Non-extraction orthodontics plays a crucial role in encouraging proper facial and jaw development. It can give children and adults their dream smile by correcting conditions such as crowded and crooked teeth, right through to overbites and underbites.
When Can Non-Extraction Orthodontics Be Used?
The quick answer to the question, ‘when can non-extraction orthodontics be used?’ is: whenever there is a problem that non-extraction orthodontics can fix.
Orthodontics can be used throughout life, but for the ultimate dental care, we love seeing patients from 6-months of age. The earlier we see patients, the more closely we can monitor the growth of their jaw and teeth, and make sure everything is on track.
That may seem a little young, but by 6-months the jaws and teeth are developing quickly. The earlier you bring your baby to our dental office, the more chance there is of detecting any signs of poor or unusual development and correcting these with non-invasive, interceptive and corrective treatment.
What Happens If Problems Aren’t Noticed?
The further your jaws, teeth and face move away from ‘normal,’ the more treatment the problem will require. When dentists encourage you to bring your child along every six months, it’s not for the clinic fees. It’s because regular visits are absolutely essential in tracking progress and preventing expensive treatments down the track.
However, missing regular appointments doesn’t mean orthodontics won’t work. In fact, people can be helped at any age. Even elderly people come into dental clinics and surgeries for orthodontic work, so if something doesn’t feel right about your smile, it’s never too late.
Understanding Orthopaedics
By the time you are five years old, fifty percent of your facial growth will be complete. By the time you’re nine, you will have gone through ninety percent of your upper jaw growth. This growth is why it’s so important for children to visit the dentist from a young age. Growth can be changed and coerced, especially when poor habits and abnormalities are addressed as early as possible.
The best part of early intervention orthodontics is that it makes non-extraction more of a possibility. Removing teeth (apart from wisdom teeth) is never a good idea. Each tooth plays a vital role, and even baby teeth guide the development of adult teeth. If possible, teeth should always be left alone. That’s precisely what non-extraction orthodontics does, it improves smiles without removing teeth.
So, What Are The Benefits of Non-Extraction Orthodontics?
- With proper intervention, everyone can enjoy a beautiful smile with straight teeth, and who doesn’t want that?
- Your jaw doesn’t just make your mouth move, it sets the shape of your face. With a properly aligned jaw made by non-extraction orthodontics, you can look youthful well into your senior years.
- Not dealing with crooked and misshapen teeth means jaws can never properly develop and grow. This doesn’t just create oral and facial problems, it can affect your breathing. There isn’t enough room for your tongue, so it blocks your airways and creates issues like snoring and sleep apnoea – both of which can be lead to more serious health issues.
- Malocclusions and misaligned teeth increase the risk of tooth decay and gums disease, and even pose risks for the neck and posture. The reason decay and gum disease are more likely is that crooked teeth are harder to floss and brush.
- Jaw pain and headaches are linked with poorly developed jaws and misaligned bites.
- Improper bites and crooked teeth can lead to social withdrawal and a lack of confidence. Smiling and talking are essential aspects of developing relationships in both the personal and professional spheres. With non-extraction orthodontics, you can enjoy a smile that gives you confidence with a minimum of fuss and pain.
What Do Non-Extraction Orthodontic Treatments Consist of?
The most common examples of non-extraction orthodontics are wire braces and Invisalign, as well as plates. These all work to gently force teeth into the proper shape and alignment. This is entirely natural and doesn’t involve any tooth extraction or other intervention.
Other, less common examples are:
- Bioblocs
- Herbst
- Lingual braces
- Myobrace
- Controlled Arch
- Damon system
- ALF or Alternative Lightwire functional
Why Is Lifetime Holistic Dental So Passionate About Non-Extraction Orthodontics?
As a holistic dentist, I’m always interested in finding ways to do dentistry with minimal intervention. Orthodontics allows us to restore teeth and jaws to their natural position in an entirely natural way.
We also appreciate the links between proper dental and facial growth and overall health. No one should have to suffer headaches, neck pain, bad posture or breathing difficulties because they didn’t receive the intervention they needed and deserved.
I have a passion for orthodontics and I’m a member of the International Association of Facial Growth Guidance (Orthotropics®) and the International Association for Orthodontics and I’m also just one of two Australian professionals to be admitted to the Sacro Occipital Technique Organisation (SOTO).
So, if your jaws or teeth need attention. You couldn’t be in better hands.
Chat about non-extraction orthodontics in person. Contact Lifetime Holistic Dental today to make an appointment.