The dental terminology which describes misaligned teeth is malocclusion. It comprises a range of conditions where teeth are displaced or spaced and where their supporting upper and lower jaws are incorrectly positioned resulting in abnormal bite relationships. Such positional mismatch of teeth and jaws may contribute to an unaesthetic smile appearance and could also affect an individual’s ability to chew or speak properly.
Orthodontics is the dental specialty that focuses its skill and knowledge on the correction of misaligned teeth among children and adults. In order to correct malocclusions effectively, the discipline of Orthodontics involves a thorough understanding of facial growth and anatomy and how it affects the development of the face and dentition. As orthodontic treatment involves tooth movement through bone and methods of moving teeth, a sound understanding of bone physiology and the application of mechanical principles are required. In patient care, such knowledge is translated into the diagnosis, treatment planning, monitoring of facial growth, implementing the treatment, as well as maintenance of the aligned set of teeth. Through this systematic process, orthodontic treatment aims to improve an individual’s smile visibility and the ability to function well with an aligned set of teeth.
Treatments offered by our specialty include:
- Pre-surgical orthopaedic treatment at infancy
- Orthodontic treatment prior to secondary alveolar bone grafting around 9 to 10 years of age
- Post-grafting definitive orthodontic treatment (after 10 years of age)
- Orthodontic treatment (in conjunction with corrective jaw surgery performed by oral maxillofacial surgeons) after facial growth cessation around 18 years of age (if needed)
