What does an orthodontist treat: what diseases does this doctor treat?

An orthodontist is a a person who corrects and eliminates anomalies of the dental system. It is to him that people turn to with similar problems: a protruding jaw, a too narrow chin, crooked incisors, etc. Such a specialist takes on congenital, acquired in childhood and hereditary defects. Moreover, he can work with patients of any age.

Some people believe that correcting the abnormal position of teeth can only be done in childhood. This is wrong. In a child, the treatment process is simpler, but a congenital or hereditary problem can develop in adulthood or worsen over time. If this happens, do not hesitate to contact your doctor.

What diseases does an orthodontist treat?

As already mentioned, an orthodontist deals with congenital, hereditary and acquired dental defects in childhood. This doctor does not work with injuries and does not set the jaw. Most often, an orthodontist is consulted with the following problems:

• facial asymmetry;
• improper growth of teeth;
• violation of chewing functions;
• abnormal position of teeth, etc.

After the examination, the doctor assesses the patient’s condition, studies the causes of the disease and selects a treatment method. Let's take a closer look at the classification of diseases that a doctor encounters.

Anomalies of teeth

Dental anomalies are various deviations of individual elements of the dentition. The following types of abnormal dental development are distinguished:

• violation of shape (spike-shaped, Hutchinson, Fournier, Pfluger teeth);
• non-standard size (micro- and macrodentia);
• too few or too many teeth (edentia, hypodontia, hyperdontia);
• problems with tissue structure (hypoplasia, hyperplasia);
• incorrect timing of appearance (premature or late);
• incorrect position of an individual tooth in the dentition (oral, vestibular, distal, mesial, infraposition, supraposition, rotation around the longitudinal axis, transposition);
• discoloration.

The picture below shows the most common anomalies of individual teeth.

The most common dental abnormalities

Anomalies of the dentition

The dentition can also have anomalies, which sometimes greatly disturb the patient and cause problems with nutrition and speech. The following are the problems faced by orthodontists:

• violation of the row shape;
• incorrect size towards narrowing/widening or lengthening/shortening;
• violation of the sequence of teeth;
• violation of the symmetry of the position of the teeth;
• violation of contacts between teeth (twisted or sparse position).

Malocclusions

Malocclusion is the most common problem that everyone hears. Sometimes patients even get the impression that orthodontics in dentistry deals exclusively with installing braces. Of course, this is not true, but bite correction is one of the most common problems, especially in childhood.

There are five types of malocclusion:

• distal, when the upper jaw is overdeveloped and protrudes forward, significantly affecting facial features;
• mesial, in which the lower jaw is already too developed;
• cross. Its owners have free space between their teeth, and they themselves are arranged “like scissors”;
• deep, in which the lower teeth are practically hidden under the upper ones;
• open, when there is no constant contact between the lower and upper teeth, it appears only in the area of ​​the molars.

An incorrect bite, even if it is not very pronounced, is no less dangerous a problem than a tooth out of alignment or a violation of symmetry.

Malocclusion: main types

You will find detailed information on this topic in the article: All about the bite: what it is like, why it is important to monitor it and how to treat improperly grown teeth

Jaw anomalies

The jaws may also not be positioned quite correctly, is immediately visible to the orthodontist Examples of the most common pathologies:

• altered size (macrognathia or micrognathia), when one of the jaws has reached a much larger size in development than the other. It may be different: the jaws often remain small. The problem may be with only the upper or lower jaw or both;
• incorrect location relative to the base of the skull. There are asymmetric placement, prognathia (strong protrusion forward), retrognathia (movement of the jaw backward);
• abnormal relationship of the dental arches (distal or mesial occlusion, excessive overlap, non-standard occlusions.

The types of disorders of the dental system largely overlap, because, for example, it is impossible to consider the position of the teeth without taking into account the entire dentition. Therefore, if you understand who an orthodontist is in dentistry , then we can say that he is, first of all, a practitioner. He takes into account the characteristics of a particular patient and draws up a completely individual treatment plan.

