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Non-extraction treatmentsSummary
For this to succeed, patients must be seen early enough - by 9 or 10 years of age - so that treatment can be carried out while there are still some baby (deciduous) teeth present. Case histories 6 , case 7 and case 8 show the treatment methods used at Chapel Road.
Background
Recent years have seen increasing interest in methods of treatment that do not require the extraction of permanent teeth. This has come about for several reasons:- Tooth extraction has never been the most popular procedure for either patient or Dentist. It has been realised, in recent years, that many extraction cases have faces that have not benefited from the loss of adult teeth - the facial profile and breadth of smile may sometimes suffer in extraction cases where the starting profile was not protrusive. In the USA, most Orthodontic cases in the average practice are treated non extraction. In this country it is around 30%. A much greater emphasis has long been placed on "the California Smile" in the states, with a broad dentition and prominent smile. To be effective, non extraction treatment (arch development) has to start in the late mixed dentition, before the last baby teeth are shed. Typically, this will be at around 9 or 10 years of age. If all baby teeth have been lost (around 11 years), then it is usually too late for this type of treatment, since the opportunity to influence important aspects of facial growth has been lost. At Chapel Road, Dr Horobin uses a particular type of arch development, which is well tried and highly successful. The Appliances We Use The type of arch development we carry out uses a standard sequence of different braces.
Firstly, a removable brace on the top teeth, that we call a Nudger This starts the backward movement of the 1st molars, which begins to create the space that the front teeth need. |
On the lower teeth, a Lip Bumper is fitted.
An upper arch expansion plate, called an ELSAA (Expansion and Labial Segment Alignment Appliance), is very often used to widen the upper teeth, particularly where the upper jaw is excessively narrow.
Treatment is usually completed with standard fixed appliances. These apply detail to the position of the teeth - a process which only takes a few months, as they are already almost in their ideal positions.
An example of these appliances in action can be seen in case history 6 , case 7 and case 8.
Non-extraction, arch development treatments are carried out on a private basis only. If you are interested in this approach to your child's orthodontic problem, be sure to mention this at your initial consultation. |
Why are my child's teeth so crowded ?
This is a question which has fascinated me for many years and so I will take a few lines to answer it. Dental malocclusion (crowded and twisted teeth) is a modern dental plague. It has only existed, to any noticeable extent, since the industrial revolution. A little while ago, I had the chance to examine many Neolithic skulls, from "The Tomb of the Eagles", Orkney. These skulls were all about 5,000 years old and to the eye of an Orthodontist, there was one quite extraordinary thing about them - they almost all had perfectly straight teeth!
Yet numerous recent surveys have shown that about 60% of modern children need orthodontic treatment for crowded and crooked teeth. Why the difference? After all, we are genetically identical to both Neolithic and Elizabethan people. |
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