Triin Jagomägi is the new orthodontics professor at the University of Tartu. She says that Estonians should start taking care of their oral health early on. Ideally, a service could be created where parents receive help with their child’s oral health even before the child is born. This would reduce the need for expensive treatment steps.
Currently, Estonians' awareness of oral health is too low. Prevention is always cheaper than treatment, but Estonia’s dental care system focuses more on treatment. To improve oral health, it would be possible to start even before the child is born, supported by apps and specialists.
The admission of orthodontic residents has been increased year by year. Jagomägi emphasizes that the media, which talks about the shortage of orthodontists, has painted too bleak a picture. In fact, the state lacks precise statistics on queues.
Jagomägi is now Estonia’s first and only orthodontics professor. She says that orthodontics is not a new field but has been part of a dentist’s work for a long time. Her own studies began in Finland, where she trained to become an orthodontist. After that, orthodontic residency came to Estonia, which made orthodontics a specialty.
As a professor, Jagomägi continues her research and teaching. She has three doctoral students, and new projects are constantly coming. She emphasizes that prevention is always cheaper than treatment and recommends that Estonia should focus more on oral health prevention.
Jagomägi also talks about the functions of the mouth, such as chewing, swallowing, and speaking. She explains that if these functions are disturbed, it can affect the growth of teeth and jawbones. She recommends that people should pay more attention to these things.
Finally, Jagomägi talks about her vision of creating a service that would help young parents maintain their children's dental health. She recommends that parents should start taking care of oral health early to avoid bigger problems in the future.