Orthodontics was the first recognized specialty field within dentistry. Orthodontics is correcting teeth that are not aligned properly including occlusion—the way your teeth close when biting down and chewing food. Haddad Medical and Dental Center (HMDC) specializes in this procedure.

This particular division of dentistry identifies, prevents, and treats irregularities of the face and jaw known as malocclusion. Read more about that below.

To correct any problems including the growth of the jaw, orthodontics incorporates the use of dentofacial orthopedics. This is where orthodontics manage tooth movement and dentofacial orthopedic (bone). Childhood development issues for young kids just might need dentofacial orthopedic therapy.

Orthodontics is all about braces. Invisalign®—the clear alternative to metal braces for patients and orthodontic straightening, improves your smile, and is the way to go.

Advantages With Invisalign® Aligners

Invisalign® braces, offered at our dental center in Abu Dhabi at our tooth braces practice, is where our Invisalign® specialists will evaluate your problems with your first consultation.

These clear aligners are comfortable, fit well, and adjust your teeth, so that your inside mouth is never jabbed by metal brackets and wires. Invisalign® shown on the right are removable whereas the metal braces shown on the left are not. You will never know you are wearing Invisalign® teeth aligners.

These astonishing invisible braces available at our office can be taken out when you are eating, brushing, or flossing your teeth.

The innovative invisible aligners will give you back your self-confidence with a smile you won’t try to hide. Most people will not notice you are wearing them!

For teens and most adults who don’t want to look as if they have aluminum foil chewing gum wrappers intertwining their teeth, decide on the Invisalign® aligners because they are almost invisible and are an alternative to the metal ones for teeth align-ing. This is the trendy method for teens and adults alike. Invisalign® aligners will do that just for you. Take your teenagers to our office for the best fit and look you can ask for to:

• Straighten teeth that are tilted, rotated, or misaligned,

• Reposition teeth that are spaced unevenly and crowded,

• Adjust your bite, and

• Align your lower and upper jaw.

We are Invisalign® experts and provide for you Invisalign® treatment to enhance the appearance of your teeth to have a more beautiful smile.

Children are easier, faster, and less costly to treat at an early age. Adults can be treated; however, they are more costly to treat. Children by age 7 should be seen and diagnosed by an orthodontist as is recommended by The American Association of Orthodontists. We will do that for your youngsters and teenagers and you too!

Misaligned Teeth

Teeth that are not aligned are diagnosed as malocclusion. For the most part, children have imperfect tooth alignment with an imperfect bite. A perfect bite is where:

• The teeth fit effortlessly with no crowding or spacing problems,

• Upper jaw teeth overlap the teeth of the lower jaw a slight amount,

• The teeth are not twisted, rotated, or leaning backward or forward,

• The molar grooves and points fit into the upper/lower molars perfectly, and

• Missing or extra teeth are included in the malocclusion diagnosis.

Malocclusion Roots

The causes for overcrowded teeth, too much space between teeth, missing or extra teeth, a number of disproportions with the face, jaw, and teeth have their roots in inheritance from parents. If a father has large teeth and the mother has a small jaw, the teeth might be too large for the jaw with overcrowding problems.

Other Malocclusion Causes

• Pacifiers, thumb, and finger sucking after age 4;

• Premature loss of baby teeth or permanent teeth and late loss of baby teeth;

• Biting of the lip or fingernails will misalign teeth;

• Jaw fractures from accidents can cause misalignment;

• Losing teeth causes teeth nearby to move into the empty space misaligning the existing teeth;

• Braces or crowns not fitted properly including fillings;

• Obstructed airways by swollen tonsils or adenoids;

• Periodontal disease; and

• Jaw or mouth tumors.

These issues can be corrected to have straight and perfectly aligned teeth.

Timeline for Baby Teeth

Parents like to know when their baby will have his or her baby teeth come in. Every baby will be different and the times shown in the graphs here are a general timeline for baby teeth coming in. They usually erupt the gums in pairs with the lower central incisors being first.

A few months later, the top 2 central incisors will come in. Some babies will have 4 lower teeth or 4 upper teeth come in and that’s going to be that baby’s method for his baby teeth coming in.

If your babies are born later, they might have their teeth come in at a different time.

See the graph below for the ages upper and lower teeth usually come in.

Malocclusion Signs

When children have a spurt in growth, they can experience mild, and temporary problems with malocclusion beginning gradually at about age 6.

• The incisors are the 2 large top front teeth known as central incisors, the ones on each side of the centrals are known as lateral incisors, and the pointed ones next are canine incisors that do not meet.

• Irregular spacing between teeth can happen for reasons such as teeth being too small or the dental arch is missing. This is when the jawbone that is shaped like an arch supporting the teeth can be too wide becoming problematic.

• Teeth that are not aligned or too crowded will be a problem.

• Having an open bite where the upper and lower incisors do not touch during biting putting the chewing pressure on the back teeth causing excessive wearing of teeth and inefficient mastication (chewing).

• An overbite where the upper incisors project due to the lower jaw being shorter than the upper jaw.

• An underbite where the occlusion is the lower incisor teeth overlapping the upper teeth.

We hope this helps you to have an informed decision! To learn more about dentofacial orthopedics, and to find out if this type of treatment is right for you, please contact our HMDC in Abu Dhabi and schedule a preliminary consultation for yourself or your child. It’s never too early to have that great smile you’ve always wanted. We can’t wait to help you or your child get started.

If you are interested in Hollywood Smiles, read about that here too.

Call today for your Invisalign® consultation at: 971 2 632 5096