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All physical human traits are inherited by children from their parents. One of these traits is the size, shape and position of the teeth and the jaw bones. Many a times a mix of these traits from the father and the mother do not match very well and either the teeth are too big for the jaws of vice versa.  An "ORTHODONTIST" is a dentist who specializes in correcting these situations. An ORTHODONTIST will shift and manipulate teeth positions slowly and bring them into alignment with the help of wires and various kinds of appliances. An ORTHODONTIST can usually predict the growth patterns from the ages of 7 to 8 onwards with the help of X-rays of the jaw bones. Various measurements can be made on the X-rays and a growth pattern can be predicted which helps in determining if the teeth will be properly aligned or not.  Minor discrepancies can usually be solved with the help of simple appliances which can be worn by the patient for a few hours everyday. If the discrepancy is substantial the ORTHODONTIST will have to generally use a fixed wire system. This kind of appliance is adjusted every 3 or 4 weeks and teeth are slowly shifted into the correct position. Such treatments will easily take upto one and half to two years for complete correction.  An ORTHODONTIST undergoes specialized training to carry out such procedures. In India the field of ORTHODONTICS is one of the earliest specialized branches of dentistry to establish itself. Another area of great benefit to patients from an ORTHODONTIST is for cases of cleft palates. Cleft cases are children born with a defect due to which the upper jaw bone does not close in the midline and remains open. The ORTHODONTIST can make appliances which work in conjunction with a surgeon to close such clefts.  <====Back to Dental Dialogue

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