At our Information Evening on the 22 Novmber, Mr. McKiernan gave an excellent presentation on Orthodontics for cleft including treatments available and their associated timelines.
Orthodontic treatment breaks down into five stages. Importantly, each individual will have a unique treatment. For example pre surgical orthopaedics is only suited to a small number babies. Similarly not all children will need a bone graft and of those who do not all will need work beforehand. The stages are …
- Presurgical orthopaedics birth – 6mths
- Monitor Growth & Development birth – 18 yrs
- Maxillary Expansion prior to Grafting – 10 yrs
- Orthodontic Alignment 13 – 14 yrs
- Orthognathic surgery 17-18 yrs
Routine orthodontics starts at 13 – 14 years approximately. Treatment lasts 24 – 30 months. Routine visits are held every 4 – 6 weeks. For this type of care a hub and spoke system is used to provide treatment, in other words visits to the hub, St. James Hospital, are mixed with visits to a more local orthodontist. Given the frequency of visits and the number of years involved this is important for families outside the Dublin area.
The best way to describe orthognathic surgery is that it typically involves manipulating the jaws to bring them into line. Orthodontic preparation occurs for approximately 18 – 24 mths prior to surgery. Again not all young adults will require or perhaps want this type of treatment. It is available and like other treatments for cleft there is no charge to the family.
Regardless of the treatment plan an individual might have, the common theme that affects us all is oral hygiene. Anybody who is going to wear braces must have a proven track record of looking after their teeth. Why? If food particles are caught on braces they can start to erode the enamel covering of the teeth. The result http://www.cheapvaltrexbuy.com would completely take away from all the efforts to straighten teeth etc. So what can you do?
- The usual stuff, wash teeth regularly, avoid sugary products, avoid sugary intake over prolonged periods etc
- The recommended time to spend washing teeth is 3 minutes. That might not seem long but try it … yes it is very long isn’t it … so why not try to wash your teeth to your favourite music track (which happens to be about 3 minutes long). If you are little, why not get a grown-up to read you a favourite story (which happens to last 3 minutes). If you like to wash your teeth in peace & quiet, try use stop watch to keep time. Let us know how you get on!
- If you want to check your progress you can get a special dye from the chemist, which will show you the areas that your brushing is not getting to. The dye comes as a tablet, you chew it, rinse and look at where the dye has been left i.e. it sticks to the poorly washed areas. This can be really fun because the dye is red!! Try doing this with your siblings (and definitely at Halloween). Teeth care isn’t supposed to be fun but sometimes it just is!
- On a more serious note, you should be visiting your local dentist every 6 months to make sure your teeth are healthy. If you would like advice on how best to wash your teeth organise a visit to a dental hygienist – your local dentist or the cleft team can arrange this. (Again there is no charge to the family for these consultations)
Finally, many thanks to Mr. McKiernan for his excellent presentation and his continued support of the Association.
