Dentistry is full of specialist terms, and patients often have no idea what they really mean. Periodontics, prosthodontics, orthodontics: all of these terms are in regular use, but what do they actually mean? Well, they are the medical terms of various different branches of knowledge in dentistry.
In order for any dentist to call themselves an orthodontist, for example, they need to complete 5 years of training to become a general dentist, and then another 2-3 years of postgraduate training to practise orthodontics in Harley Street.
Orthodontics in Harley Street is all about dental treatments that bring the jaws and teeth into alignment, so that they can do the job of eating, speaking and moving properly.
Not many people grow up with perfectly straight teeth. Often, children seem to have too many teeth for their jaws. This is not nature letting them down so much as being due to massive changes in diet that see us chewing far less than we used to, even compared to a couple of hundred years ago.
Chewing makes the jaw grow longer which then allows for plenty of room for the teeth. The modern diet of processed refined grains and fewer vegetables means that we all do far less chewing than we used to. Unfortunately, teeth are still designed for the days when there was a lot of chewing to be done and that’s why they can seem too big for the mouth.
Orthodontics in Harley Street can help solve this and other problems of alignment with the use of various treatments. Which treatment is needed depends on a variety of reasons. Simple, mild problems are easily solved with clear braces. More severe and complex problems will require treatments with more strength to pull the teeth into position, or to remodel the jawbone.
Any problems with the jawbone ideally need to be dealt with during childhood before the bone has set hard. For this reason, it’s a good idea to bring children in when they are around 7 years old for an orthodontic check-up.
Book your child in now, and help set them up for a lifetime of healthy, happy teeth.