Form of The Dental Arches

These are issues with the morphology of the overall dental arch. The roots of the teeth are surrounded by periodontal ligaments which connect them to tooth sockets In the alveolar arch.

Orthodontic tooth movement can only occur within the space available in the alveolar arch. Major changes to the shape, size, or position of the arch usually require additional procedures such as surgery or growth modification.

Dental arch problems can include:

• The insufficient arch length causes crowding.

• The Excessive arch length causes spacing.

• Arch length can be reduced by caries or tooth loss.