Most people are familiar with the orthodontic treatment we offer at Quality Orthodontic Care, but some may wonder what our orthopedic treatment is and how it differs from orthodontics. Dr. John Fleming clears up your questions about our orthodontics and orthopedics in Alpharetta, Georgia, by providing the information below. Please contact our orthodontist at 770-901-2433 if you would like to learn more.
Orthodontics specifically deals with the misalignment of teeth. For this treatment, we use braces to fix a bad bite by straightening crooked, crowded or gapped teeth. Orthopedic treatment, in contrast, deals with improving the skeletal structure of your face and jaw. The dentofacial appliances of expanders can widen a narrow jaw, and headgear can improve your chin’s position and profile to fix an overbite, cross bite or underbite.
Often orthodontic treatments and dentofacial orthopedic treatments are combined in order to give you the best results. There may be multiple phases of a treatment, and it is best to start the orthopedic portions when a child is seven or eight years old because it will have the most effect during this time. When your child experiences orthodontic and orthopedic treatments, then they can have healthier teeth and a stronger bite in the years to come.