When a client has teeth that are severely misaligned, the traditional dental actions have been to pull out the problematic teeth or to perform dental surgery. In this YouTube video, the viewer learns about an alternate treatment option. This alternate treatment is called arch expansion because it involves slowly moving the misaligned teeth back into their correct positions.
One or more impacted teeth often compound these severe misalignments.
Because of their location in the rear of the mouth, the wisdom teeth are frequently affected. Severe misalignment with an impaction is frequently a problem for older teens because wisdom teeth tend to emerge in the jaw at age 17.
The arch expansion procedure involves a dental device that is much like braces. Because of the severity of the misalignment of the impacted tooth, the braces and aligners will include coiled extenders. The additional pressure needed to correct the misalignment plus the impacted teeth require a TAD device.
TAD devices are Temporary Anchorage Devices that are implanted into the bones of the jaw. These devices provide anchoring so that the inward pressure of the braces is intensified. The combined strength of traditional braces, plus the additional counter-traction of the coils and TADs, will allow for a return to correct alignment.
