Everybody would love to have a beautiful smile. But this is highly unlikely if one has crooked or crowded teeth. These can be so embarrassing and uncomfortable to live with. Misaligned teeth are best treated by an orthodontist in Miami in a full-time orthodontist office. An orthodontist is not your ordinary dentist. This is a medical professional who is well-educated and well-versed with teeth movements, bite correction, and jaw alignment. Some people assume that orthodontists only treat kids who need braces. They treat kids almost every day, yes, but one in every five of their patients is an adult person. If you are an adult with crooked teeth or another jaw problem, visit the most reputable orthodontist office in Miami.
Orthodontist career path
All people who want to pursue a orthodontist career path in orthodontics begin with an undergraduate degree course in dentistry. After completion, one becomes a general dentist. Those who go back to school to take a full-time postgraduate course in the field of orthodontics become orthodontists after 2 to 3 years of training.
By the end of the training, these specialists often have enough knowledge and skills to straighten crooked or misaligned teeth, align jaws that are out of their natural position, and a correct bad bite (malocclusion). Recognized by the ADA (American Dental Association) and the American Association of orthodontists, these dental experts are important professionals in the dentistry field.
What roles do orthodontists play?
Other than braces placement, orthodontists have other imperative roles they play. In fact, most dental cases that general dentists are unable to tackle are directed to the orthodontic department. Their duties commonly entail the following:
- Teeth straightening – If your teeth are crooked or bent, you should go to the most trusted Miami orthodontist. Do the same if you notice that your child’s permanent teeth are either crooked or crowded. This specialist can fix the right type of braces on teeth so as to move them in the direction they want. Braces are of different kinds and the invisible ones are ideal for self-conscious teenagers and adults. Everyone has the right type of braces they can wear to correct their current dental problem.
- Bad bite correction – Also called malocclusion, a bad bite can cause a certain degree of discomfort when chewing food. It could be the reason why you bite your inner cheeks at night. That’s why you need to see your dentist in Aventura Florida. He or she will examine your teeth and jaws to see if they are well-aligned. If there is a bad bite, this dentist will refer you to an orthodontic specialist who will confirm the problem. X-rays and molds of teeth may be taken to help the specialist complete their work. After being completely sure that you have malocclusion, your dental specialist will determine the safest and most effective treatment method.
- Jaws misalignment – If your jaws don’t close properly, see a specialist as soon as you can.
- Teeth trauma –If your teeth have undergone a traumatic situation that has greatly changed their original appearance, see your top Aventura dentist right now. He or she might treat you with porcelain veneers to restore your lovely smile.
- If your teeth are overcrowded – When teeth are crowded, they are hard to clean. It’s better to have them checked by a Miami orthodontic specialist who can improve their spacing and alignment. As soon as they are improved, you will be able to maintain proper oral hygiene and prevent dental issues like cavities and gum disease.
When is the right time to see an orthodontist?
The right time to see an orthodontist is when you notice a difficultly. It could be that you feel pain when chewing due to a bad bite or jaw misalignment. If you see your dentist, he or she may refer you to an orthodontic expert in the same dental clinic or another. As for kids, the right time to take them to their first orthodontist is when they attain the age of seven years.
This fact is supported by the American Association of Orthodontists. By the age of 7, a dental expert can easily tell if your child needs braces. As their jaws and teeth are developing quickly, malocclusions and jaw misalignment can be treated with ease. This is also the perfect moment to eliminate tongue thrusting, thumb sucking, teeth grinding, and mouth breathing. As for adults, there are orthodontic appliances that are suitable for those who have malocclusion or crooked teeth. These are clear aligners and lingual braces.
How the first appointment is like
After picking the right dentist Biscayne blvd who will be your orthodontist, he or she will set up an appointment with you. In this meeting, your orthodontist will introduce themselves to you. An office tour might be given too if you are dealing with a very professional and serious specialist. This introductory phase is done to assist patients to relax and feel at ease.
Next, the specialist will put you through tests to see if you have anything to treat. X-rays and photos of your teeth and mouth will be taken to help the dentist offer the right diagnosis. If an orthodontic issue is found, the next action will be recommending the right treatment options.
If treatment will be necessary, the oral specialist will take the impressions of your teeth and use them to create a suitable treatment plan. An estimate of orthodontist payment or fees will be offered too, and staff will be asked to review your insurance benefits. If you don’t have insurance, your dental specialist will discuss various financing options with you.
This is also the time you will learn how long you will be treated and how many appointments you will do throughout the process. The whole consultation process will take about two hours.
Treatment – Braces placement
If you accept to go on with the treatment methods chosen by your dentist, the next appointment will be scheduled. It will be all about braces placement to cure malocclusion, crooked teeth, and jaw misalignment. The process of placing braces entails the following:
- Teeth polishing with a non-flavored sort of paste.
