Making broader, attractive smile come true with pa

What is palatal expansion?
Palatal expansion is the widening of the upper jaw to make room for teeth to fit together and align properly, without becoming crooked or crowded. This allows the teeth to move straight and the jaws to function well, giving the appearance of a broader and straighter smile.

Orthodontists recommend palatal expansion for children with a narrow upper jaw while their teeth and jawbone are still growing. This will improve the child’s appearance and avoid difficulties with biting, chewing and speech.

Expansion may prevent the need for removal of crowded teeth later, because space is created while permanent teeth are developing.

How does palatal expansion work?
In an immature upper jawbone, the roof of the mouth is formed by two halves of flat bone that make up the palate. They are joined together at the center by a bony suture. Palatal expansion moves the suture apart through the use of an expander device. This widens the upper jaw as new bone fills the gap between the separated palates.

A rapid palatal expander (RPE)/rapid maxillary expander (RME) is placed close to the palate with screws attached to the back of the upper teeth, to be adjusted according to schedule.

How long will the expansion take?
The length of expansion depends on the amount of expansion an individual patient will need. Expansion can take a few weeks to a few months. The expander is generally worn for four to six months.

What can I expect during that time?
You will initially feel a mild pushing against your teeth. Over the next few days, a tingling sensation and stronger pressure on your palate, nose and cheeks may be felt as the expander is being turned, and you may experience a slight headache. This is usually treated with over-the-counter analgesics.
You may notice space between the front teeth in the first few days, which is a sign that the palate has expanded. The space will close on its own within a month or so. Expansion is usually followed by wearing of braces.

How old is old enough for this treatment?
Although age is not the best predictor for palatal expansion, a patient ideally should still be growing, when the sutures in the palatal bone are open.

Patients who have completed growth have sutures already fused. The palatal expander can be used after a surgical operation in the upper jaw.

No more messy molds for dental fitting; no more lo

The advent of 3-D technology now makes possible the taking of teeth impressions without the inconvenience and time-consuming process of extracting a tooth mold from the patient.

A new hand-held scanner allows the dentist to take dental impressions of the patient’s teeth by quickly scanning the inside of the mouth. The digital images captured are displayed on a screen while the patient is still in the chair, allowing the dentist to make any adjustments before the impressions are sent to the lab for fitting of a crown (visible part of the teeth) or a bridge. This eliminates the need for molding, allowing for a mess-free, precise fitting as swiftly as 10 minutes.
Inserting a soft goo into the patient’s mouth and letting it harden there before being extracted can be unpleasant for the patient. Inaccuracy of the impression often results in refitting or redoing of the implants, causing more time spent in the dentist’s chair and more discomfort for the patient.

The 3-D CT scan is now also used to complete a dental implant in a single surgery.
It used to take 6 months before the crown is placed on top of the implant to allow the jaw bone, where it is fixed, to heal. One-day implant has become possible with the surfaces of the implants being modified to enhance their rate of fixation to the bone.

The unique perspective provided by imaging enables dentists to plan and carry out restorations all in one day. Using the 3-D model of the patient’s mouth, dentists are able to immediately locate the exact spot in the mouth to place the implant.
Some 50 million dental patients in the U.S. require crowns and bridges each year

Treatment with Dental Braces

If you think your child needs dental braces to straighten his/her teeth, it is a good idea to have him/her evaluated by an orthodontist. According to Alan Carr, DMD, the ideal age for an orthodontic evaluation is 7. Whether or not to wear braces is a matter to be decided by the orthodontist, depending on the cause and severity of the misaligned teeth.

Generally, treatment for misaligned teeth involves dental braces. This treatment begins only when the child has lost the majority of his/her primary teeth and his adult teeth have started to grow in. Usually, this happens between ages 8 and 14, where most of the child’s adult teeth have settled but are crooked. The use of dental braces may be appealing since this can address several dental issues such as overbite or underbite.

However, some orthodontists may recommend the use of dental appliances, not necessarily dental braces, for children who still have most of their baby teeth. Only after the baby teeth, or most of them, have fallen out will the orthodontist start the second phase of the treatment — using dental braces.

The two-phase treatment method will necessarily entail more time and expense. However, if initial treatment or prior orthodontic evaluation was made, the second phase will be shorter.

Depending on the severity of the dental problems, the prerogative generally rests upon the orthodontist. However, if you feel having dental braces would be the best choice for you and your kid, consult and share your thoughts with your orthodontist.

Symptoms and Possible Complications of Impacted Wi

Our wisdom teeth are the last batch of adult teeth to grow. When we reach a certain age in our adulthood, these molars emerge at the back of our mouth. Most people have four wisdom teeth — two each for the top and bottom.

However, they can cause dental problems for some people, resulting in pain, discomfort and vulnerability to serious complications. Since they were the last ones to emerge, some wisdom teeth don’t have enough room to grow normally. Some people may also have problems adjusting to these newly grown teeth, causing them to bite a portion of the inside walls of their cheeks at the back of the mouth.

Most people are enticed to remove wisdom teeth. In fact, some dentists opt to remove them to prevent future complications.

The usual symptoms of impacted wisdom teeth include pain and discomfort, which may be accompanied by headache. There may also be redness and swelling of the gums; worse, the gums are tender or bleeding. Sometimes, the jaws may also hurt and become swollen. Damage or trauma to the wisdom teeth could cause bad breath and an unpleasant taste in the mouth as well as the likelihood of tooth decay.

Impacted wisdom teeth may damage the neighboring molars, making them vulnerable to infection. The growth of the wisdom teeth may also cause crowding of the other teeth. This may also result in gum disease due to the difficulty of cleaning the impacted wisdom teeth.

If you experience discomfort, swelling or any symptom that may have to do with your wisdom teeth, see a dentist.

Phases of a Dental Brace Treatment

To correct misalignment or crowding of teeth, orthodontists use dental braces. These wire-based oral appliances also offer remedy for crooked teeth, overbite and underbite and other jaw misalignment conditions. Most people start wearing dental braces during their early adolescence when their baby teeth have just fallen out and adult teeth started to grow. However, some people don’t wear them until adulthood.

Dental brace treatment consists of three phases. First, the orthodontist will make the initial placement of the dental braces. This procedure typically lasts for 45 minutes. The orthodontist will attach the brackets to the premolar and front teeth. Brackets may come in stainless steel, ceramic, titanium or polycarbonate material.

Ring-like bands will also be attached to the molar teeth by encircling them. These bands are usually made of stainless steel or titanium. Flexible archwires hold the brackets and bands in their places and control the teeth’s movements. They are made of elastic material.

The second phase of dental brace treatment is periodic adjustments. Every four to six weeks, the orthodontist will adjust and tighten the brace wires. This change in pressure will help shift the teeth to their new positions gradually.

It is normal to feel slight discomfort for a couple of days after an adjustment. This condition can be eased with over-the-counter pain relievers.

The third and last phase of dental brace treatment is removal. During this phase, the orthodontist will replace the dental braces with retainers to stabilize the positions of the newly straightened teeth.