Orthodontics has evolved tremendously over the years and the advancement has been significant throughout the decades. It is always intriguing to watch the growth of a dental practice. Dentistry has many different specialty practices that dental assistants can enter. At Dental Office Training by Lynn, we provide opportunities during your 12-week dental assisting course to shadow different types of dental practices – this may include: endodontics, orthodontics, periodontics, oral surgery, or general practice. We include this in our curriculum to ensure that you have the knowledge base after completing the dental assisting program to go into the field you feel most passionate about. Our instructors have extensive experience in all the mentioned fields of dentistry.
In this blog, we will dive into one of the most popular dental specialties – orthodontics. We all know someone who has had braces but have you ever stopped and wondered about the history of braces, or the technical skills dentists and dental assistants have to consider when planning the treatment for a patient?
Orthodontic Braces Over the Decades
According to the American Association of Orthodontics, orthodontics was the first specialty field of orthodontic dentistry, and “Edward H. Angle founded the specialty. He was the first orthodontist: the first member of the dental profession to limit his practice to orthodontics only – moving teeth and aligning jaws.” In the image listed above, you can see the transition of how braces have improved aesthetically.
How Does it Work?
As the brackets move your teeth, it affects two parts of your mouth: the periodontal membrane (also known as the periodontal ligament), which is around the root of the tooth, and the alveolar bone to which it is attached. The reason our teeth can move is that our bone breaks down and rebuilds. This is how bite alignment is possible. Enamel is the hardest surface in the human body – perhaps this is why braces are even possible in the first place.
Modern-Day Alternative Treatments to Braces
Clear retainers have become a huge trend in the world of dentistry over the past few years, however, there are conditions that have to be met before clear retainers are even possible. Firstly, the retainers are there to simply straighten teeth, so if your bite alignment is the reason your teeth aren’t straight (which a majority of the time is the case) then retainers wouldn’t be able to permanently straighten your smile. Secondly, if one or a few of your teeth are extremely misaligned retainers cannot adjust because they cannot pull teeth forward or backward, they simply straighten slightly crooked teeth.
Dental Office Training by Lynn Teaches You the Qualities of a Good Orthodontic Dental Assistant
It takes the right person to work in the orthodontic field, and it’s important to research the different avenues that are available. We help you discover the different pathways. We discuss all of the specialty fields of dentistry because they can be interesting and exciting! It may fit your personality better. Typically, orthodontics involves a patient base majority of children, adolescents, young adults, and more mature individuals. A thorough evaluation is performed for each patient. If this field interests you- dexterity, a friendly disposition, and the ability to be a team player with a large staff. Our curriculum entails the most elite details and hands-on skill training.
If you’d like to enroll in our program give us a call at 317-585-9015.
Start your new journey to becoming a dental assistant today, by contacting Lynn Uptgraft.
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