If you have ever heard a fancy word for orthodontics and you want to know what orthodontics is, you should keep reading this complete guide. This guide is majorly focusing on covering orthodontics meaning, orthodontics treatment and the costs of orthodontics treatments. According to some dictionaries, orthodontics means a treatment of irregularities between teeth. The meaning of orthodontic treatment is to use some techniques and equipment to fix those irregularities between the teeth or jaws. So, what an orthodontist is: a person who does the orthodontic treatment.
Let’s have an overview of orthodontics and its major types.
What Is Considered as an Orthodontic Treatment?
Any dental procedure that is used to fix the misalignment of the teeth or any irregularities between the jaw to cause biting problems is considered as an orthodontic treatment. Some major orthodontic treatments are fixing the bad bite, irregular gaps between teeth and misaligned teeth.
Are Braces Called Orthodontics?
Yes, braces are also called orthodontics because according to the orthodontics meaning: dental procedures that cures the irregularities of teeth like misalignment are called orthodontics. Braces are also used to fix the misalignment of the teeth, so braces can also be called orthodontic treatment.
What Does Orthodontics Do?
Orthodontics are all about creating a healthy and normal bite for everyone. Orthodontic treatment means to create a normal bite where both upper and lower jaws have aligned teeth. Due to misaligned teeth, a person may face trouble while speaking, eating or smiling.
Is Orthodontic the Same as Dentist?
Dentist is a general term for a person who does dental treatment while orthodontic is an advanced dental treatment that is majorly concerned with the teeth alignment and normal bite. Every orthodontist is a dentist but not every dentist is an orthodontic. To become an orthodontist, a dentist may need to do some specialization in orthodontics.
What's the Difference between Orthodontic and Dental?
Dental treatment in general is all about taking care of teeth via teeth cleaning, scaling and polishing; however, an orthodontic is an advanced treatment that emphasizes on correcting the teeth alignment so a patient can have a normal bite and charming smile. That’s why, an orthodontic treatment demands an expert of orthodontics whereas routine dental checkup can be done by any dentist.
How Often Are Orthodontist Appointments?
Usually an orthodontics appointment is recommended after every four to six weeks for a patient who is going through an orthodontic treatment. The number of orthodontist appointments varies upon several factors like the type of orthodontic treatment, specific teeth conditions and the schedule of an orthodontist.
Following are some of the suggested appointments for different orthodontics in Glen Burnie MD.
1) Braces
If you go with the braces for an orthodontic treatment, you should expect the regular orthodontist appointments after every 4-8 weeks to retighten the braces. This process continues until your teeth are fully aligned.
2) Invisalign
An orthodontic treatment with invisalign generally requires lesser orthodontic appointments than braces because invisalign is a customized tray according to your jaw size. In the very first appointment, an orthodontist may check the condition of your teeth and compare it with an ideal jaw position to fix your bite. Then, you may be given your customized invisalign to wear most of the time to put continuous pressure on your teeth, so they can be moved into their ideal positions. This orthodontic treatment requires just 2-3 professional appointments with an orthodontist because it’s all about your responsible behavior of keeping the invisalign on teeth for the 12-18 hours daily.
How Much Does Orthodontics Cost on Average?
On average an orthodontic treatment to fix your teeth alignment and your bite may cost you around $3000-$7000 depending on the particular orthodontic treatment, your teeth condition, number of orthodontics appointments, your living state and your dental insurance.
Here are some of the average estimations for several orthodontics treatment methods:
- If you go with the traditional metal braces to fix your bite, you may have to bear the expense of $3000-$8000.
- The ceramic braces that are clear and customized colored braces to match with your natural teeth color may be more expensive than metallic braces. They may cost you around $3500-$8500.
- If you want to have an invisalign orthodontic treatment, that can be around $3500-$7000 depending on your number of orthodontic appointments. Invisalign are slightly more expensive than braces but you don’t have to bear the regular orthodontist visit during invisalign treatment.
- Lingual braces are the most expensive orthodontic treatment because they require advanced equipment and careful strategy to put the braces on the back of your teeth closer to tongue, so that they won’t appear while speaking, eating or smiling. Their average cost ranges between $5000-$12000.
If you are having a dental insurance that covers the orthodontic treatment as well, you may get upto 50% compensation on your overall orthodontic treatment via metal braces, ceramic braces, lingual braces or invisalign. Consult your insurance companies in Maryland that cover dental in Glen Burnie.
