1.General Information About the Faculty
Erciyes University Faculty of Dentistry was established on January 16.01.2001 and faculty members,lecturers and research assistants were appointed in most departments. Sufficient clinical, laboratory and administrative and auxiliary staff have been created. Education has actually started in the 2005-2006 academic year.Clinical and laboratory conditions are established and patient examinations and treatments are performed.
2. What is Orthodontic Treatment?
Orthodontics, a specialty of dentistry, is a branch of science that deals with the dental, jaw and facial complex in terms of normal structure ,development, anomalies and treatment of anomalies. In the past,this work was started for aesthetic purposes, and in time, its boundaries were expanded and reached it's present position. Today, the part of public addressed by orthodontics has expanded considerably and the application area has increased at the same rate. According to the results of the researches conducted in recent years, the importance of preventive dentistry all over the world has created a more conscious public and a noticeable decrease in tooth decay cases has occurred, as a result, because of ailments caused by factors such as heredity, developmental deficiencies, various wrong habits (finger sucking, long term usage of pacifier and baby bottle,lip biting) the interest in orthodontics has also increased.
3. What are the limits of orthodontics?
There are practices to reduce as much as possible the problems that occur due to habits such as finger sucking, lip biting, and foreign objects insertion into mouth in preschool years, which are called primary dentition. If these habits are eliminated during the period of primary dentition,recovery is achieved without any permanent defects in the skeletal structure. For this, some intraoral or extra-oral devices are used. The mixed dentition period includes primary school children, it is the period when both permanent and primary teeth are present in the mouth. During this period, the loss of primary teeth before or after the normal exfoliation time causes inability to guide the permanent teeth coming from below, some space problems may occur. Elimination of the crowding is the area of interest of orthodontics. The elimination of incompatibilities between the jaws, which started in this period and continued until the end of adolescence, is also the subject of orthodontics. In the permanent dentition period, defects in the dental arches can be corrected with fixed or removable appliances with or without tooth extraction. The treatment of dental irregularities due to gingival diseases or irregularities due to tooth loss is also the subject of orthodontics.
4. In which age groups can orthodontics be applied?
Age is not a problem in dental corrections. No matter how old the patient is, treatment is possible. If there is an irregularity in the bone structure(skeletal) of the individual age is important. In this case, there is a need for functional treatment, which is done until adolescence. Although the average duration of treatment is 24 months, it varies from person to person. Treatment for adults takes a little longer than that of children.
5. What is the best time to go to the orthodontist?
There is no need to worry too much about the position of the primary teeth (deciduous teeth,milk teeth) in children. The spaces between these teeth are indicative of natural development. Tight contacts like in adult's teeth may indicate space deficiency and consequently, crowded teeth that may occur in the future. Permanent teeth start to erupt at the age of 6-7, but between the ages of 7-9 not many problems are observed until the incisors are erupted. However, all primary teeth should be kept in place until they replaced by permanent teeth. Even if your family doctor refers you to an orthodontist at an early age, this does not always mean that treatment will be started too early. Most attentive dentists want to make sure that a potential problem is under control and that the optimal treatment time is not over. While it is necessary to intervene in jaw problems in children at an early age, but there is a time for treatment in cases where teeth show irregularities. The teeth of adult patients can be moved, so there is no time out for such treatments.Increasing age may prolong the treatment period and make the treatment a little more difficult. However, the age factor is not as important as the health of the supporting tissues of the teeth.
6. Can orthodontic treatment be applied to adults?
Yes. Developing technology makes orthodontic treatment that could not be done in childhood, possible in adulthood;Own regular teeth and smile make people happier. In fact, dental treatments can be done at almost any age as long as the teeth and surrounding tissues are healthy. However, anomalies involving the jaw bones can only be corrected by surgery in advanced ages.
7. What does jaw orthopedics mean?
"Jaw orthopedics" is a field of orthodontics that aims to correct the deteriorated relations of the jaws related to the face or each other with special appliances. For example, lower jaw protrusion, lower jaw back position or upper jaw protrusion can be corrected with "orthopedic treatment" at a young age. Correction of only teeth is achieved with "orthodontic treatment"; However, orthopedic treatment and orthodontic treatment are often carried out together.
8. What is orthognathic surgery?
Correct alignment of the teeth can be achieved with orthodontic or orthopedic treatment. Relations between the jaws can also be corrected up to a limit. However, in some cases, orthodontic treatment is insufficient. In such cases, a maxillofacial surgeon can work with the orthodontist to correct a severe anomaly with a surgical method. The aesthetic result obtained in a very short time is successful and today orthognathic surgical treatment becoming increasingly common.
9. How do teeth move during orthodontic treatment?
If a force is applied on the tooth with a spring, wire or special elastics, a movement in the direction of the force occurs. Bone tissue destruction occurs temporarily in front of the moving tooth, and new bone tissue is made in the opposite direction of the movement. Thus, the newly replaced teeth sit in a new bone socket.
10. What is retantion therapy?
Orthodontic treatment takes about 2 years. Immediately after the teeth were corrected, the surrounding structures (periodontium) could not adapt to the new position of the teeth. In addition, the bone tissue is immature. Therefore, if the appliances are removed, the teeth can return to their old places. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to retain the corrected teeth with other devices to be made. This last stage of treatment is called retantion therapy. During this period, it is imperative that children show the necessary care to their teeth.
11. What is an orthodontic appliance?
Appliance stands for "device". All devices used in orthodontic treatment are referred to by this name. Appliances are very diverse.
a. Some appliances can be taken out of the mouth and worn. These are called "removable appliances". The springs and screws placed on them apply a force to the teeth to be straightened. Some of the removable appliances fit on both the lower and upper jaws, and orthopedic treatments are performed with these single-body (monoblock) devices.
b. Some devices consist of a grooved metal (bracket) attached to the teeth and wires applied to these grooved metals. These are called "fixed appliances". The orthodontist makes the decision in the selection of the appliance. As a rule, the most effective treatment with shortest treatment time is considered. In addition, the child's desire to have treatment, compliance and the economic conditions of the family also affect the choice of appliance.
12. What are the mandatory rules for children in orthodontic treatment?
There are rules that children must comply with in orthodontic treatment. Parents should also watch their children carefully during treatment. These rules are:
1. Before starting orthodontic treatment, decayed teeth should be treated and the gums should be brought to a full healthy state.
2. When the treatment is started, the orthodontist will apply an appliance to the child according to the diagnosis he/she has made. Very good care of this appliance and teeth as described in previous sections;regular brushing of teeth is essential. Especially in fixed devices, dental plaque settles around the grooves that are attached to the teeth. This should not be allowed.
3. The physician sees the patient once a month on average after starting the treatment. Therefore, the big task in orthodontic treatment belongs to the children. For this reason, children whose teeth will be corrected should have a desire for treatment.Family pressure often has a negative effect.
4. The physician's recommendations during the controls should be followed carefully.
5. Appointments should not be delayed.
6. If there is a breaking in the appliances or dislocation of the appliances fixed to the mouth, the treatment is interrupted. In such cases, a doctor should be consulted immediately.
7. İn the retantion treatment should not be bored; The applied appliance should be worn regularly.