An orthodontist specializes for an additional 3.5 years in the field of orthodontics alone, beyond the 6 years of study for the Doctor of Dentistry degree.

After completing the internship, the doctor is required to pass two Ministry of Health exams - a Phase A exam, which is a theoretical exam, and a Phase B exam, which is a practical orientation exam.

Only those who have completed their internship and passed the arduous exams of the Ministry of Health are entitled to be called "specialists in teeth and jaw alignment."

The vast knowledge acquired during the internship provides the opportunity to make an accurate diagnosis, provide effective and correct treatment, and deal with complications that may arise during or after treatment.

Teeth straightening is a process during which force is applied to the teeth to cause them to move and bring them into a new position.

Although the force applied is weak, it causes a chain of biological processes that ultimately cause the teeth to move in the direction in which the force was applied.

There are several possible reasons for undergoing orthodontic treatment:

1. Improving facial aesthetics

2. Improving function - speaking, chewing, breathing, swallowing.

3. Improvement in the health of the teether - both in the short and long term.

The duration of orthodontic treatment is determined by several parameters:

1. The complexity of the case

2. Patient's age

3. The patient's biology

4. The equipment they work with

The average orthodontic treatment lasts 18-24 months.

The right age for orthodontic treatment depends on the problem itself. There are specific problems that should be treated at a relatively early stage - around the age of 8-10.

In most cases, the age at which orthodontic treatment will be most effective will be adolescence.

Teeth can definitely move at any age.

However, after growth is complete, there are certain problems for which orthodontic treatment will be more complex or more limited in the possibilities for achieving significant improvement.

There are many components that together lead to a beautiful smile. Among them are:

Correct proportion of the size of the different teeth

Correct proportion between the size of the upper and lower jaw

Proper positioning of the teeth in all three dimensions

Proper positioning of the jaws - both one in relation to the other and each in relation to the skull

Proper exposure of the teeth while resting and while smiling

Health of surrounding tissues - gums, jawbone

Adequate support of the teeth by the lips

Symmetry - similarity between the right and left sides of the face, although it is acceptable and normal for there to be a slight difference between the two sides, and sometimes there is even a certain grace in this.

There can be several reasons for teeth that appear prominent:

The teeth are positioned too forward - and therefore appear prominent.

The jaw is positioned too forward - therefore it and the teeth on it appear prominent.

One jaw is positioned too far back, so the opposite jaw appears too prominent in relation to it.

There are many possible causes of crooked teeth, including:

1. A developmental reason why the tooth does not erupt in the correct place.

2. Genetic cause.

3. Environmental cause - certain habits that exert force on the teeth and cause them to move into a poor position.

4. Mismatch between the different sizes of teeth or between the size of the teeth and the size of the jaws.

Clear braces are a treatment method developed at the end of the 20th century, and its main features are moving teeth using braces (braces) made of plastic and performing personalized treatment - each patient is given a personal set of braces that are tailored to their teeth and the specific orthodontic problem they want to treat.

With these two orthodontic methods, we need to get a good final result.

Each of the methods has specific advantages due to the way they apply force - the cubes apply a pulling force while the bows apply a pushing force.

Therefore, there are certain orthodontic procedures in which the cubes are more effective, while there are other procedures in which the braces provide increased effectiveness.

The difference is in the material from which the cubes are made.

Silver cubes are made of metal, while clear cubes are made of porcelain and therefore stand out less against the background of white teeth.

Teeth continue to move even after orthodontic treatment, and sometimes their tendency to move from their new position is great, especially in the first year after the end of treatment.

Therefore, at the end of orthodontic treatment, it is recommended to perform fixation, as this significantly increases the chance that the teeth will remain in their new and improved position for years.

The types of fixations available are bonded fixation and removable fixation, and often the patient is given both types of fixations in order to provide two "lines of defense" against future tooth movement.

The fixation significantly increases the chances of stability of the orthodontic treatment, and it is very important to be careful about maintaining the bonded fixation as well as installing the plates for retention.

However, in certain situations, teeth may move even with proper fixation.

An impacted tooth is a tooth that, for various reasons, failed to erupt into the oral cavity at the correct time of eruption, and remains in the jaw. Possible reasons for an impacted tooth include migration of the tooth into an improper position or blockage of the tooth's eruption path.

Performing teeth straightening in the case of an impacted tooth is one of the most challenging orthodontic treatments:

A. From a diagnostic perspective - there is significant diagnostic difficulty. It is important to perform appropriate imaging and make pre-treatment decisions - whether the impacted tooth can be extracted and what is the level of difficulty of the treatment.

B. From a therapeutic perspective - this is a long and complex treatment, which requires the use of unique methods and requires thinking and creativity.

A deficiency of one or more is a relatively common condition in the population.

The most commonly missing tooth is the last molar, also called the "wisdom tooth."

Next in line in terms of the frequency of missing teeth are the upper lateral incisor and the lower second premolar.

While a missing wisdom tooth is not a problematic condition functionally or aesthetically, a missing upper lateral incisor sometimes poses a therapeutic dilemma due to the fact that there are 2 options for treating the missing tooth:

1. Straightening teeth while opening a space for an implant to replace the missing tooth. In such a case, the correct timing for starting orthodontic treatment must be planned in advance, as implant placement is not recommended before the end of growth.

2. Straightening teeth while closing the space for the missing tooth, by moving the back teeth forward. In such a case, aesthetic considerations of the shape and color of the teeth must be taken into account, since the canine that will stand in the position of the missing incisor is significantly different from it in size, shape, and color.

In the case of a missing lower second molar, a similar dilemma exists, and the decision regarding opening or closing the space will be made based on the overall orthodontic treatment required, as well as the location of the adjacent teeth and their medical condition.

Orthosurgical treatment is a treatment that combines teeth straightening and jaw surgery.

This treatment is required in cases of significant mismatch between one jaw and the other, or between the jaws and the skull.

Orthosurgical treatment is relatively lengthy and complex, and requires close collaboration between an orthodontist, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and sometimes experts in other fields.