“Am I Too Old for Braces?”
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| '' photo courtesy of the American Association of Orthodontists." |
Absolutely not! Orthodontic treatment for adults is becoming more and more common. In fact, the number of adults getting braces has actually climbed 24 percent since 1996! More adults than ever are realizing that orthodontic treatment is not just for kids, and can help improve the aesthetics and health of a smile of any age! In a society where appearance matters and can help make the difference between getting a job or a promotion, adults are choosing wisely to invest in orthodontic treatment.
Some of the most common reasons our adult patients come to us considering orthodontic treatment include:- Teeth that are crowded or spaced apart, sometimes as a result of tooth decay or gum disease
- Pain or pressure from crooked teeth or a misaligned jaw
- A bad bite or malocclusion, causing teeth to fit together incorrectly
As an adult patient, we recognize that you have different needs than our younger patients, and we will work with you to ensure you receive the most appropriate treatment and that your needs are met with understanding and respect from us.
If you’ve been thinking about getting that perfect smile, we would love to have you visit for a consultation. We understand you have a busy schedule, and will work with you to find a time that is convenient for you. Please visit our website or give our office a call to schedule your appointment today!
Dr.george bardawil -ORTHODONTIST www.drgeorgebardawil.com, info@drgeorgebardawil.com, Invisalign premier provider, speciality clinics center, st maamari,12th floor hamra,beirut lebanon Hamra clinic 961-1-747644 Fanar clinic 961-1-873718 mobile 961-3-542724
IDEAL OCCLUSION. An ideal occlusion is that which shows a perfect smile line, there is no crowding, no overlap, no rotations or spacing of teeth. In a perfect world, there is a perfect pattern in the closure of 32 permanent teeth. This ideal occlusion rarely exists. A normal occlusion is one which shows some deviation from that of the ideal but is aesthetically acceptable and functionally stable for the individual. 
CLASS I MALOCCLUSION. The jaw relationship is relatively normal but your teeth may be very crowded and unattractive. 
CLASS II MALOCCLUSION (Overbite). This is an overjet (commonly called an overbite). This is where a discrepancy lies between the upper and lower jaws (usually the lower jaw has not kept the same rate of growth as the upper jaw) 
CLASS III MALOCCLUSION (Underbite). An underbite can be a result of the upper jaw not keeping the same rate of growth as the lower jaw and/or the lower jaw is growing forward in excess. 
Crowding presents itself as a general overlap of teeth in each jaw. You can see from the photographs the generalized overlapping of teeth and the extent of the crowding.
A crossbite is a positional problem, where one or more of opposing upper and lower teeth bite on the wrong side of each other. This may affect either the front or the back teeth. In the growing child these crossbites may affect the growth pattern of either jaw and may cause a permanent skeletal change.
A deep bite occurs when the upper front teeth cover the lower front teeth too much. In some cases the lower front teeth might damage the gums behind the upper teeth.
During the normal eruption pattern, the permanent teeth generally dissolve the roots of the deciduous (baby or primary teeth) as they erupt into the mouth. The end result is that the baby teeth fall out and are replaced almost immediately by the permanent successor.
Excess spacing describes the condition of when there are noticeable gaps between the teeth.
The midline of our upper and lower teeth should generally coincide. A discrepancy of this midline is when the middle of the upper and lower teeth does not align. This can be due to the upper or lower teeth moving to the left or right or a combination of both. Various factors can result in a midline shift such as the premature loss of baby teeth, retained baby teeth, crowding, missing teeth and tooth size issues.
The number of teeth affects the look or aesthetic appearance of the smile and the function of the jaws and the teeth. In cases of missing anterior (front) teeth, symmetry plays an important role in whether it is best to have a missing tooth/teeth replaced or the space of the missing tooth closed. Missing teeth may result from hereditary causes (quite common) or environmental factors such as decay, accidents where teeth may have been knocked out, or the failure of teeth to erupt, which leads to an impaction.
An openbite refers to a vertical open space when the upper teeth do not overlap the lower teeth at all. Ideally the upper front teeth should overlap the lower teeth by 1.5mm—2 mm. Openbites may result from environmental factors such as thumb/finger sucking, tongue thrust swallowing, mouth breathing and pacifiers. 
Angulations of teeth refer to the alignment of the long axis of the teeth in a line from the chewing surface along the root. Incorrect angulations may be caused by lack of space for the tooth to erupt or it may mean that something in the jaw is causing the tooth to tilt. Some examples of this would be a retained baby tooth, an extra tooth or a cyst.
When baby teeth do not erupt along with the adjacent adult teeth, the baby teeth seem to submerge. This can become severe enough for the baby teeth to eventually be covered by gum tissue. If this occurs, the adjacent permanent teeth may tilt over the submerged baby tooth/teeth and create localized crowding.
