Teeth are designed naturally to be straight and well-aligned. Each one of our dental arches should ideally have enough space for proper eruption of 14 teeth (excluding wisdom teeth). However, this may not be the case in many of us. Our early childhood habits and improper growth of our jawbone may lead to a condition termed malocclusion, which is characterized by misalignment of teeth. This condition can lead to several oral health problems.

Orthodontics is that branch of dental medicine which is dedicated for the study of the position of teeth and correction of bite. At our dental office, our general dentists use dental braces to treat orthodontic problems. Our comprehensive oral care has helped many people from Colton, California and surrounding communities achieve optimum oral health. If you think your teeth are misaligned, come to speak to our dentist. Our treatment can bring about a refreshing smile in you.

Malocclusion and its impact on oral health

The upper teeth and lower teeth come together when a person bites. Chewing efficiency and oral health of a person is directly dependent on the correctness of the bite. When the teeth are improperly aligned, the resultant is a bad bite and the condition is medically termed as malocclusion. This condition can lead to the following problems.

  • It may become difficult to clean all edges of the teeth which increases the risk of dental infection
  • There may be more tooth wear because of improper distribution of bite load
  • The smile may turn out to be less attractive
  • Complex malocclusion cases reduce chewing efficiency and can create problems in speech

The treatment to malocclusion

The treatment of malocclusion depends on the complexity of the case. When there is an extra tooth grown, an extraction process may precede the orthodontic treatment. Our dentist takes impressions of the teeth to check the positions and set a treatment plan accordingly. Among the many appliances available to treat an orthodontic problem, dental braces have proven to be the most effective one.

Dental braces application and treatment

After performing a thorough dental examination and setting treatment plan, the process is explained to patients. It may take 18 months or more to move the teeth to planned positions, depending on the complexity of the case. Patients may have to use retainers for few months after completing the process with braces to ensure that teeth do not move back to old position.

Before fixing dental braces, the professional dental cleaning process may be performed to ensure that there is less risk of dental infection. The teeth are dried completely and conditioner may be used over them. An adhesive is applied over teeth in order to fix the brackets. Cement is applied over the back of brackets and they are fixed in planned positions over teeth surface. A metal wire is fixed in the brackets. This wire applies pressure over teeth to move them in the planned direction. The patient has to visit our office periodically to check the progress of treatment and to get the wire tightened.