At Upper East Smiles, we offer many dental treatments, including the services of an orthodontist for the New York, NY area. An orthodontist is a dental doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, correction, and treatment of bad bites due to teeth being overcrowded or placed in an abnormal way that may affect the way you eat, speak or smile. They create a healthy bite by straightening your teeth.
Orthodontists are most commonly associated with braces, particularly if you are a child, but they offer many more services and options, including lip and jaw realignment. More recently, adults have been actively seeking out smile correction by utilizing the services of an orthodontist.
Types of Orthodontic Treatments
In most cases, an orthodontist will need a comprehensive approach involving several types of orthodontic treatments. Your orthodontist will likely treat you for between one and three years, and that is why residents of New York, NY, needing an orthodontist should seek treatment from a dental practice like Upper East Smiles, which is easy to reach for appointments. Orthodontic treatments are broken down into three main categories.
Braces
Braces are small brackets placed on your teeth with dental cement using wire and elastics to hold them together. They apply pressure to your teeth and force them to move. Braces are a gradual process, and your orthodontist will tighten the wires every few weeks to move the teeth into the correct alignment.
While a dentist may fit braces themselves, they will more often refer you to an orthodontist specializing in dental and facial irregularities or malocclusion.
Aligners
Aligners are plastic and look a bit like mouth guards, and they are placed over the teeth and usually worn overnight while you are sleeping. Similar to a plastic retainer that holds teeth in place after braces, an aligners benefit is that they are removable and less noticeable than braces. Like braces, they gradually correct teeth alignment, and new sets of aligners are made regularly as your teeth move into place.
Surgical Interventions
Occasionally, surgical correction is required to improve a bad bite, particularly if the position of the jaw bone is the cause of the bad bite. Other surgical interventions include removing excess teeth or moving them from the palate.
Contact Us
If you have more questions about orthodontists or need the services of an orthodontist in New York, NY, or any other kind of dental service, then contact Upper East Smiles at (646) 864-1808 so that you can have straight teeth and a confident smile!