You pluck a juicy apple off the tree. It would be great to chomp into the
delicious fruit, but first you have to take the apple inside and cut it into
bite size pieces. It's just one of the small trials of wearing braces.
But it's worth it -- in another two years you'll have the beautiful smile
you've always dreamed about. And besides, it's not so bad because lots of
your friends wear braces, too.
In fact, about 70 percent of the population could probably stand to have
orthodontic treatment.
Experts believe that 10,000 years ago, humans had straight teeth. However,
as diet improved and humans grew from an average height of four feet to 5.5
feet, our mouths and teeth didn't grow at the same rate. So modern teeth no
longer fit correctly in the human mouth.
People who have teeth that don't fit into their mouths visit the orthodontist.
Some corrections are for health reasons. Others are made purely for the sake
of improving appearance.
Orthodontists perform two kinds of treatment. The first is called interceptive
treatment. It is usually done around age eight. The idea behind this treatment
is to make room in the child's mouth for their permanent teeth. The jaw can
be stretched to grow in certain directions at this stage.
The second type of treatment is called full orthodontic treatment. The
idea is to correct a person's bite and to move the teeth so they are in proper
alignment. This treatment is done after people have all of their adult teeth.
Before any braces or appliances are installed, a person goes through a
series of appointments in which the orthodontist figures out what type of
treatment is needed. "The staff actually spend much more time with the patient
than I do at this stage," says Dr. John Gerling. He is an orthodontist in
Texas.
After initial consultations, the orthodontist installs braces. These are
usually worn for two to two and a half years. Every few weeks, the braces
need to be tightened. After the braces are removed, the patient wears a retainer
and goes to the orthodontist for periodic checkups.
"Most of the people we see are young, but not all," says Gerling. Children
as young as four can start orthodontic treatment. And people as old as 90
can be in the orthodontist's chair. However, most patients are between the
ages of eight and 14.
Orthodontists work in clinics. They either run it by themselves or work
in a partnership with other orthodontists.
Orthodontists work regular 40-hour weeks. However, they're free to schedule
office hours as they like. "They work whatever hours they choose," says Lorie
Rancourt, an orthodontist office coordinator in Maine.
"Here, orthodontists work one evening per week to fit around so many schoolchildren's
schedules." Other offices choose to open one day on the weekend.
Mondays tend to be the heaviest workday for orthodontists. "That's the
day when people come in with appliances that have come loose or have broken
over the weekend," says Rancourt.
Working as an orthodontist isn't physically demanding. However, they must
have good hand-eye coordination and excellent manual dexterity.
It's a great idea to get into an orthodontist's office and have a look
around to see if you might like to work in this atmosphere. "I like to bring
people into the office to let them have a look around," says Gerling. "It
helps to get familiar with what I do."
You have to like working with people to be an orthodontist. "You're dealing
with people all day long," says Gerling. "You have to like meeting with them."