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Orthodontics is a specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the study and treatment of malocclusions (improper bites), which may be a result of
tooth irregularity, disproportionate jaw relationships, or both. The word comes from the Greek words
ortho meaning straight and odons meaning tooth.
Orthodontic treatment can focus on dental displacement only,
or can deal with the control and modification of facial growth.
In the latter case it is better defined as "dentofacial
orthopedics". Orthodontic treatment can be carried out for
purely aesthetic reasons—improving the general appearance of
patients' teeth and face for cosmetic reasons—but treatment is
often prescribed for practical reasons, providing the patient
with a functionally improved bite (occlusion). |
