| orthodontic appliance | A mechanism for the application of pressure to the teeth and their supporting tissues to produce changes in the relationship of the teeth and/or the related osseous structures. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| orthodontic appliance design | The planning, calculation, and creation of an apparatus for the purpose of correcting the placement or straightening of teeth. (12 Dec 1998) |
| orthodontic appliances | Devices used for influencing tooth position. Orthodontic appliances may be classified as fixed or removable, active or retaining, and intraoral or extraoral. (boucher's clinical dental terminology, 4th ed, p19) (12 Dec 1998) |
| orthodontic appliances, functional | Loose, usually removable intra-oral devices which alter the muscle forces against the teeth and craniofacial skeleton. These are dynamic appliances which depend on altered neuromuscular action to effect bony growth and occlusal development. They are usually used in mixed dentition to treat paediatric malocclusions. (ada, 1992) (12 Dec 1998) |
| orthodontic band | A thin strip of metal closely adapted to the crown of a tooth to which wires may be attached for tooth movement. (05 Mar 2000) |
| orthodontic brackets | Small metal or ceramic attachments used to fasten an arch wire. These attachments are soldered or welded to an orthodontic band or cemented directly onto the teeth. Bowles brackets, edgewise brackets, multiphase brackets, ribbon arch brackets, twin-wire brackets, and universal brackets are all types of orthodontic brackets. (12 Dec 1998) |
| orthodontic retainers | Orthodontic appliances, fixed or removable, used to maintain teeth in corrected positions during the period of functional adaptation following corrective treatment. These appliances are also used to maintain the positions of the teeth and jaws gained by orthodontic procedures. (12 Dec 1998) |
| orthodontic space closure | Therapeutic closure of spaces caused by the extraction of teeth, the congenital absence of teeth, or the excessive space between teeth. (12 Dec 1998) |
| orthodontic treatment | Please see MedicineNet site on orthodontic treatment for information on this subject. (12 Dec 1998) |
| full orthodontic treatment | <dentistry> Getting braces (08 Jan 1998) |
| functional orthodontic therapy | Utilization of muscle forces to effect changes in jaw position and tooth alignment by removable appliances. Synonym: functional orthodontic therapy. (05 Mar 2000) |