There is a big trend nowadays to get teeth straightening done with brands of braces that have been developed so that they can be delivered by a general dentist. It’s meant to save time and money for the patient and give the general dentist another income stream. And in certain cases, it works really well. But how do you know if your tooth misalignments are okay to get fixed with braces that general dentists use? The only way to be sure is to start with a consultation with the orthodontist in Stanmore.
Seeking the advice of an orthodontist in Stanmore means peace of mind when it comes to straightening teeth. Humans only get one set of adult teeth and if they are not straight, some can wear out more quickly than others, and they are also more prone to decay and gum disease because misaligned teeth are harder to keep free from plaque.
When you have a consultation with an orthodontist in Stanmore, you will be taking advantage of two to three years extra study and training beyond the five it takes to become a general dentist.
Orthodontists are trained to realign your teeth as well as your jaws, if necessary. Teeth can come through crowded, twisted, leaning in, leaning out and gappy. Jaw realignment is when the bottom and top teeth don’t meet together correctly because either the top or the bottom jaw sticks out beyond the other. Sometimes also the arch of the jaw is too narrow to accommodate all the teeth needs to be widened.
At the Centre for Dental Excellence, our orthodontist in Stanmore is Neil Patel. He is trained to fix problems that are already there but can also predict problems in children before all their adult teeth arrive. This gives an opportunity to guide misaligned teeth into the correct position, rather than waiting for them to descend and then correcting them.
The best age to bring a child for a consultation is around seven. If there are jaw problems, these need to be fixed before adulthood as after around age 18, the jaw sets hard and can no longer be manipulated.