What is Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics?

Orthodontic comes from two Greek words, “ortho”, which means straight or correct and “dontic”, which means related to teeth. Orthodontics is a specific field of dentistry that helps patients with misaligned teeth. Some common orthodontic problems include:

1. Crowding
2. Overbite
3. Underbite
4. Crossbite
5. Open bite
6. Excessive spacing
7. Abnormal eruption
8. Overjet (protrusion)

Anyone who has had braces at some point in life is familiar with what orthodontists do. They apply braces to straighten the gapped, crowded, or crooked teeth, helping patients achieve the desired smile and bite. Orthodontics also includes preventing further damage to teeth and jaws caused by misaligned teeth.

Dentofacial Orthopaedics is made up of two words, Dentofacial (“dento”, which means teeth and “facial”, which means face) and Orthopaedics (a medical speciality that focuses on skeletal deformities).

While dentofacial orthopaedics fixes problems that have developed with the jaw and facial bone structures, it also corrects bite issues. When upper and lower jaws grow at different rates, an alignment issue is created between the two, causing bites and spaces.

Misalignment of the teeth and irregular growth of jaw bones can aggravate problems such as:

1. Facial structure abnormalities
2. Pain and discomfort
3. Difficulty chewing
4. Uneven tooth wear

But when can a doctor detect jaw growth problems, you ask? When a child experiences mixed dentition. Mixed dentition is when some milk teeth are still present, and permanent teeth have begun to grow. 

The treatment is most effective in childhood, as the jaws and bones are still growing. You will also need to wear braces under dentofacial orthopaedics treatment in the second stage.

The first stage of the treatment includes correcting the jaw and bone abnormality with the help of various appliances, like headgear, palatal expander, bionator, etc. These appliances change the rate, direction, or amount of jaw growth.

While undergoing dentofacial orthopaedics treatment, adults may experience the following difficulties:

1. Speech difficulties
2. Uneven wear
3. Damage to teeth
4. Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) problems

Since both these specialities of dentistry are related to treating dental abnormalities, there is usually confusion between orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics.

However, there are quite some differences between the two. Dentofacial orthopaedics is generally used first as it is most effective during the growth periods of childhood. Once the child’s permanent teeth develop, they can get orthodontic treatment to achieve a strong bite and a healthy smile. 

The following table includes the differences between orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics.

Parameter	Orthodontics	Dentofacial Orthopaedics
The focus of the treatment	Corrects misaligned teeth, underbite, overbite, gapped, crooked, and crowded teeth	Control the growth of both facial bones and the jaw
Goal	Create a healthy bite and better smile	Guide facial development
Tools used	Braces and aligners	Maxillary (upper jaw) and mandibular (lower jaw) expanders or headgear
Specialist	Orthodontist	Dentofacial Orthopaedist
Best candidate	People of all ages can benefit from orthodontic treatment	Kids aged eight years and above

People of all ages can get orthodontic treatment. You may be an ideal candidate for orthodontic treatment if you struggle with malocclusions (bad bites), such as underbite, crossbite, and overbite.

While many people choose to undergo treatment between the ages of 8 and 14, there is no upper age limit. Some orthodontic treatments are specially designed for adult use. Candidates for orthodontics should have good general health.

Kids are considered the ideal candidates for dentofacial orthopaedics as their facial bones and jaws are still growing. Even adults can take advantage of the treatment though it may be more complicated. Why? Since the jawbones are already formed, moulding them in the desired form is difficult and may even require small surgeries.

Orthodontics focus on the proper alignment of misaligned teeth. However, the misalignment of teeth does not only develop due to the teeth’s shape and size.

The misalignment can also form due to the structure of facial bones. In such cases, dentofacial orthopaedics treatment is used for children before orthodontic treatment or braces, as it can help guide the development of the jaw during growth.

Dentofacial orthopaedics is better than orthodontics for managing problems of underbite, overbite, and crossbite. The former uses maxillary and mandibular expanders to create space in the jaws that are underdeveloped or narrow. Generally, the two treatments are performed simultaneously.

While orthopaedics involves correcting misaligned teeth, dentofacial orthopaedics is a broader field that also includes fixing problems with the jaw and facial bone structures.

One important point is that both treatment approaches use appliances to correct misalignment. While braces are used for orthodontics, more specialised appliances like expanders or headgear are used for dentofacial orthopaedics, depending on the facial abnormalities. 

The experts at HexaHealth can help you clear any more doubts regarding the difference between orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics. You can book a consultation with HexaHealth TODAY to know if you need orthodontic or dentofacial orthopaedic treatment. We will help you connect with the right orthodontist or dentofacial orthopaedist as per your needs. So, get ready to get the smile that you have always wanted!