At Braces Hub in Newton Park, Gqeberha, orthodontics makes up the majority of the practice, and Dr Baboo works with patients of every age to plan treatment that suits their bite, their timeline and their day-to-day life.
What Does Orthodontic Treatment Involve?
Orthodontic treatment uses braces or clear aligners to gradually move teeth into a better position over a period of months or years. Every treatment plan starts with a full assessment of your teeth, bite and jaw alignment. That assessment, often supported by X-rays or photographs, is used to map out how long treatment is likely to take and which approach, fixed braces or clear aligners, will work best for your specific case.
Some patients are candidates for either option, while others have a bite complex enough that one route is clearly the better fit, and Dr Baboo will explain why a particular option is being recommended for you rather than simply presenting a single choice.
Braces Or Clear Aligners: What Is The Difference?
Fixed braces use brackets and wires attached to the teeth, gradually guiding them into position over the course of treatment. They stay in place throughout, which suits patients who prefer not to think about removing and refitting anything day to day.
Clear aligners work differently: a series of custom-made, removable trays, each worn for a set number of weeks before moving on to the next in the series. They are less noticeable and can be taken out to eat or brush, though this only works if they are worn for the recommended hours each day.
Neither option is automatically better than the other. Dr Baboo will recommend whichever suits the complexity of your bite, alongside your own preferences around visibility and day-to-day convenience.
Who Can Benefit From Orthodontics?
Orthodontic treatment is not only for teenagers, even though that is often when people first think about it. Common reasons patients seek treatment at Braces Hub include:
- Crowded, overlapping or gapped teeth
- A bite where the upper and lower teeth do not meet comfortably
- Jaw discomfort linked to how the teeth come together
- A desire to straighten teeth that shifted after previous orthodontic treatment
- Teeth that make everyday cleaning and flossing more difficult than they should be
Children, teens and adults are all seen at the practice, with treatment timelines adjusted to suit growing jaws or fully developed adult teeth. An adult starting orthodontic treatment for the first time is treated no differently to a teenager, beyond the specific mechanics of how their particular teeth need to move.
In fact, a growing number of adults come in precisely because teeth that were once straightened years earlier have started to drift again, and a dentist appointment to reassess their bite is often the first step.
What Happens During Treatment?
Once braces or aligners are fitted, regular appointments allow Dr Baboo to adjust the treatment and track how teeth are moving. These check-ins are usually spaced several weeks apart, giving teeth time to respond between visits. Between appointments, you will be given clear instructions on cleaning around brackets or wires, or on wearing aligners on schedule, since missed appointments or aligners left out too long are a common reason treatment runs longer than planned.
Retention does not stop once the braces come off, or the last aligner is worn. A retainer, worn as instructed, helps keep teeth in their new position long after active treatment ends, and skipping this step is one of the most common reasons teeth start to shift back over time. Dr Baboo will talk you through exactly how often your retainer needs to be worn once your active treatment is complete, since this varies from one patient to the next, and remains available to Braces Hub patients across Newton Park and the wider Gqeberha area for any follow-up questions.
Book a dentist appointment for an orthodontic assessment, or read more about restorative dentistry if a damaged tooth needs attention before treatment begins.