Our doctor specialize in orthodontic treatments in North Miami Beach, FL, including dentofacial orthopedics. While most individuals are familiar with orthodontics, many are confused by the term dentofacial orthopedics.

Every orthodontist begins their career in a dental school. Some dental school graduates begin practicing dentistry right after graduation. Others opt for a specialization, which means acquiring additional knowledge on a dental service in a two to three-year residency program. Nine dental specializations are recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA); you might have probably heard of pediatric dentistry (dental care for children), periodontics (gum care dentistry), and oral surgery.

Dentofacial orthopedics is one of twelve dental specialties with extensive education, practice, and research requirements. Dentofacial orthopedics methods are typically used on children before they receive orthodontic treatment or braces, as these techniques can aid in the development of the jaw during the growing years.

While a medical practitioner can discover a child’s jaw deformities as early as their birth, the mixed dentition stage (when some baby teeth are still present but adult teeth have begun to come in) is critical for detecting a jaw growth problem. This period, which occurs between the ages of seven and nine, is critical for dental specialists to assess whether intervention or close monitoring is required as the mouth and jaws develop. To provide a proper diagnosis and treatment approach, our staff at the dental office in North Miami Beach, FL, may recommend your child to an orthodontist who will take impressions and three-dimensional scans of their mouth. Advanced orthopedic appliances are used in dentofacial orthopedics treatment to control the growth of facial bones and jaws. Two of the most commonly utilized tools in this process are maxillary (top) and mandibular (bottom).

One of the nine specializations is “orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics.” In essence, while orthodontics deals with tooth movement, dentofacial orthopedics is concerned with the direction of facial growth and development, which happens primarily throughout childhood. Depending on what facial deformities are present, gadgets such as braces and other specialist appliances such as headgear and expanders are frequently employed. Orthopedic treatment may come before traditional braces, but they are frequently used together. So, if your youngster gets braces and headgear, he’s having orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics done on him.

We offer effective orthodontic treatment in North Miami Beach, FL. Our orthodontist Dr. Jordan can diagnose any misalignments in the teeth and jaw and the face structure because he is trained in both fields. He can then develop a treatment plan incorporating orthodontic and dentofacial orthopedic therapy.