According to statistics from the American Association of Orthodontics, more than 50% of people suffer from facial and jaw deformities in general, and dental deformities in particular, such as crowded teeth. These deformities affect facial appearance and the aesthetics of the smile, which can lead to depression and a loss of self-confidence, especially in children. Dentistry addresses these issues through the use of dental braces at an early age. Your treating doctor will determine the appropriate age for orthodontic treatment for children.
The Importance of Orthodontics
Orthodontics is a specialty within dentistry that focuses on diagnosing, preventing, and correcting improper bites, whether it’s a reverse bite, gaps between teeth, crowded teeth, or other dental issues, which we will explain further. Orthodontics uses fixed, removable, and functional appliances to adjust the positions of natural teeth and align them in a healthy and proper manner.
Traditional metal braces consist of clear or metal brackets that are attached to the surface of the teeth. Metal wires are then fixed to these brackets, and under the supervision of an orthodontist, the ideal smile is achieved.
Orthodontics is the optimal solution in dental services for correcting these deformities. Metal braces consist of brackets that are attached to the surface of the teeth, and wires are fixed to these brackets without glue or batteries to gradually move the teeth and achieve the perfect smile.
The orthodontist carefully controls the movement of the teeth with precision to achieve harmony in their alignment. The treating dentist also considers the position of the lips, the gums, and the relationship of the teeth to the overall facial appearance.
What Are the Types of Orthodontic Braces?
Orthodontic braces come in four main types, which are offered by dental clinics and performed by the best dentists in Egypt. Here are the four types of orthodontic braces:
1. Fixed Braces: These come in two types:
- Metal Fixed Braces with metal wires.
- Clear Fixed Braces with metal wires.
2. Clear Removable Aligners:
These are a series of removable trays that can be comfortably inserted and removed. Clear aligners are colorless and improve dental alignment, but they are not suitable for most orthodontic cases.
3. Orthodontic Appliances:
- Space Maintainers: These preserve the space for teeth to ensure they remain in their correct position in the jaw and prevent crowding.
- Space Expanders: These create space to allow teeth to move into their correct position in cases of crowding, impacted teeth, or a narrow jaw.
- Space Closers: These close gaps between teeth to treat spacing issues.
- Habit-Breaking Appliances: These prevent bad habits in children, such as tongue thrusting or thumb sucking.
- Appliances to Stimulate Upper Jaw Growth: These encourage forward growth of the upper jaw.
- Appliances to Restrict Jaw Growth: These stop the forward growth of the upper or lower jaw due to jaw development issues.
- Retainers: These maintain the position of teeth after completing orthodontic treatment and are used for a specific period.
The center uses the best and latest dental appliances to achieve excellent results for patients with minimal discomfort.
4. Lingual Braces:
These are placed on the backside of the teeth, making them unnoticeable when speaking or smiling.
Advantages of Orthodontic Braces
Orthodontic braces are a healthy solution for correcting the undesirable appearance of teeth caused by crowding, gaps, or other issues, without the need to remove a large portion of the teeth or cause pain. Here are the most important advantages of orthodontic braces:
- Reduce the Risk of Tooth Decay: By aligning the teeth, all surfaces become exposed, making them easier to clean with a toothbrush and toothpaste.
- Improve Bite Function: They eliminate excessive pressure on a single tooth or a group of teeth and correct improper biting habits.
- Enhance Appearance: After completing the treatment, your appearance improves noticeably, boosting your self-confidence and satisfaction.
- Pain-Free Treatment: Orthodontic treatment is generally pain-free.
- Improve Gum Health: After completing orthodontic treatment, gum health improves significantly.
Disadvantages of Orthodontic Braces
Some people criticize orthodontic treatment for the following reasons:
- Long Treatment Duration: The treatment period can range from 1 to 5 years, depending on the complexity of the case.
- Unaesthetic Appearance: Some find the look of brackets and wires unattractive.
- Difficulty Cleaning Teeth: Cleaning teeth with braces requires extra effort, including the use of special orthodontic brushes and regular toothbrushes with toothpaste (any type of toothpaste, regardless of price) after meals to prevent tooth decay.
- Frequent Orthodontist Visits: Regular visits to the orthodontist are necessary.
- Inability to Use Whitening Pens: Whitening pens, which have become popular and are affordable, cannot be used during treatment.
However, these disadvantages can be overcome by using clear aligners, removable braces, or even ceramic braces.
Can You Treat Previously Damaged Teeth During Orthodontic Treatment?
