Some of the conditions that require orthodontic treatment include:
1. Crowding – There are too many teeth for the space in your mouth.
2. Overbite – The upper front teeth are too far forward – they protrude over the lower teeth.
3. Underbite – The lower teeth are too far forward, so that your upper teeth are too far back.
4. Open Bite – You may have problems with the space between your teeth when they bite together, either between the front or the side teeth.
5. Crossbite – Your upper/lower teeth come down across the front of your lower teeth when you are biting together normally.
6. Spacing – Your teeth may have gaps between them, often because some teeth are missing, or because your small teeth just don’t fill the space in your mouth. There are several reasons for a bad bite to develop and cause problems when chewing or talking. This could be due to damage to teeth that have been fractured or knocked out. Prolonged thumb sucking, or tongue thrusting can also cause a mal alignment of teeth causing the upper teeth to protrude.

Types of Braces

Due to recent innovations in dental technology, there are now more options for tooth realignment than ever before. These are some of the options available:
1. Metal or Ceramic braces with brackets bonded to the teeth – Traditional silver braces are the most commonly known and cost-effective style of braces. They have brackets that are excellent in design and functionality, that result in the most efficient and precise movement of the teeth. They can also be decorated using colour combinations and patterns as preferred by the user.
2. Ceramic braces – Made of a high-tech glass-like composite material. They are more expensive. They are quite strong and resistant to most stains, including those caused by foods, coffee, curry, smoking, etc.
3. Invisible Braces – Invisible braces are ideal for those who do not have severe malocclusions. They comprise of custom-made treatment trays that have been computer-fabricated according to the jaw structure. They do not cause irritation to gums and are stain resistant. There are many different types of clear aligner systems such as Invisalign, Simpli5 and Clearstep.
4. Lingual braces – These are attached to the back surfaces of the teeth. They are traditional metal braces with wires, but they are not visible from the front surfaces of your teeth and so have the advantage of being invisible to everyone else. These facilitate less control over tooth movement and have to allow for 6 months longer treatment time.
5. Inman Aligners – The Inman Aligner is a newcomer to the market; it achieves rapid teeth movements and is used for problems related to minor movements of the upper and lower front teeth.
6. Friction-free Damon braces – Damon braces offer a lower-friction solution to teeth straightening and boasts faster treatment times than other traditional metal braces.