Hargo Basuki

Orthodontics is formally defined by the American Association of Orthodontics as ‘The area of dentistry concerned with the supervision, guidance and correction of the growing and mature dentofacial structures, including those conditions that require movement of teeth or correction of malrelationships and mal relationships between and among teeth and facial bones by the application of forces and.or the stimulation and redirection or the functional forces within the craniofacial complex’

history

Irregular teeth have been a major problem for some individuals since antiquity and attempts to correct them go back to at least 1000 B.C. Orthodontic appliances have been found from Greek and Etruscan materials.

Dr. Edward H. Angle was the first orthodontist—the first dentist to limit his practice to orthodontics only. He is considered the “Father of Modern Orthodontics.”
Also removable appliances, or “plates”, headgear, expansion appliances, and many other devices can be used to move teeth. Functional and orthopaedics appliances are used in growing patients (age 5 to 14) with the aim to modify the jaw dimensions and relationship if these are altered. (See Prognathism.) This therapy is frequently followed by a fixed multibracket therapy to align the teeth and refine the occlusion.
After a course of active orthodontic treatment, patients will often wear retainers, which will maintain the teeth in their improved position while the surrounding bone reforms around them. The retainers are generally worn full-time for a short period, perhaps 6 months to a year, and then worn periodically (typically nightly during sleep) for as long as the orthodontist recommends. It is possible for the teeth to stay aligned without regular retainer wear. However, there are many reasons teeth will crowd as a person ages; thus there is no guarantee that teeth, orthodontically treated or otherwise, will stay aligned without retention. For this reason, many orthodontists recommend periodic retainer wear for many years (or indefinitely) after orthodontic treatment.

Appropriately trained doctors align the teeth with respect to the surrounding soft tissues, with or without movement of the underlying bones, which can be moved either through growth modification in children or jaw surgery (orthognathic surgery) in adults.
Headgear & J-hooks for connection into the patient’s mouth.

Several appliances are utilized for growth modification; including functional appliances, Headgear and Facemasks.

These “orthopedic appliances” may influence the development of an adolescent’s profile and give an improved aesthetic and functional result.

Methods

If the main goal of the treatment is the dental displacement, most commonly a fixed multibracket therapy is used. In this case orthodontic wires are inserted into dental braces, which can be made from stainless steel or a more aesthetic ceramic material.