Yes, you can certainly treat your teeth during orthodontic treatment. The dentist can remove the bracket from the tooth that requires treatment if necessary. The clinic offers various treatments in addition to a range of cosmetic dental services, including teeth whitening, fixed prosthetics, removable prosthetics, and more.
Afterward, you can undergo procedures such as Root Canal Treatment for 998 EGP, Laser White Fillings for 520 EGP, Teeth Scaling for 398 EGP, and Decorative Turquoise Braces for 600 EGP.
What Are the Steps for Installing Braces with Brackets?
- Orthodontic treatment begins with a visit to an orthodontist for a diagnosis through an examination.
- The orthodontist takes panoramic X-rays, lateral cephalometric X-rays, and diagnostic photos of the patient’s mouth and face while smiling, at rest, and in profile. These images are essential for studying the case and monitoring progress, and they are mandatory, not optional, in orthodontic treatment.
- The orthodontist explains the case to the patient and the best treatment approach.
- The doctor installs the brackets and wires to begin the orthodontic treatment process.
- The patient attends follow-up visits at intervals determined by the doctor based on the stage and progress of the treatment.
- At the end, the doctor evaluates the progress based on the images and X-rays and discusses this progress with the patient.
- The doctor removes the braces and takes new X-rays and photos of the case after completing the orthodontic treatment.
- The doctor installs a fixed retainer on the back of the front teeth or takes an impression of the teeth to create a removable retainer for a specified period.
What Is the Appropriate Age to Start Orthodontic Treatment?
The appropriate age to start orthodontic treatment for children is from 9 years old in many cases. There is no maximum age limit, as adults can also benefit from orthodontic treatment to achieve a beautiful smile and healthy teeth.
What Are the Prices of Orthodontic Braces in Egypt?
The cost of orthodontic braces in Egypt, in Egyptian pounds, is not fixed. The price of braces ranges from 7,000 to 20,000 EGP, depending on the complexity of the case, the duration of treatment, and the type of braces used. The cost of clear aligners in Egypt is generally higher than traditional braces.
Orthodontic treatment is a definitive and long-term solution for dental problems, as it preserves the teeth without the need for extraction or reshaping.
How Do You Know If You Need to Visit an Orthodontist?
An improper bite is the main issue that encompasses many problems requiring orthodontic treatment. These problems can affect facial symmetry and appearance, leading to a lack of self-confidence and even depression. In some cases, they can also cause difficulties in chewing, speaking, and maintaining oral hygiene. Below are some of the problems that orthodontic treatment can address:
- Crowded Teeth: Caused by a mismatch between tooth size and jaw size, improper extractions, extra teeth, or other issues.
- Large Gaps Between Teeth: These cannot be resolved with prosthetics and are often due to a mismatch between tooth size and jaw size, health syndromes, impacted teeth, or other problems.
- Uneven Teeth.
- Protruding Front Teeth: This should be treated to reduce the risk of injury during sports or falls.
- Impacted Teeth: When there is space for the tooth and it is in a favorable position to emerge from the bone and gums.
- Deep Bite: Caused by the upper teeth aligning too far forward or vertically, or the lower teeth being too far back, causing the upper teeth to completely cover the lower teeth when biting.
- Anterior Crossbite: When the lower front teeth are ahead of the upper front teeth when biting.
- Posterior Crossbite: When the lower jaw is wider than the upper jaw at the back, causing the upper jaw to sit inside the lower jaw.
- Anterior Open Bite: When the patient bites only on the back teeth, leaving the front teeth open.
- Posterior Open Bite: When the back teeth do not touch when biting, either on one side or both.
- Excessive Growth of the Upper or Lower Jaw at a young age.
- Insufficient Growth of the Upper Jaw at a young age.
- Missing Spaces Due to Early Tooth Loss without space maintainers.
- Thumb Sucking at a young age.
- Tongue Thrusting at a young age.
An orthodontist can also address temporary issues such as teeth grinding (bruxism).
What Are the Capabilities of the Orthodontic Center?
The center offers various types of orthodontic treatments, including: Traditional Metal Braces, Clear Aligners, Removable Braces, Lingual Braces (Internal Braces), Orthodontic Treatment for Teeth and Jaw Alignment, and Damon Braces. Orthodontic treatment can be performed for either the upper jaw, lower jaw, or both jaws simultaneously.
The center is also equipped with: Panoramic X-ray Unit, Cephalometric X-ray Unit, and Digital Imaging Unit to record treatment progress step by step.
