Orthodontics has been taught and practiced at the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Medicine  since its establishment in 1953.

In 1965 the orthodontic department was recognized as an independent department within the faculty of Dental  Medicine, with the aim of teaching undergraduate dental students, providing treatment for children and adults and offering a consultation service for other departments within the Dental School and  Hadassah Hospital, and the general public as well.

With the implementation of the 1977 law recognizing specialties within dentistry, including orthodontics, the teaching emphasis shifted to graduate training of orthodontic specialists.

This course now extends for three and a half years and accepts 6 dentists. The syllabus of the graduate program is approved by the Scientific Council of the Israel Dental Association, the body responsible for certifying specialist training in all dental subjects as well as the Ministry of Health, and is compatible with the guidelines set out for orthodontic training within the European Community, the Erasmus project.

About the Department

The orthodontic department has 8 fully equipped dental units, 6 in the main clinic and one each in separate treatment rooms.

The department is staffed by 20 full and part-time specialist orthodontists supported by 6 volunteer orthodontists and by chairside assistants, hygienists and technicians.

The 6 graduate students are an integral part of the department and take a major share in the treatment of patients under the close supervision of the specialist staff.

In addition to learning and practicing standard orthodontic treatment methods, the graduate students also treat patients in the framework of the orthognathic surgery clinic, the early treatment clinic, adult pre-prosthetic patients and patients with impacted teeth, with facial clefts or with special needs.

The specialist staff are required to participate in under-graduate teaching, both theoretical and practical, and to carry out research projects. Attendance at lectures, study days and conferences, in Israel and abroad, is regarded as an essential part of continuing education for all staff members.

Clinical Services Provided by the Department

Consultations

Orthodontic consultations are provided for members of the public who wish to know whether their child needs orthodontic treatment and when such treatment should be carried out. This service is provided for a small fee and does not commit the department to accepting the child for treatment.

Consultations are also provided for patients undergoing treatment in other departments within the Faculty primarily: pediatric dentistry, periodontics (before or after gum treatments), prosthodontics (preparatory to crown, bridge and implant treatments), oral surgery and plastic surgery.

Routine Orthodontic Treatment

Routine orthodontic treatment is provided to those patients who underwent consultation in our department and were accepted for treatment in one of our clinics, and to family members of Hadassah personnel .

Cleft Lip and/or Palate Clinic

Comprehensive treatment of patients with facial clefts is carried out within the framework of an inter-departmental team which includes, in addition to orthodontics: plastic surgery, oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, oral rehabilitation, ENT and speech therapy. Active orthodontic treatment is provided at the appropriate stages in the patient’s growth and development, and may extend from shortly after birth until early adulthood.

Orthognathic Surgery

Orthognatic surgery is a complex treatment involving cooperation between orthodontic and maxillo-facial surgery departments. The aim of such treatment is to correct serious malformations of skeletal jaw structures.

Such malformations may fall into one of 3 categories: the largest group consists of patients for whom conventional orthopedic/orthodontic treatment is insufficient to correct the abnormal jaw relationship. A second, smaller group, consists of patients suffering from Head and Neck syndromes such as Crouzon’s or  Apert’s, which affect the normal growth of the jaws and skull. The final group are patients who suffer from tumors or growth disorders which distort normal jaw development. Patients from all 3 groups require individualized treatment planning.

Hemifacial Microsomia Clinic

Hemifacial Microsomia and other asymmetry malformations clinic: Treatment of patients with these malformations may extend from early childhood to adulthood. It may involve: a. functional orthopedic treatment for growth redirection; b. orthodontic treatment before and after surgery; c. surgical procedures such as distraction osteogenesis, bone grafts and/or orthognatic surgery. The latter treatment involves collaboration with maxillofacial surgeons.   

Special Needs Children's Orthodontic Clinic

This clinic specializes in orthodontic treatment for children with developmental disabilities which may be physical, mental or both. Children with Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy,  mental retardation, autism or severe systemic medical conditions are treated in this clinic, in collaboration with the departments of pediatric dentistry, oral surgery, periodontics and other dental and medical departments. Some patients will require sedation or even full anaesthesia in order to carry out complicated procedures, which their medical, psychological or behavioral conditions prevent from their being performed in the normal manner. This is available in the specially equipped clinic in the orthodontic department.

The Clinic for Adult Orthodontics 

Adults, like children, attend for routine orthodontic treatment for a problem that perhaps was not attended to in childhood. However, treatment delivery has to be refined to include appliances that are less visible or completely hidden. Our clinic is in the forefront of clinical technique, offering the latest ceramic tooth-colored brackets, brackets on the lingual (tongue) side of the teeth, transparent splints and Invisalign technology.

We also employ custom designed orthodontic implants, as an alternative to the use of headgears for these and other exceptional cases.  Similarly, when difficult adult  cases require the care of several different disciplines, such as those conditions pursuant to multiple loss or drifting of teeth, due to decay or gum disease, adjunctive orthodontics is offered within an interdisciplinary overall treatment plan, in conjunction with the other specialties, including periodontics, oral rehabilitation, endodontics and oral surgery.

Early Orthodontic Treatment Clinic