- To view your teeth properly and create dry areas, a cheek retractor is fitted.
- Next, your teeth are air-dried slightly before a conditioner is applied to the front surfaces of your teeth for half a minute.
- Then the conditioner is rinsed from teeth and then they are dried via air and suction methods. After this, a primer is applied to the teeth.
- Next, bonding cement is applied to the rear sides of your braces before being placed on your teeth.
- Brackets are then placed in a precise manner on top of teeth, and extra bonding cement is cleaned.
- A bright blue light might be used to the light-sensitive boding cement. But if the bonding cement is chemically cured, light may not be needed.
- Finally, the cheek retractor is detached from the mouth and the wires are placed.
The whole bonding process takes ten to twenty minutes, and the toughest activity is to accurately position the braces.
- Curing lights – The curing light process also requires considerable time, although modern LED lights have shortened the period. These are able to narrow the wavelength of the light, which leads to the reduction of time necessary to cure the glue. LED lights can cure each bracket in half the time consumed by the traditional halogen lights. Still there are plasma lights that take an even shorter period than LED lights. These can cure a single bracket in just 3 seconds.
- Cheek retractors – These ensure a successful bonding process. They stretch your cheeks and lips and make the whole mouth feel dry when bonding is already applied. Do not worry about the recovery of your retracted cheeks and lips. The bad taste and dryness can be removed by a mouth rinse.
- Dry field – The materials that orthodontists use for bonding need a clean tooth enamel surface. While most glues and primers used in this process are hydrophilic or water-tolerant, they perform poor in presence of saliva. The protein content in saliva can bind fast to the enamel surface and forms a layer called pellicle. It hinders proper bonding. Besides, a dry field keeps your tongue, cheeks, and lips protected until the entire procedure is over.
- Bands – Some orthodontists place bands on your back molars. These increase the stability of attachment on a large molar tooth. As well, they offer extra attachments on the side of tongue facing the band. Separators are often laid for one week before the band placement process is done. Then, the separators are detached to reveal space amid the back molar teeth. There are specific bands for each tooth size.
- Bite stick – This stick is used when placing a band on a tooth. A patient is asked to bite together with the stick to reduce the strain exerted on the jaw as the band is positioned. Once the stick is positioned, the patient will be told when to bite.
After your braces are put in place, you will be trained how to take good care of them and your oral health. After every four to ten weeks you will go for an appointment with your orthodontist near me.
How to pick the right orthodontist
The success of the brace placement procedure or any other depends highly on the orthodontist you pick. Thus, finding the right orthodontist Miami dentist is a vital thing to do. As you want the best dental care and excellent results at an affordable rate, make sure you pick the right expert. But how can you distinguish between bad and good specialists?
- Gather a list of all orthodontists you can find in Miami. You can use Google.
- Look for a full-time orthodontist office.
- To get the best possible care check if your orthodontist has graduated within the top 5 of his class. The higher the better.
- Ask your family members, friends or local dentist to recommend a good orthodontist to you.
- To know that you are not dealing with a general dentist but a genuine orthodontic specialist, find out who the best orthodontist near me is.
- Look for internet-based orthodontists’ reviews and read them.
- To confirm that each of the specialists you have gathered is a real orthodontist, search for their name.
- Meet with each professional whose name you have verified. Ask them as many questions as you can and if you need help with this, search online for questions to ask before selecting a local orthodontist.
- Compare and contrast orthodontic treatment costs offered by various dental clinics.
Selecting a full-time orthodontist Miami fl specialist is much recommended. By selecting a full-time orthodontist office, you should not worry about your orthodontist being changed or leaving and possibly extending your orthodontic treatment to 4 – 5 years. As orthodontists work is more than just straightening out your teeth, using only well-educated and experienced orthodontists is a must. They restore beautiful smiles as well as correct bites and jaws misalignment. There is a good reason why orthodontic experts spend two or three more years in an accredited dentistry college. Compared to general dentists, orthodontists are more educated and knowledgeable. They do certain tests to become accepted by the board; so, you should keep your eyes on a specialist who is board-certified.
He or she has to renew their certification every decade to show their consistent commitment to excellence and good dental practices. Moreover, they are committed to offering the highest level of patient care before and after treatment. So, focus only on finding a certified orthodontist for your needs.
Conclusion
Whether you are a child or an adult man or woman, having a beautiful and healthy smile is a must. Otherwise, you will be unable to smile even when you feel like laughing. As well, you might lose good job opportunities just because your crooked or misaligned teeth have given you low self-esteem. Make sure you see a braces Miami fl specialist today. Take your child to their first orthodontist, too, to help improve their smile and confidence later in life. It is never too late to have a smile makeover. You can do this regardless of your age. Whether you have malocclusions, jaw issues, crowed teeth or crooked teeth, an orthodontist is the right specialist to consult.
