Conditions

We endeavour to treat our patients with care and strive to obtain the best result possible in enjoyable and relaxed surroundings. Geelong & Colac Orthodontics use sophisticated equipment, facilities and advanced technology for your treatment. As with most areas of science and medicine, there are constant improvements which we take advantage of in order to give you the best possible results.

Our Geelong Orthodontics practice is conveniently located at Suite 1, 27-31 Myers St in Geelong. This practice has been purpose built and incorporates stunning rooms to ensure you achieve the smile you deserve.

Colac Orthodontics has been established for 30 years and is located on 93 Gellibrand St in Colac.

Each of our practices are designed to offer the greatest comfort to our patients, combined with the latest technical advancements. Our patients don’t take long to realise that patient care and service are paramount to us. Our Orthodontists go to many congresses and courses in order to remain on the cutting edge of orthodontic practice and knowledge. Our doctors have presented information on numerous orthodontic subjects to many orthodontic organisations around the world. We implement this knowledge throughout all aspects of our approach, which is particularily evident in the environments we have created to deliver unique and successful orthodontic treatments.

Every patient of ours is given personal attention and treated with the utmost respect at every visit.

Openbite

An openbite is when the top and bottow rows of teeth do not meet, creating an opening between the teeth despite the jaw being closed. An openbite may be caused by tongue thrust swallowing, thumb sucking, the use of pacifiers or dummies. Openbites can lead to difficulties chewing and hence digestion problems, and can affect speech due to the tongue being expressed anteriorly.

Prominent Lower Jaw

A prominent lower jaw is often associated with a retruded upper jaw and early treatment is often recommended to try and achieve a favourable anterior tooth relationship. These patients often have anterior teeth that bite in a reverse position, ie. the lower front teeth are in front of the uppers. Rapid maxillary expansion appliances, reverse headgears, partial/full braces are treatment modalities that may be suggested.

In a non-growing adult patient jaw surgery is another option.

Retruded Lower Jaw

A retruded lower jaw is often an inherited trait and gives the appearance that the upper teeth are protrusive.

The orthodontist decides clinically and with the aid of radiographs as to the degree of lower jaw retrusion. The use of functional appliances, such as the Herbst appliance, is often a treatment of choice to improve the lower jaw position, the profile, and the tooth position in a growing patient. Jaw surgery is an option in a mature, non-growing patient.

Rotated Teeth

When front teeth are rotated they can affect a person’s facial appearance and smile. When posterior teeth have rotated this can cause: Food traps; an incorrect occlusion (bite) with the opposing tooth may cause tooth damage; long term gum problems.

Peg Lateral

When a lateral incisor does not develop properly it can be left looking smaller and pointier than a normal incisor and sometimes a slightly odd shape. Peg laterals are commonly seen to be an hereditary condition but can be repaired by having the dentist make the tooth a more realistic size with more appropriate dimensions.

Spacing

Spacing, the opposite of crowding, is an excess of space between permanent teeth. It occurs when there is a disharmony in the tooth to jaw size relationship and can be caused by impacted or missing teeth, protrusive teeth, thumbsucking, and aberrant swallowing patterns.

Spacing should be treated because it can result in the improper functioning of teeth due to an improper bite, food packing problems, etc.. Also, many patients and parents do not like the aesthetics of spaces between teeth.

Supernumerary (extra) Tooth

Hyperdontia is the condition of having supernumerary teeth, or extra teeth which appear in addition to the regular number of teeth. The most common supernumerary tooth is a mesiodens, which is a malformed, peg-like tooth that occurs between the maxillary central incisors.

There is evidence of hereditary factors leading to this condition. Many supernumerary teeth never erupt, but they may delay eruption of nearby teeth or cause other dental problems. Dental radiographs are used to diagnose hyperdontia.

Diastema

The term diastema is used to describe a gap or open space between the upper incisors. A diastema may be caused by an unequal relationship between the size of the jaw and teeth. The pulling action of the tissue around the lip (labial fraenum) can push the teeth apart creating a diastema.

Diastemas are usually closed with the use of braces to move the teeth together. After the active treatment a retainer is required to hold the teeth in their new position while gum tissue stabilises.

