crushing of the jaw joint.
- The upper and lower teeth are not in contact.
Dento-Facial Orthopedics treatment aims to promote a harmonious growth of the face and jawbone by helping the development of oral and nasal functions and intercepting early abnormalities to reduce the risk of dental trauma. The different types of treatments involve using basic appliances like braces, alignment trays, boxes or pins, retainers and advanced procedures like jaw correction surgery or a full mouth reconstruction.
Benefits of Dentofacial Orthopedics
Dentofacial Orthopedics can help analyze the deformities in bone or jaw structure that affect the appearance of your teeth. Here are some benefits of the treatment:
- Allows painless treatment of problems like crooked teeth, crowded dentures, or jaw alignment problems when detected at an early stage.
- Early treatment also ensures that you do not face any major issues with your teeth and jaw in the future.
- It is a face-focused approach and hence improves your overall facial structure, not just the appearance of your teeth.
- Crooked or overlapping teeth are difficult to clean. The procedures help maintain and improve your oral health in the long run.
Dentofacial Orthopedics in Children
In children, it is beneficial to detect malocclusions very young. Malocclusions can cause “blockages” for jaw growth and tooth position. Sometimes one or a few devices are enough to place the jaws properly. Obviously, with baby teeth, it is not possible to improve placement, but jaws can be prepared to allow the best possible positioning at the adolescent stage.
Dentofacial Orthopedics in Adults
While children are often the best candidates for dentofacial orthopedics, it is used to treat adult patients too. However, a surgery is required at this stage to fix or repair any bone structure or jaw issues. The hardened jawbones in adults make teeth alignment a difficult task. However, a good dentist can devise a treatment plan suitable for you.
The primary goal of dentofacial orthopedics treatment is to achieve a good occlusion. If your teeth and jaws are in harmony, it will avoid many worries over the years. Teeth will be easier to clean, there will be less gum and caries problems, and there will be less wear and tear of teeth too.
Author Bio:
Shen Chao is part of Dr. Joshua Hong’s Dental Clinic in Goodyear, AZ. While working for the dental clinic, he’s gained first hand experiences into the questions and concerns that dental patients have. He has been writing to inform people about various dental topics to help his readers improve their oral health. When he’s not working, you can find him on a hiking trail with his dog or having a Sunday cook-out with friends.