Bass Orthodontics

At Bass Orthodontics we specialise in Orthodontics and Dento-Facial Orthopaedics. We are a well established practice, over 25 years at Queen Anne St. and amongst one of the first specialist Orthodontic practices in the West End. We aim to provide a professional yet relaxed atmosphere for all of our patients and their families. The practice utilises the latest and most advanced technology in Orthodontics, which not only enables us to carry out the very best and most comfortable treatment we can, but also allows for shorter treatment times.

What is Orthodontics?

Orthodontics is a specialized area of dentistry which diagnoses and treats irregularities of the teeth and jaws. Treatment is conducted over a period of time using appliances attached to the teeth, guiding them into new positions with gentle pressure.

Specialist Orthodontics; What Can We Expect?

Orthodontics has been one of the fastest moving specialties in recent years and the many new developments now allow results to be achieved more rapidly and closer to ideal aesthetics, function and health than ever before.

Treatment Goals

One of the goals of our treatment will be to develop the best balance and harmony of the facial features in the region of the mouth and jaws and to provide an attractive smile.  We consider this of primary importance.  Other very important goals are to improve the long term health of the teeth, gums and mouth, and to provide the patient with the most satisfactory dental occlusion.

Dento-Facial Orthopaedics

In many cases, an unsatisfactory smile may be caused by not only the position of the teeth but the underlying bone structure in which the teeth are held. The term orthopaedics is often associated with the specialist medical practice of correcting bones; dento-facial orthopaedics specifically involves the bones of the teeth and face. Jaw growth is modified using simple retainer type appliances to improve the structural disharmony which often underlies the development of a malocclusion (irregular teeth). In the growing child, orthopaedics allows harmony to be restored to the unbalanced face and the most attractive smile to be developed. Occasionally surgery is required to correct the underlying bone structure of the jaws to provide the best result possible.

Less Noticeable Braces

We use many less visible alternatives to traditional metal braces, such as ceramic tooth-coloured braces, almost undetectable removable appliances and the Invisalign® and Clearline see-through removable appliance systems.

Self Ligating Braces

We use the most recently developed type of "tracks" which are called self ligating braces. These use small integrated clips to hold the wires in place rather than the conventional coloured elastic rings, which tend to discolour and trap food & plaque. Most significantly, elastic rings become stretched between visits, losing the precise control of tooth movement necessary for efficient treatment. Self ligating brackets move your teeth more quickly, are smaller and therefore less noticeable.

Indirect Bonding

The correct position of the brackets on each tooth is essential for successful treatment and in order to achieve this we use a technique known as "indirect bonding". The brackets are firstly positioned on accurate models of the patients' teeth, a "matrix" is made to hold the brackets in their correct positions and this is then transferred to the patients' actual teeth. After setting with a special adhesive, the matrix is removed, leaving the brackets firmly in place. This allows for very accurate placement of the brackets and, because most of the preparatory work is carried out in the laboratory, significantly reduces the length of the visit needed for this critical procedure.