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The orthodontist is a fundamental figure for the aesthetics and functionality of the teeth. Thanks to its studies, it allows to face and solve some defects, at all ages. And it is important to follow the instructions of the experts, just as it is essential to be perfectly in line with the hygiene of the mouth.
However, it should be remembered that the bacterial population of the oral cavity must also be controlled. And in this sense, the appliance, especially if the rules are not observed, it can become a “spring” that can change the microbiota and therefore facilitate the onset of periodontal disease, that is, diseases of the gums and the tissue surrounding the tooth. A reminder of this is a research conducted by the experts of the University of Hiroshima, published in Scientific Reports.
Important to clean carefully
Although we often don’t remember it, the microbiota of the mouth is particularly rich. It is in fact the second population, after that of the intestine, within the human body.
For this reason, the Japanese scholars have focused on what happens to these bacteria in the presence of orthodontic treatments, studying the microbiota before, during and after the positioning of the device. The changes would be related to the presence of plaque which can form at the appliance.
The study monitored what happened in over 70 patients by identifying a condition typical of periodontal disease, with a higher percentage of anaerobic bacteria (which live in the absence of oxygen) than the “friendly” strains of the mouth during treatment. According to experts, therefore, an oral condition is created, which, on the front of the bacterial population present, appears similar to the microbiota of the transition phase from healthy gum to periodontitis.
The opinion of the specialist is required
“Crooked” teeth have always been a problem since ancient times, so much so that the first attempts at therapy date back to 1000 BC. At the beginning of the last century the goal of orthodontics, that is the correct position of the teeth, was not only the dental alignment but also the achievement of a good occlusion and therefore of a good chewing function.
Today by orthodontics, or rather orthodontics, we mean instead that specialty of dentistry aimed at solving not only the functional and chewing problems of the growing patient and the adult but also at the resolution of the aesthetic problems of the smile and facial proportions.
Today the orthodontist must ask himself an important question before planning a treatment: how can the orthodontic tooth movement for the correction of the bite and for the achievement of the chewing function modify the facial and smile features in compliance with the current concept of facial aesthetics. In short, it is necessary to understand if the therapy, however necessary, it can affect facial expression.
The whole process of diagnosis and treatment starts today from this analysis and from the study of the profile of the soft tissues of the face, such as nose, lips, cheeks and chin, and of their proportions. Once you have “drawn” the oval of the face, you can think about planning the treatment to obtain the best aesthetic results. Without forgetting that it is necessary that the teeth of the maxilla and mandible “combine” with each other and allow a valid chewing, which represents one of the objectives of a correct orthodontic result.
Several studies on facial aesthetics and the introduction into clinical practice of new aids, both in the form of devices that help “Straighten” the teeth both with mixed treatments that also include minor surgical interventions, allow the “smile experts” to intervene effectively in resolving the aesthetic and functional problems of both growing patients and adult patients.
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