Symptoms of TMJ dysfunction

• Pain in the jaw, increasing when opening the mouth, chewing, speaking, yawning;

• 
  Clicking in the joint of the lower jaw, the jaw “jams”, it does not open, does not close, or has begun to close differently;

• Pain in the temples, in the eye area, visual impairment, photophobia (sensitivity to light);
• Pain, ringing and noise in the ears, in the ear area, feeling of pressure in the ears;
• Frequent headaches, dizziness, migraines;
• Sleep disorders, insomnia, anxiety, depression;
• Pain in the neck, in the lower part of the skull;
• Tooth pain from sweets, hot, cold.

This diversity in symptoms, which often makes it difficult for doctors to diagnose, is explained by the fact that the joint is connected to many important organs and parts of the body (eyes, ears, neck, head) and errors in its functioning can affect everything at once, or they can only affect something one. It is usually possible to determine that the problem is in the temporomandibular joint only in a complex manner.

In most cases, TMJ dysfunction is manifested by pain in the face, joints of the jaw, neck, shoulders, ears, crunching and clicking. Complaints of dizziness, difficulty chewing food, speech and hearing disorders, difficulty opening the mouth, “jamming” of the jaw, or even the appearance of swelling and fever are also common.

Basic methods of orthodontic treatment

Without knowing what exactly the patient came with, it is impossible to say what the orthodontist will do , because the methods of influence primarily depend on the problem and defects in the dentition. Sometimes you can get by with minimal interventions, in other cases you need to involve a dental surgeon.

The most popular methods of dental orthodontism are myotherapy or myogymnastics, hardware treatment and surgical intervention. It is rare that these methods are used in their “pure” form; usually the doctor combines them, forming the course of treatment necessary for a particular patient.

Myotherapy

Myotherapy is one of the ways to strengthen the muscles of the maxillofacial area, thanks to which the formation of anomalies in childhood can be avoided. Based on theoretical calculations about orthodontic treatment, we can conclude that this is the safest and least effective method. Therefore, myogymnastics is almost never prescribed separately.

During classes, the child needs to perform two types of exercises:

• dynamic, when the muscles of the face and jaw sometimes tense and then relax;
• static, forcing the organs to be in tension all the time.

Considering that the exercises must be systematic, classes require adult supervision. Also, it is the parent or teacher who checks that the tasks are completed correctly, because the child may forget or not understand the doctor. The specialist selects tasks, then teaches the adult the exercises, then the adult checks the child.

Myogymnastics class in a children's group: warm-up

Hardware method

The frequency of use of the method clearly shows: an orthodontist is a doctor who treats with fixed and removable hardware systems. The most famous of them are braces, mouth guards and trainers, and plates. When installed, they act on individual teeth, causing them to slowly but surely move in the desired direction. As a result, all elements of the oral cavity occupy their intended position.

Treatment with devices has certain limitations. So, corrections are possible if:

• sufficient force is applied to the tooth, i.e. the equipment is assembled correctly and installed correctly;
• the device has a reliable support and is well fixed;
• there is a place in the dentition into which a stray element can fit;
• there are no obstacles in the path of the tooth being moved.

If these rules are not followed, the dental orthodontist corrects this , and then installs braces, plates or other devices. Sometimes it takes a lot of time to prepare, because it is necessary to remove excess teeth and wait for the restoration of the oral cavity.

Surgical method

If the diagnosis shows that the deformation of the development of the dental arches, jaws or malocclusion is too pronounced, it is necessary to resort to surgical methods. The most popular types of surgical intervention:

• exposure of the crown of an impacted tooth (i.e., removal of the upper gum tissue above a tooth that has not erupted correctly);
• rotation of the tooth around its axis, as a result of which the element falls into place in the dentition correctly;
• removal of individual teeth of irregular shape, extra teeth, as well as those that cannot be “fitted” into the jaw for some reason, etc.

In some situations, surgical intervention falls under the purview of what an orthodontist does . If the specialist cannot correct the situation on his own, he gives the person a referral to a dental surgeon.

How to behave after lower jaw reduction?

If the doctor has successfully adjusted the lower jaw, the patient is recommended to wear a thick elastic bandage for 10 to 14 days, which will securely fix the bones.

During this time, you should stop eating solid food - it is better to concentrate on liquid soups, pureed cereals, fruits and berries. It is important not to overload the jaw with chewing load, so as not to provoke re-dislocation.

