The Laminagraph, A Device Now Widely Used In Orthodontics
| September 8, 2010Jaws clenched shut and teeth crushing. These are becoming common signs of difficult times. Men and women who are plagued by things like job insecurity, inflation, and identity crises suffer tension reflected by mouth movements that can be abnormal and potentially harmful. While asleep, adults may clench their jaws and grind their teeth to release tension, a condition which is known as bruxism. A common neuromuscular problem nowadays, the clicking of jaw joints causes side effects like headaches, vertigo, and ear pain.
One of the findings of studies done on bruxism is that women over the 40 age bracket are more susceptible to the condition than men are. Stomach problems are usually a reflection of men’s frustrations, while women’s are usually reflected through problems in the mouth. While orthodontics cannot cure the problem, one can prevent teeth damage by using a plastic retainer or jaw strap while asleep until such time that the tension causing frustration is dealt with.
Just one of many dental problems that orthodontists have only come to realize now is bruxism. For the past several years, the field of orthodontics is focusing now on more than just the straightening of teeth for beauty purposes. There are new theories and techniques that involve not just the teeth but the entire facial structure.
While orthodontics is said to deal primarily with adolescents and their dental needs, it also caters to the needs of adults as well. A dentist cautions orthodontists to be very careful when dealing with adult patients. Children’s tissues are more flexible than adults, thus, they bounce back more readily.
Deformities resulting from jaw protrusion and clefts in the lips or palate may be reconstructed by advances in procedures involving a blend of both orthodontics and plastic surgery, he said. He says that about two thirds of the orthodontic cases treated annually are problems involving jaw growth. The jaw controls the placement of the teeth. In many cases, the place where the jaw is will also be where the teeth will go. Proper jaw growth may be aided through restructuring through surgery or through the use of corrective appliances.
While it is an optional cosmetic procedure, orthodontics is also a preventive procedure. Improper tongue thrust would result from thumb sucking, and this condition could lead to problems in speech and swallowing. Shifts in the position of teeth may be due to the power of the tongue.
The upward and downward forces exerted by chinstraps are useful in correcting abnormal bite. Loss of teeth, bone damage, and jaw joint problems may result from a bad bite. The bonding of transparent with metal directly for braces and the replacing of heavy metal with lightweight chromium and cobalt for bands have improved dental devices. Though plastic is not always as effective as metal, in some cases it can be worn and is more aesthetically pleasing than a mouthful of metal.
What is being used in orthodontics more commonly nowadays is a device known as the laminagraph. In one shot, it can take an X ray of the entire dentofacial region, and uses only a small amount of radiation compared to the conventional full mouth Xrays. Laminagraphy does not supersede individual X rays to locate decay, but it has become useful as a broader diagnostic tool.
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