When you see the word “orthodontics,” you probably think about the teeth, right? While aligning the teeth is an important part of what we do here at Cordes Orthodontics, Dr. Cordes has many more tools to give his patients their dream smiles and enjoy better health. This includes dentofacial orthopedics, which is a type of treatment that corrects issues in the bones that surround and support the teeth. For both children and adults, Dr. Cordes can use dentofacial orthopedics in our Enfield, CT orthodontic office to address major bite problems as well as dramatically improve the overall appearance of the face, not just the smile.
Dentofacial orthopedics is able to improve the overall shape of the face and jaw, so it’s able to help patients with pronounced overbites, under bites, or overly narrow faces. This can not only correct problems with the bite and teeth, but it can also help a patient breathe more easily by opening up the airway, which is likely to lead to better sleep and better overall health.
This kind of treatment is best applied with young children before the bones of their face and jaw have fully hardened. It is typically used in tandem with more traditional orthodontic treatments like braces in order to solve any alignment issues as well as guide the oral development of a child. When you bring your child to see Dr. Cordes, he’ll inform you whether or not they could benefit from dentofacial orthopedics, what the treatment will entail, and how long it will take.
Because an adult’s bones are more set, dentofacial orthopedics typically takes more time in older patients. Many who had braces as a child but still aren’t happy with their appearance are able to achieve the results they want through dentofacial orthopedics, as it can correct bite problems beyond the realm of regular braces and increase the symmetry of the face.