With successful reduction of the lower jaw after dislocation and a professionally performed operation, the prognosis for the patient is favorable. In some cases, jaw mobility may be impaired.

If you or your loved ones have a displacement of the lower jaw, contact dental specialists. Here, experienced doctors will help you with dislocations even in the most difficult cases.

When to contact an orthodontist

A child should learn who an orthodontist is before the age of 7. At this age, the permanent bite of the anterior incisors is still forming, so it is possible to stop some problems relatively painlessly. Most leaflets for parents contain the following recommendations for visiting a doctor:

• The child is one year old and parents have questions. What does an orthodontist do when the baby has no teeth yet? He examines whether the lips and those teeth that have already erupted are closing correctly;
• child is 3 years old. A visit is advisable, because at a young age, the prerequisites for incorrect development of teeth and jaws can be identified. Therefore, during such an appointment, the orthodontist always asks the parents whether the baby has bad habits, for example, sucking a pacifier, finger, tongue;
• the child has difficulty swallowing, chewing, and speech is not formed;
• you see that the child has changes in the position of the teeth or their closure.

Knowing what an orthodontist does , you can visit a specialist in advance to prevent problems in the development of the dentition and avoid their deterioration.

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Diagnostics

On average, a diagnosis by an orthodontist takes 30 to 40 minutes, but can take several days. It all depends on the patient’s desire to take certain photographs. Standard procedures included in the diagnostic list:

• visual inspection;
• a panoramic photograph that allows you to see the full view of the jaws, including the roots of the teeth, wisdom teeth, and tooth buds;
• teleroentgenogram (TRG). It allows you to determine the cause of the anomaly, see the relationship of the jaws, and draw a conclusion about what treatment methods will be required;
• 3D scanning or taking impressions of the jaws, with the help of which the exact dimensions of the jaw are determined;
• photographing. It allows you to assess changes in the patient’s appearance and the dynamics of treatment;
• 3D analysis or computed tomography (CT). Required if the doctor suspects a non-standard tooth tilt or other complex problems;
• video recording that allows you to record functional disorders in movement.

How can you determine that a dislocation of the lower jaw has occurred?

As we said above, based on the symptoms, the patient immediately understands that something is wrong with his lower jaw. A doctor will be able to make an accurate diagnosis based on the following diagnostic steps:

• general examination;
• radiography of the jaw;
• computed tomography or MRI of the joint.

The specialist must also make sure that the dislocation or subluxation does not hide a fracture of the jaw, which is much more serious and requires surgical intervention.

It is important! If a person has a dislocation of the lower jaw as a result of injury or an accident, he should be given first aid - apply a tight bandage to the jaw and take it to a medical facility.

Stages of consultation and treatment

You need to understand that orthodontic treatment is a long-term process that requires several appointments, or even years of treatment. One visit won't solve anything. The doctor acts as follows:

1. First comes the diagnosis, which usually includes not only a visual examination, but also a variety of research methods, for example, orthopantomogram, x-ray, teleradiography. All directions are issued at the first visit.
2. Afterwards, the doctor chooses a treatment and prepares the patient for it. The specialist does a lot of work without the client’s participation, for example, everything that an orthodontist does when preparing braces, crowns, etc. The doctor works using photographs, impressions and other tools, analyzing the data obtained during diagnosis.
3. The third stage is the installation of hardware in the patient’s oral cavity. This usually doesn't take much time.
4. Next comes monitoring how the treatment progresses. If problems are observed, the specialist will correct them in a timely manner.
5. The last stage is the removal of devices to correct the dentition.

It is noteworthy that if parents know who an orthodontist is through personal experience, then the child will also most likely get to know this specialist. Many problems, unfortunately, are hereditary.

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Helpful information

• Treatment of dislocation of the lower jaw.

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Conclusions. Expert advice

After reading the material, you understand who an orthodontist-dentist is and why you need to visit him regularly. If we summarize what has been said, we can draw the following conclusions:

• the sooner you see a doctor with a problem, the better;
• It is not necessary to prepare for the visit, but if you tell your child in advance about which specialist you are going to, this will simplify the visit to the orthodontist and make it easier for the child;
• Treatment almost always takes a lot of time, but it gives results.