Pretty much everyone sees the allure of beautifully straight teeth and a healthy bite. While we are fortunate to have excellent technology and knowledge of how to use it to straighten teeth today, have you ever wondered why so many people have crooked teeth or bite problems? Straight teeth look great and they are also [...]
Many of our patients and parents wonder why elastic rubber bands are needed with braces? Rubber bands or elastics are an important part of orthodontic treatment. There are actually two different kinds of orthodontic elastics and the general public often confuses them. First we have the elastic ligature “O” ties or “colors” that kids want [...]
Many of our patients ask us about Invisalign treatment when they come in for an orthodontic consultation as much of the general public is familiar with the idea of being a “candidate for Invisalign.” Frankly, not everyone is a candidate for Invisalign but with so much innovation in technology in the field of orthodontics, more [...]
Orthodontic treatment is a wonderful gift we give our children or ourselves. The creation of a beautiful and healthy smile is an investment in health and well being that is eclipsed by few other things. However, without the proper mouth care during orthodontic treatment, dental and periodontal problems can develop leading to tooth stains, cavities, [...]
It seems rather ironic that October is National Orthodontic Health Month because it is the month that ends with Halloween – the candy holiday. From an orthodontist’s perspective, Halloween can be stressful because of the harm candy can do to our patients wearing braces. On the other hand, maybe it is a fitting month to [...]
Once your orthodontist has finished straightening your teeth one of the most important stages of the orthodontic treatment process actually begins – the retainer phase. Often overlooked by the thrill of having the braces removed is the critical importance of wearing the retainers to maintain all of the hard work accomplished during the active treatment [...]
Kids need braces for a variety of reasons. They may need them for crooked teeth or an overbite or an underbite. An underbite is when the lower jaw is bigger and an overbite is just the opposite, the upper jaw is bigger than the lower (which is usually too small). Teeth can also be overcrowded [...]
We are often asked the question, “Is it too late for me to get braces?” The simple answer to that question is, no matter your age, “No.” We believe that it is never too late to get that perfect smile! Straight teeth not only look good, but they also have health benefits. More and more [...]
For many adolescents and adults battling the issue of crooked or otherwise imperfect teeth or a bad or uncomfortable bite, the idea of finding an ultra-fast and easy solution is quite attractive. This explains the growing popularity of products like Six Month Smiles and Crystal Braces, which are non-orthodontic tooth alignment systems. While Six Month [...]
It used to be that whenever an individual had a dental problem, the immediate response was to visit a dentist or orthodontist to assist in correction of the issue. However, today, certain companies have developed basic and unsupervised methods of “straightening teeth” that should be considered questionable at best and dangerous at worst. A good [...]