Annals and Essences of Dentistry
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Classification of Orthodontics and its Treatment

Sushma Yadav^{* *}Correspondence: Sushma Yadav, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA, Email:

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Description

It is the branch of dentistry that concerns with prevention, interception and correction of malocclusion and other dentofacial deformities. It includes all preventive and corrective procedures of dental irregularities requiring the repositioning of teeth by functional and mechanical means to establish normal occlusion and pleasing facial contours.

Malocclusion is defined as the abnormal or malpositioned relationship of the maxillary teeth to the mandibular teeth. It is caused due to some developmental causes such as congenitally missing teeth, malformed teeth, genetic causes, etc. The aim of orthodontic treatment is functional efficiency, structural balance, prevention of caries and periodontal diseases, prevention of trauma to anterior teeth, risk of root resorption, etc.

Patients with anterior open bites have difficulty in eating, especially incising food. The treatment should maintain a balance between teeth, surrounding soft tissue envelop and the associated skeletal structures. The correction of one should not be detrimental to other. Malalignment of teeth makes oral hygiene maintenance a difficult task, thereby increasing the risk of caries. The orthodontic reduce the risk by correction of malocclusion. Crowding lead to one or more teeth being squeezed buccally or lingually out.

Types

The orthodontics can be divided into 3 categories based on the nature and time of intervention namely preventive orthodontics, interceptive orthodontics and corrective orthodontics.

Preventive orthodontics: It is defined as the action taken to preserve the integrity of what appears to be normal occlusion at a specific time. The preventive measures may include caries control, anatomical dental restoration, space maintenance, transitory oral habit correction, genetic and congenital anomalies and supervising exfoliation of deciduous teeth.

Interceptive orthodontics: It is defined as the process of recognizing and eliminating the potential irregularities and malpositions in the developing dento-facial complex. This includes space regaining, correction of anterior and posterior crossbites, removal of hard or soft tissues that prevent the eruption of tooth, resolution of crowning and serial extraction.

Corrective orthodontics: It is defined as the process which recognizes the existence of malocclusion and the need for employing certain technical procedures to reduce or eliminate the defect. This procedure can be mechanical, functional or surgical in nature.

Orthodontic treatment

To reduce pain during the orthodontic treatment, low-level laser therapy, vibratory devices, chewing adjuncts, etc., are used. After completion of treatment, there is a tendency for teeth to relapse back to their pre-treatment positions. Approximately 50% of the patients, who undertook the orthodontic treatment, are reliable for the relapsation after 10 years completion of treatment. To prevent this, retainers are provided for majority of patients. These retainers are either fixed or removable.

Removable retainers are made of clear plastic, and they are custom-fitted for the patient’s mouth. Hawley retainer is also a removable orthodontic appliance made from a combination of plastic and metal. These will be used by the patients depending on their condition.

Conclusion

The abnormal relationship between the maxillary teeth and mandibular teeth is known as malocclusion. Strong relationship between the patient attitude and perception of discomfort are associated with the orthodontic appliances and overall compliance of treatment. Orthodontic treatment can ease pain related to temporomandibular joint disorder. Retainers are those which are used in the post treatment phase.