Edgar Buildings Dental Care has the services of Helen Knight
BDS FDS RCS MSc M'Orth RCS.
She is the Orthodontic Consultant for the Royal United Hospital and Senior Lecturer in Orthodontics at Bristol Dental Hospital.

As with all dental specialities, Orthodontic techniques have improved both from an aesthetic and practical point of view over recent years. This means that Orthodontic treatment for Adults is a much more acceptable proposition in terms of time and cosmetic viewpoint than it has been in the past. Age is definitely no barrier to orthodontic care.
Fixed appliances are still the most frequently used treatment for malocclusion, especially for complex and combined treatment cases. They are capable of sophisticated tooth movement and offer a very high degree of accuracy in finishing. Ceramic (tooth-coloured) brackets have made the acceptability of fixed appliance care much greater. From six feet away, these braces are virtually invisible. Thermally reactive archwires made from nickel-titanium offer comfort, resilience and efficiency when compared to stainless steel wires.

For less complex movements, but offering accuracy of tooth movement, the Invisalign system is the definitive invisible appliance. Invisalign treatment utilises a series a series of custom made 'aligners', which are programmed using CAD technology to move the patient's teeth to the prescribed position. These appliances are invisible from one foot away. Invisalign can also be used for adolescent patients where the second molar teeth have erupted fully.

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Many restorative and periodontal problems are best handled with a combined speciality approach. For example:
o Up-righting of abutment teeth prior to construction of bridgework can result in a more satisfactory preparation by reducing the amount of dental tissue that needs to be removed.

o Orthodontic alignment of teeth can be useful as an adjunct to periodontal therapy, correcting imbricated teeth and creating self cleansing areas

Many skeletal discrepancies can be disguised with orthodontic camouflage but the more severe problems may require adjunctive orthognathic surgery.
In these days of self-awareness and interest in cosmetic treatments of all types, Orthodontic treatment for adult patients can provide a permanent improvement in function and appearance.

Where the alignment of the jaw is severe, an orthognathic approach may be required. This requires surgery to the jaws to slide into a normal relationship. The surgery is normally undertaken by a maxillo facial surgeon at a local hospital.