Orthodontists may suggest a fraenectomy, ie. removing the fraenum from between the upper incisors to create some scar tissue to minimise the chance of the space reopening after the orthodontic therapy.

Overjet

When the top front teeth sit too far forward over the bottom front teeth it is known as an increased overjet. It may be caused by thumb sucking, having a naturally forward tongue posture, sucking of the lower lip, or simply having a shorter lower jaw than upper jaw. Having the upper teeth protruding forward in such a way can make them very susceptible to accidents and injury. It can also cause problems with lip closure, gum problems, and also chewing.

Overbite

A deep overbite is when the top front teeth overlap the bottom front teeth by too much in a vertical dimension when the jaw is closed. Sometimes the teeth may make contact with the gums, which can cause inflammation and gum irritation.

Missing Teeth

Missing teeth usually occurs due to hereditary factors, ie. a parent or relative is missing teeth. Other reasons why teeth may be missing include their loss because of tooth decay, gum disease, or trauma.

In any case, missing teeth – especially if the affected area is towards the front of the mouth – can affect the way you smile and the appearance of your face, hence making you feel self-conscious. The location of the missing tooth or teeth will also affect the decision of whether the missing tooth is replaced, or the space closed with orthodontic treatment.

Midline Discrepancy

A midline discrepancy occurs with the middle of the upper central incisors and the lower central incisors do not coincide. Midline discrepancy can occur due to problems with the size of a tooth or many teeth, asymmetrical jaw relationship or a posterior crossbite. This particular dental condition can sometimes contribute to jaw clicking and jaw pain, as well as excessive wear of the teeth.

Impacted Teeth

If a tooth fails to fully erupt, it is considered to be impacted. Wisdom teeth, the last teeth to erupt, are the most common teeth to become impacted. Without treatment, an impacted tooth remains stuck in the bone or gum tissue.

There are various reason why teeth may become impacted. There may be no room for the emerging tooth due to overcrowding. It may also be that teeth become tilted as they erupt, resulting in impacted teeth.

Impacted wisdom teeth are very common. They are often painless and cause no apparent trouble. Partially emerged teeth can be difficult to clean properly, giving way to gum inflammation, known as pericoronitis, and bad breath.

Impacted upper canine teeth are also relatively common and often require surgical exposure so that the orthodontist can then move them into the arch. These canine teeth are often impacted in the palate.

Crossbite

A crossbite is a positional problem where a lower tooth meets the wrong side of the opposing upper tooth. Crossbites can involve a single tooth or a group of teeth. It can be classified as anterior or posterior, affecting either the back teeth or front teeth.

Causes for crossbite include hereditary factors, thumb sucking or trauma to the teeth or jaw.

There are several therapies that can be used to correct a cross bite which include: braces, quad helix, rapid palatal expanders (RMEs), and removable plates.
The correct therapy is decided by the orthodontist, depending on the type and severity of the crossbite.

Crowding & Crooked Teeth

There are many reasons why teeth crowd, including: hereditary causes; tooth size vs jaw size discrepancies; and the premature loss of primary teeth due to decay, trauma, etc.

Malocclusion

A malocclusion is an incorrect occlusion of teeth, i.e. the manner in which opposing teeth meet. Most people have some degree of malocclusion, although it isn’t usually serious enough to require treatment. Those who have more severe malocclusions may require orthodontic treatment to correct the problem.

Malocclusions can be divided mainly into three types:

Class I:
Here the molar relationship of the occlusion is normal but the other teeth have problems like spacing, crowding, over- or under-eruption, etc.

Class II:
In this situation, the upper molars are too far forwards when compared to the lower molars. This results in the entire dentition being too far forwards with/without crowding. The lower jaw may be retrognathic (ie. retruded) and perhaps the orthodontist may consider a functional appliance as a treatment modality. There are two subtypes:

Class II Division 1: 
The molar relationships are like that of Class II and the anterior teeth are protruded.

Class II Division 2:
The molar relationships are class II but the central incisors are retroclined and the lateral teeth are somewhat proclined.

Class III:
Is when the lower front teeth are more prominent than the upper front teeth, ie. they are protruded. In this case the patient very often has a relatively large mandible or a small maxilla

Next steps

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