Why Orthodontic Treatment?
Crowded teeth can cause many other problems, especially aesthetic appearance. Crooked teeth are more difficult to clean and therefore more prone to cavities and gum disease. When the teeth do not close properly, problems can occur in the jaw joint and the muscles that provide jaw movements. Deformities in the teeth cause speech disorders and some sounds cannot be produced properly.

Orthodontic treatment, which can be performed at any age, corrects functional and aesthetic problems and improves the quality of life.

Causes of orthodontic problems;

• Genetics
• Mouth breathing
• Finger sucking
• Prolonged use of a false pacifier
• Early extraction of deciduous teeth and failure to apply space maintainers
• Wisdom teeth

Before starting orthodontic treatment, all other treatments (filling, extraction, gum treatment, etc.) must be completed. In this process, your orthodontist will analyze your caries risk and guide you for the necessary preventive treatments.

What to Expect During Orthodontic Treatment?
The most important point in orthodontic treatment is to ensure oral hygiene. Our brackets and wires create holding areas around our teeth and cause our teeth to get dirty more easily. For this reason, oral and dental care should be more detailed. In order to prevent any problems in the teeth and gums, it is necessary to clean the area around the brackets completely. For this purpose, there are orthodontic toothbrushes specially produced for orthodontic patients. Your orthodontist will inform you about brushing, flossing and oral care details.

What to Do After Orthodontic Treatment?
Once the teeth have been straightened with orhodontic treatment, active treatment is terminated. After the brackets are removed, the teeth are cleaned. The preservation of the result obtained with orthodontic treatment is as important as the treatment itself. For this purpose, fixed or removable retainers are made.
Fixed guards are made especially on the inner surfaces of the front teeth, fixing the teeth together. These guards are made of special wires, do not interfere with speaking and brushing and are applied to the inner surfaces of the teethso that they are not visible from the outside.
Removable guards are made of thin and transparent materials, made by taking impressions of the teeth. These transparent protectors are also invisible from the outside and can be removed at any time. Your orthodontist will decide which of these two types of retainers is right for you.

At What Age Should I Bring My Child for Orthodontic Examination?
It is useful to perform the first orthodontic examination of the child at the age of 6-7 years, after the upper and lower front teeth erupt. During this period, problems with the development of the jaws and the permanent teeth can be recognized. With an early diagnosis, skeletal disorders that are more difficult to treat in the future can be easily treated and situations that require tooth extraction can be prevented. In addition, the duration of treatment can be shortened and the cost of treatment can be reduced.

How Long Does Orthodontic Treatment Take?
The duration of orthodontic treatment depends on many factors. However, the most important factor affecting the duration of orthodontic treatment is the severity of the orthodontic problem. Although the average duration of treatment is 12-18 months, the duration of treatment can vary between 6-30 months depending on the severity of the problem.

Are there any foods that should not be consumed during orthodontic treatment?
During treatment, acidic drinks and foods such as chewing gum, sweets and caramel should be avoided. Hard foods such as apples, quince and carrots should not be bitten into during treatment . It is appropriate to eat such foods in small pieces. It is also recommended not to consume sandwiches, toast, hamburger type foods that are consumed by biting during the treatment period. Nuts such as hazelnuts, walnuts, chickpeas and foods such as cherries, plums and olives should not be consumed during the treatment period as there is a possibility of damage to the brackets and wires.

How Frequent Should Orthodontic Appointments Be? Is the Orthodontic Treatment Time Shorter with More Frequent Visits?
Appointments are organized according to the patient’s condition. In patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment, the frequency of appointments varies between 4-6 weeks. In special cases requiring more frequent check-ups, appointments are arranged accordingly.

Will Stains Remain on My Teeth After Removing Braces?
When the teeth are brushed correctly and regularly during orthodontic treatment, there will be no stains on the teeth. The so-called stains are the beginnings of caries that occur when brushing is insufficient .

Do Braces Affect Speech?
The wires do not directly affect speech. Only during the one-week adaptation period after the braces are inserted, a slight change in speech may be observed.

Are there invisible wires?
In recent years, the use of tooth-colored porcelain braces, which are less conspicuous than metal braces, has increased. In addition, bracket systems placed on the tongue-facing surfaces of the teeth (lingual braces) have been developed.

Depending on the treatment process, you and your doctor can decide which material (metal or porcelain brackets) to use.

What is invasilgn?

In appropriate cases, crowding can be corrected without brackets and wires by using transparent molds. It is necessary to use these patient-specific molds, which will be changed every two weeks, for about 20 hours a day. The duration of treatment varies from 2 to 24 months depending on the case. During this time, the aligners should only be removed when eating, drinking or brushing teeth.

Approximately two weeks after the treatment, a new aligner is inserted, there are minor differences between the new and previous aligner that will straighten the teeth. Wearing aligners is a step to make the teeth look better.

Removable Appliances

Acrylic palate and wires that hold it in the mouth, which can be worn and removed by the patient. These appliances are used to perform simple tooth movements, to widen narrow jaws in children, and in some cases to prepare for treatment before fixed treatment or for reinforcement after treatment. The wearing time of removable appliances will be determined by your orthodontist.

Functional Appliances

These are special appliances that young patients can mostly put on and take off by themselves in order to correct the distorted relationship of the upper and lower jaws (skeletal problems). It is used in combination with fixed orthodontic appliances, especially in cases where the upper or lower jaw is behind or in front.