ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Orthodontic indices

Orthodontic indices are like a special score card that dentists and orthodontists use to figure out how crooked someone's teeth are. They work kind of like the scorecard you use to keep track of your game of checkers or chess.

Just like in a game, there are certain things that need to be checked and measured to figure out who is winning. When it comes to teeth, there are different things that dentists and orthodontists need to check to see how well they are lined up.

These things are things like how much space there is between teeth, how much overlap there is between teeth, and how the teeth are lined up with each other. The orthodontic index is a way of keeping track of all these measurements and figures out how much improvement is needed to make the teeth straight and healthy.

The index uses a special code to record all the different measurements and details, so that everyone working on your teeth can keep track of how they are doing. Then, they can see if the treatments that are being used, like braces or aligners, are helping to improve the teeth and how much progress has been made.

So, think of the orthodontic indices as a special tool that helps dentists and orthodontists keep track of how well your teeth are doing and working towards making your smile healthy and straight.