North Sydney Orthodontics

Minor treatments Routine treatment Gum disease
Wisdom Teeth Advanced dentistryJaw surgery

Orthodontic treatment for adult patients

Adults are welcome at North Sydney Orthodontics and Dr Daniels is an expert in adult orthodontic treatment.  Orthodontic problems in adults range from minor crowding or spacing of teeth to more complicated problems involving repair and replacement of missing teeth and treatment to correct anomalies of facial growth.  Most types of braces are suitable for adults though it is important to choose the right method to achieve the desired results.   Many adult patients are hoping to avoid visible braces and choose invisalign  or invisible braces placed on the inside of the teeth.  This is a suitable choice in most cases but whatever is required North Sydney Orthodontics has the expertise to get the job done.BACK TO TOP

Simple dental alignment for adults

A relatively common orthodontic problem for adults involves retreatment following minor orthodontic relapse. This is usually easy to correct in adults assuming good dental health is present. To keep the teeth straight often requires fixed retainers to maintain the alignment of the teeth after treatment.BACK TO TOP

Routine adult orthodontic treatment

Of course many adults seek orthodontic treatment because they simply were not able to receive it as a child. In most cases the mode of treatment required is very similar to that for older teenagers though more commonly adults prefer more aesthetic appliance designs, so all treatment methods can be used except growth modification see treatment problems. BACK TO TOP

Orthodontic treatment following gum disease:

Gum disease is a common problem and is the commonest cause of adult tooth loss.  If the disease becomes advanced the front teeth start to drift forwards and become increasingly mobile (wobbly).  Often spacing appears around the front teeth. Active gum disease is often signified by bleeding except in smokers where the disease can progress without bleeding. The condition is painless until the teeth become terminally mobile.  Orthodontic treatment is carried out to align drifted teeth once the disease is under control which usually requires expert ongoing management from a periodontal (gum) specialist.   The teeth require indefinite fixed retentionBACK TO TOP

Orthodontic treatment and advanced dental procedures : implants

For various reasons occasionally teeth are missing or extracted. Following a tooth loss the adjacent teeth often drift towards the space and adopt positions which are less than ideal. Orthodontic treatment is used to position teeth prior to restoration of the spaces or may occasionally be used to close the space negating the need for expensive tooth replacement. In this case the patient has 2 missing upper second incisors replaced with a temporary denture. unfortunately the roots of the adjacent teeth are tipped into the extraction spaces and therefore prevent the placement of implants. Orthodontic treatment was employed to move the roots out of the implant site. BACK TO TOP

Uprighting wisdom teeth

Wisdom teeth are often a problem but do not always require extraction especially if previous extractions have been carried out. Sometimes even the most hopeless looking teeth are amenable to orthodontic alignment and this can be a cheaper alternative to implant replacement to consolidate the dental arch. In this case the tipped wisdom teeth in the lower jaw were uprighted and the space completely closed improving the dental function, protecting the bone support and bringing the impacted lower right third molar into a useful position avoiding the need for a dental implant at the same time.

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Correction of major growth disturbances with jaw surgery

Orthodontic problems involving severe jaw growth discrepancies can only be corrected once growth has been completed. Sometimes the size of the upper and lower jaws do not match closely enough to allow a good meeting of the front or back teeth.  This is a potentially serious handicap to the functional chewing ability of the teeth as well as being unsightly. The only way to get an ideal dental relationship is to straighten the teeth and then perform surgery on the jaws to correct the growth problem.  The particular surgical procedure depends on what the growth problem is and this will be discussed between the orthodontist and the surgeon.  Jaw surgery has the advantages that the dental alignment is usually more stable and there is an enhanced facial balance, but obviously involves more risks and is more expensive. 

© North Sydney Orthodontics 2009