Fixed Braces in South Kensington

An Effective Orthodontic Solution

Fixed braces are still the most common type of treatment and are what you probably first think of when someone mentions braces. Fixed braces are stuck to the outside of the teeth and cannot be removed by the patient. They consist of small brackets which are connected together with an archwire, held in place by elastic rings, known as ligatures. The great news for you is that brackets are no longer only available in stainless steel but are also available as ceramic brackets which are almost tooth coloured, making your braces far less visible and are very aesthetic.

The Most Appropriate Treatment For Many

A large number of adults are now opting for orthodontic treatment and aesthetic, ceramic braces offer a discreet yet effective solution to giving you the smile you’ve always wanted. Today’s fixed braces are far smaller and less obvious than those which friends (or even yourself) may have had as a teenager and still prove to be the most appropriate treatment for many. If you want to make treatment fun, ceramic brackets look great when teamed with colours too.

A Number of Treatment Systems Available

Treatment systems provided by Queens Gate Orthodontics include the Clarity Advanced, Victory and low friction, self ligating Smart Clip brackets (3M Unitek).

If you’re considering braces, why not get in touch with us here at Queens Gate Orthodontics today and discuss what the most suitable treatment for you may be?

Case report 1: Correction of crowded, prominent teeth, class II/1 malocclusion, without removing adult teeth (non – extraction)

Queens Gate Orthodontics £ South Kensington 020 7373 0176 Queens Gate Orthodontics

“My teeth were really out of place, crooked and too narrow. There were a lot of problems. I am very happy with the result and happy to not have braces anymore.”

Problem:

This young girl was only 10 3/4 years old when she started her brace treatment. However, as her adult teeth were well developed, we decided to start treatment to correct crowded, prominent teeth and narrow jaws.

Solution:

Without any complicated treatment other than simple fixed braces (“ train tracks”) and elastic bands, she wore braces over a 2 year period. Despite finding them a nuisance, she wore her elastic bands well, took good care of braces, and was rewarded with a fabulous smile!

Case report 2: Correction of crowded, rotated teeth, class 1 malocclusion, with removal of four adult pre-molar teeth (extraction)

Problem:

This 11 year girl had exceptionally crowded teeth, struggling to find space at the front of her mouth, and at the back of her mouth, her wisdom teeth were impacting (as seen on her radiograph / Xray).

Solution:

Due to the severe amount of crowding, four adult premolar teeth were extracted by her dentist, following which she wore upper and lower fixed braces over 2 years. Having looked after her braces and retainers as instructed, she has a truly beautiful smile with which to start her adult life.

Case report 3: Correction of severely crowded teeth with an upper midline shift, reverse bite (anterior crossbite) and a class III malocclusion, without taking removing adult teeth (non – extraction )

Problem:

This young boy had severely crowded upper teeth. His upper right adult canine was so crowded, there was no space for it at all, and his upper dental centreline was displaced to the right, because of the crowding. He had probably had a baby canine extracted prematurely on the right side, which caused the problem. Additionally, his lower incisors were proclined (tipped forward) and were in anterior crossbite (reverse bite).

Solution:

Although his malocclusion was severe, Dr Nightingale diagnosed his jaws to be correctly related in size and anticipated she could correct his bite without jaw surgery being required. It was important to keep his upper incisors forwards, to ensure his bite wasn’t worsened. Therefore, she decided to treat his problem without taking any teeth out, using a rapid maxillary expander with bite blocks (to open the bite and allow the lower teeth to move) and low friction, self-ligating (Smart Clip, 3M Unitek) brackets to maximise space creation to align the upper canine and correct the midline to the left. The lower teeth were spaced, which allowed the lower incisors to retrocline (tip backwards), when the patient wore elastic bands (class III traction). Total treatment time was 2 years.

Case report 4: Correction of a palatally positioned, severely impacted adult canine (non – extraction), crowded lower incisors and a class III malocclusion (non – extraction)

Problem:

Instead of erupting vertically into her mouth, this young girl’s adult canine on the upper right side had wandered into the roof of her mouth, becoming severely wedged behind the root of her upper right central incisor. This is described as a severely impacted, palatally positioned upper right canine. However, as the baby (deciduous) canine remained in position, there was little impact on her smile. In addition, she had a slightly long lower jaw (class III malocclusion) and mildly crowded teeth.

Options:

Options for managing this problem are:

  1. Do nothing – the permanent canine might cause the root of the central incisor to become damaged (resorbed)
  2. Remove the adult canine – this will halt any damage to the incisor root, but leave the baby tooth in place, anticipating it will eventually fall out, leaving an unattractive gap at the front of the mouth (in the aesthetic zone), a position that is difficult to restore with a bridge on an implant.
  3. Align the impacted canine using fixed braces, which is a difficult, arduous but a sensible treatment option for a cooperative person with good dental health.

Solution:

Correcting this problem involves a combination of minor oral surgery, to bond a gold chain to the impacted canine, and orthodontics, to pull the canine into the correct position, using an elastic thread to apply a pulling force to the gold chain. We placed a fixed brace only in the upper jaw initially, as there was more work to be done in the top than the bottom. Once the impacted canine was starting to erupt, a lower brace was placed and eventually, the canine was correctly aligned, and the class III bite controlled by the patient wearing elastic bands (class III) traction. This young girl was diligent and patient, cooperating with a long course of treatment that took nearly 4 years to complete. However, the benefits are lifelong.

Case report 5: Correction of transposed, palatally impacted upper adult canines and lingually displaced lower canines, class II malocclusion (non – extraction)

Problem:

This young girl had a very unusual problem, in that her upper adult canines were both palatally impacted and transposed (switched over in position) with the upper lateral incisors, which were undersized. In addition, her lower adult canines were displaced towards her tongue (lingually displaced) and she had a class II incisor relationship.

Options:

  1. Accepting the transposition – this would have been a simpler treatment option, but would have left undersized upper lateral incisors which have relatively flimsy roots, in a position where they would have had to take the maximal force during chewing and grinding, leaving them vulnerable in the long term.
  2. Extracting the upper lateral incisors and moving the upper permanent canines into the anatomically correct position – this would result in the patient having to replace the upper lateral incisors with either bridges or implant retained restorations for the long term.
  3. Correcting the transposition – this was a very demanding treatment option of great uncertainty of outcome but would give her the best result, if successful.

Solution:

A combination of minor oral surgery, to bond gold chain to the upper canines to enable them to be pulled into position, extraction of retained baby teeth, orthodontics using fixed braces to move the canines into their correct position and restorative bonding to increase the width of the upper lateral incisors was chosen to achieve option 3. The treatment took approximately 4 years to complete, because moving the canine roots out of the palate into the correct position (torquing the canine roots) was lengthy. Correcting the tooth prominence and deep bite was also difficult, due to her skeletal 2 jaw relationship, but ultimately, this young girl was rewarded with a successful result, with minimal restorative maintenance for the long term.

Are you ready to start your journey to a straighter smile?

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75A Queens Gate, London SW7 5JT
Monday - Tuesday - Friday 9.00 am to 6.00 pm|
Wednesday - Thursday 9.30 am to 5.30 pm
Saturday - Sunday - Closed