Many adults get orthodontic treatment

If you’re considering orthodontic treatment, you’re not alone. Over more recent years, orthodontists from all over New Zealand have been treating more and more adults with braces and clear aligners. Adults have well and truly shaken off the adolescent stigma attached to braces.

It’s never too late to improve your smile, or problems like overbite. Modern orthodontic treatments give you a wide range of options to get the smile you want, including metal, clear braces and behind-the-teeth braces or clear aligners. 

If you’re self-conscious about the state of your teeth, then orthodontic treatment can help give you the confidence to live a happier, healthier life.

Who should I see?

So you’ve finally decided to get the smile of your dreams, but who should you trust to carry out this treatment and give you the ideal result? Only a specialist orthodontist can provide the best treatment options for you.

Orthodontists dedicate their lives to continuously update their knowledge in the field of orthodontics. Orthodontics is all they do, all day, every day. In fact, your specialist orthodontist was first a trained and experienced general dentist before undergoing additional accredited specialisation. This involved being selected for an extremely competitive position to train for an additional 3 years of full time university study. Those 3 years of full time commitment are a big deal, and your smile is a big deal too.

How are orthodontists different to dentists?

All orthodontists were dentists first.

Orthodontists

-Orthodontists are registered dental specialists who have also completed an additional three years of full-time university training in orthodontics, facial growth and development, biology and biomechanics. They hold a General Dental Degree and a Specialist Orthodontic Degree. 

-Orthodontists diagnose and treat crooked teeth, bad bites and poorly aligned jaws.

-Orthodontists are experts in all orthodontic treatment options and technologies for children, teens and adults.

Dentists

-Similar to your family GP medical doctor, dentists are general practitioners who can diagnose and treat problems and common diseases that affect your teeth, mouth and gums. Dentists complete a General Dental Degree.

-Dentists are experts in general dental care. They perform cosmetic dental procedures such as tooth whitening, porcelain veneers and crowns.

-Dentists are not trained at university in fitting braces or managing other orthodontic treatments. So most will refer patients requiring orthodontic treatment to specialist orthodontists.

Do I need a referral to an orthodontist?

You don’t need a referral from a dentist to see an orthodontist. But it’s a good idea to first see your family dentist for a check-up, and then request a referral to a specialist orthodontist that they have a good working relationship with. Check that your orthodontist is a registered specialist.

Have metal braces changed

Absolutely! We might call them traditional metal braces, but the reality is that they have evolved a lot since they first came into use. They’re not the same braces as you might remember from your own childhood. These days they’re smaller and subtler, but more effective. With each helpful technological advancement in the field of orthodontics you can rest assured that your orthodontist is across these developments and knows how to best use them.

Does that mean that metal braces are the only option for my family?

There are reasons why metal braces are the most common form of orthodontic treatment. They’re one of the most cost-effective options, they’re able to perform the full range of complex tooth movements, and their results have been proven to be both safe and predictable. However, metal braces are not the only option. Ceramic clear braces, lingual braces or clear aligner treatments like Invisalign® can be just as effective in achieving an optimal result. Your orthodontist will help you select the best type of treatment for you.

Why do I need to get orthodontic treatment for a second time?

Orthodontic treatment is something many of us had as teenagers and then expected our smile to go the distance. However, in some cases we may need to consider orthodontic treatment again later in life. There are a lot of reasons your teeth may have shifted over time and if your smile has become crooked or your teeth are uneven again, you may need to have orthodontic treatment for a second time.

Teeth will naturally shift and change their position as we age, with varying effects on your smile, but here are some of the most common causes of shifting that we see:

- Not wearing your retainers as recommended

- Developing bad habits, such as  bruxism (chronic grinding of your teeth) or clenching due to stress

- Accidents, trauma and tooth loss

- Poor oral hygiene/Gum Disease

Do I really need to get orthodontic treatment for a second time?

That really is up to you and the decision will probably be based mostly on how you feel about the way your teeth look when you smile. Having orthodontics for a second time might mean that you’ll only need a short course of treatment with clear aligners or partial braces for a few months to correct minor issues. Make an appointment with an orthodontist to discuss what your options are and what the best course of treatment would be for the health of your smile. These days, it’s not uncommon for parents to undergo treatment alongside their child; often orthodontic treatment just wasn’t an option when patients were teens, be it due to the cost or lack of accessibility. Additionally, parents see firsthand the great results that can be achieved with treatment and decide to undergo treatment themselves.