Orthodontic treatment

1. Protruding teeth (buck teeth) – can be dental or skeletal in origin, where the upper front teeth are protruded.
2. Underbite – the lower teeth are positioned outside and the upper teeth inside, which increases stress on chewing and jaw joints.
3. Crowded teeth – the size of the dental arch and teeth do not match, leading to insufficient space and overlapping teeth.
4. Open bite – due to bite issues, the front or back teeth cannot meet vertically; even when the mouth is closed, there is an open space between the upper and lower teeth.
5. Deep bite (deep overbite) – excessive vertical overlap of the front teeth.
6. Gapped teeth – teeth are relatively small compared to jaw size, leaving small spaces between them.
7. Bimaxillary protrusion – both upper and lower jaws protrude; may be simple protrusion of both dental arches or accompanied by abnormal jaw positions.
8. Jaw asymmetry – the side relationship between the upper and lower jaws is unbalanced, dental midlines do not align, and the chin may deviate.
9. Bruxism – grinding teeth during sleep.
10. Post-extraction space issues – when a tooth is missing for a long time, surrounding teeth may tilt; upper teeth may over-erupt downward, or teeth may rotate in irregular directions.

1. Mismatch between tooth size and jaw size
2. Inconsistent size and shape of the upper and lower jaws
3. Congenital deformities
4. Birth injuries
5. Jaw fractures during childhood
6. Abnormal muscle function
7. Abnormal number of teeth
8. Premature loss of baby teeth
9. Impacted teeth
10. Bad habits

In orthodontic treatment, it is common to hear patients say they are afraid of tooth extraction and prefer tooth reduction or non-extraction options.
However, in a limited jaw space, orthodontic treatment requires room for movement. Extraction is simply one method used to achieve the desired results.
Patients do not need to worry that extractions will leave a large gap, make teeth loose and easy to fall out, or affect other teeth or chewing function.

Orthodontic treatment is a long process, and there can be many changes along the way. Therefore, it is recommended to consult an orthodontic specialist thoroughly before deciding on the treatment plan that best suits you.

Periodontitis is a common oral disease that often leads to inflammatory destruction of the periodontal supporting tissues, eventually causing alveolar bone loss, tooth mobility, and tooth loss.

Patients with periodontal disease who have crowded or overlapping teeth are often advised to undergo orthodontic treatment. The reason is that if crowding and overlapping remain uncorrected, it becomes difficult to keep the teeth clean, which can worsen periodontal symptoms.

The prerequisite for orthodontic treatment is having healthy gums. Therefore, periodontal disease should be treated first, and once the symptoms have improved, orthodontic treatment can begin.

Jaw deformities usually refer to the following conditions:

1. Severe misalignment between the upper and lower jaw bones

2. Large discrepancy in bite relationship (open bite)

3. A combination of the above two conditions

For patients with these issues, orthodontic treatment alone is often insufficient to achieve satisfactory aesthetic results and cannot fully resolve or improve the bite problem. The solution is a combined approach of orthodontics and orthognathic surgery, which generally includes three parts: pre-surgical orthodontics, orthognathic surgery, and post-surgical orthodontics.

The treatment process is as follows:

1. Pre-surgical Consultation
   – First visit, consultation, examination, and diagnosis
   – Discussion of the detailed pre- and post-surgical orthodontic process and treatment plan

2. Pre-surgical Orthodontics
   – Align and position the teeth to achieve a proper condition for surgery

3. Orthognathic Surgery
   – Adjust the jaw bones to improve bite alignment and facial appearance

4. Post-surgical Orthodontics
   – Typically done to fine-tune bite issues after surgery and stabilize the results
   – Usually starts about 2 months after surgery and lasts for about 6 months to 1 year
   – A retainer is required after completing treatment to maintain the results

A dental implant consists of three parts: the implant post, the abutment, and the crown.
Once the implant post is placed into the jawbone, it fuses tightly with the bone and will not be moved by tension or pressure. Therefore, a dental implant itself will not shift.
Depending on the patient’s oral condition, orthodontic treatment can still be carried out by using other teeth or auxiliary orthodontic appliances for support.

Cleft lip and palate is a congenital maxillofacial deformity involving clefts in the lip and palate tissue, maxillary misalignment, abnormal dental arch shape, and malocclusion. Orthodontic treatment, as part of the overall management for cleft lip and palate, requires close attention to the repair status of the lip and palate at each age stage. Between the ages of 8 and 12, orthodontic treatment can be carried out only after bone graft surgery has been performed and the maxilla and alveolar bone have fully healed.

Cleft lip and palate is a congenital maxillofacial deformity characterized by clefts in the lip and palate tissue, maxillary misalignment, abnormal dental arch shape, and malocclusion. Orthodontic treatment, as part of the overall management of cleft lip and palate, requires careful attention to the repair status of the lip and palate at each age stage. Between the ages of 8 and 12, orthodontic treatment can be performed only after bone graft surgery, once the maxilla and alveolar bone have fully healed.

After completing orthodontic treatment, the alveolar bone, periodontal tissues, and muscles have not yet fully stabilized, which can make the teeth prone to moving back to their original positions. To prevent this, patients are usually advised to wear a retainer for about three years, allowing the teeth to gradually settle into a natural and stable alignment.

Orthodontic treatment on teeth with porcelain crowns (or bridges) can be challenging. Porcelain restorations cannot withstand excessive force, which may limit the application of normal orthodontic pressure. Typically, the existing porcelain crowns need to be removed, and, depending on the health of the underlying teeth, new resin crowns may be placed before proceeding with orthodontic treatment.

Whether orthodontic treatment is feasible depends on several factors:

• The number of porcelain crowns

• The location of the porcelain crowns

• The condition of the porcelain crowns

A comprehensive evaluation of these factors and the overall oral condition is necessary to determine if orthodontic treatment is suitable.

Compared to adults, children’s bones are softer, and early treatment during jaw growth can reduce or even avoid the need for jaw surgery later. It can also decrease the likelihood of tooth extraction during adult orthodontic treatment. Children with the following conditions may require early intervention during the primary and mixed dentition stages.

Early treatment is especially important for children showing signs of underbite.

1. Premature loss of primary teeth without the eruption of permanent teeth, also known as congenital missing teeth.

2. Bad oral habits in children, such as thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, or mouth breathing, which can lead to malformation of the upper jaw and teeth.

3. Jaw development abnormalities during the 5–7 years old mixed dentition period, such as lower jaw protrusion causing an underbite.

4. Impacted teeth causing gaps between the front teeth that prevent them from aligning properly.

Note: Supernumerary teeth refer to having more teeth than normal. This can occur when extra tooth germs form during development, or a single tooth germ splits into two. They are most commonly found between the upper front teeth or behind the wisdom teeth.