The future of Orthodontics could be cool. How could Orthodontics be cool you ask? Well, it would be cool to fix your teeth before you even had to wear braces. Orthodontics is the practice of straightening teeth to improve one’s life in a number of ways. The future practice of this type of medicine is becoming something unpredicted by former patients: fun.
It is a strange conclusion as an adult that my most looked forward to doctor visits was at my Orthodontist. Considering the image Hollywood movies and TV have imprinted about going to the dentist, one would expect that orthodontist visits would remind me of awkward teen years and memories I wish we didn’t have, but now and even then I found that Orthodontists and their practice fought hard battles to prove these ideas unmerited. When your child visit procedure begins by playing video games, checking out a fish tank flanked by a shark tank, and most of the work done had my favorite TV shows in the background, it’s easy not to mind going in for an appointment. This was not always the case.
In the 1980’s we had classic movies such as 16 Candles that portrayed a young Joan Cusack in her small role as a girl with headgear whose only available expression was a smile without turning her neck. The exaggerated scene only helped highlight the awkward interaction between Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald.
Today, it is amazing how far the practice has come. Through cringeworthy moments like that in Sixteen Candles and the advances in technology, orthodontics has been effective at shedding this image and as importantly the image we would have in the mirror without their work.
The headgear of many years earlier can now often be replaced by braces and braces can often be replaced by Invisalign. Today, Orthodontic practice places a keen focus not only on the parents who pay for these treatments, but also on the children who wear them. Orthodontic practice is being implemented in a way that keeps their self images in mind. Your teeth are often one of the first things people notice in you, especially when you are happily smiling or can’t help yourself from laughing.
Braces exist for several reasons and for a child many of these are intangible. The most tangible effect that braces, retainers, and Invisalign have on an adolescent patient is the change in appearance during treatment. Now a child’s self image can be improved in the shortest time in history with little change to how they look in the moment. This is greatly important for kids who haven’t yet established themselves and are looking for the confidence to embrace a personal identity.
Technology is advancing how accurately braces can improve your teeth, allowing doctors to know in advance when your teeth will shift. This allows them to put a system in place to avoid your teeth from ever shifting. Shifting teeth can affect the way you talk, eat and interact with other people. This is great news and the news is only getting better because the practice is making you better than you may have ever been before. Like what we have already seen in LASIK eye surgery. People who have treatments are winding up better than natural. This means that people who have braces today often have more beautiful sets of teeth than people who don’t need braces.