An orthodontist who can put a smile on your face
Mthobeli Vundla is a specialist dentist who treats irregularities of the teeth
As an orthodontic specialist, I diagnose, treat and prevent irregularities of teeth.
Growing up, I wanted to be a doctor of some sort (either a medical doctor or dentist) or lawyer. After matric, I only wanted to do dentistry, although I had a chance to do medicine at the University of Transkei.
My contract as a registrar ended in December, then I had to move to private practice as it was always the plan when I started in January 2013.
I am still involved in academics at the University of the Witwatersrand as periodical (working certain hours per month).
We deal with malocclusion (maligned teeth) on a daily basis. The extent of work to be done differs from one case to another. For example, crooked teeth, a smile that is not pleasing (too gummy or teeth that do not show when smiling), speech problems due to malocclusion and a few cases of kids born with cleft of the lip, lip and palate, or just the palate.
Has the treatment for crooked teeth changed much in the past 15 years?
The approach to treatment has changed to some extent as more and more adults are seeking treatment. Certain things like the headgear are less common these days as more adult patients are reluctant to wear them. A few advances have been made to replace them with things like mini-screws (implants). With more adults seeking treatment, advances have been made to use more aesthetic approaches like clear brackets, which are less visible, and techniques such as Invisalign, which are virtually invisible aligners.
Certain problems are inherited and therefore cannot be avoided. However, each child must see an orthodontist as early as eight years old since some of the problems, if intercepted early enough, can be treated while the child is still growing or prevented from becoming worse with the aim of a second phase of treatment at a later stage.
Some of the problems are environmental, and these can be prevented. Environmental problems include things like habits such as thumb-sucking, and the early loss of the teeth. These can be prevented by consulting a dentist or orthodontist.
The most meaningful and satisfying part of my work is giving people hope and the difference that I make in someone’s life. Some of the patients have low self-esteem due to crowding, for example. A beautiful smile often contributes to someone’s self-esteem and self-confidence and could contribute towards career advancement. The world we live in is very competitive — a good smile and high self-esteem can give you the edge.
Humility — you need to be humble, modest and have a complete lack of self-importance.
Strategy — you must have a vision and be able to implement it.
Risk management — the process can be risky, so an understanding of what could happen is important.