General Information

Your smile is one of your most valuable assets. It’s often the first thing people notice about you, and it’s the focus of attention whenever you speak. Your smile reflects your health and your personality. A healthy, attractive smile is a source of confidence and emotional well-being.

But often, people’s teeth, lips and jaws don’t line up the way they should, detracting from their smiles. This is what we call “malocclusion,” which is simply another way of saying “bad bite.” A bad bite can contribute to tooth decay, gum disease and even tooth loss at any age.

Fixing bad bites is the job of the orthodontist – a dental specialist who diagnoses, prevents and treats dental and facial irregularities.

All orthodontists are dentists, but only about six percent of dentists are orthodontists.

The educational requirements of orthodontic training are demanding, and include advanced knowledge in biomedical, behavioral and general sciences. Orthodontists must complete college requirements, graduate from dental school and have at least two-to-three years of academic orthodontic specialty training.

An uncorrected bad bite may lead to other, more serious problems. Crooked and crowded teeth may contribute to poor self-esteem. They are hard to clean and maintain, which may lead to tooth decay, gum disease and, eventually, tooth loss. A bad bite can also cause abnormal wear of tooth surfaces, difficulty in chewing and speaking and excessive stress on the bone that supports the teeth and gum tissue.

Here are some signs parents can watch for that might indicate the need for a visit with the orthodontist, possibly even before permanent teeth come in:

• Early or late loss of baby teeth
• Difficulty in chewing or biting
• Breathing through the mouth
• Thumb-sucking
• Crowded, misplaced or blocked-out teeth
• A jaw that is too far forward or back
• Protruding teeth
• Upper and lower teeth that don’t meet, or meet in an abnormal way
• An unbalanced facial appearance
• Grinding or clenching of the teeth

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that no matter how young your child is, if you notice any of the early indicators of possible problems, he or she should have an orthodontic check-up right away. And the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that every child should have an orthodontic check-up no later than age 7.

By checking children early, we can spot subtle problems with teeth or jaw growth, determine if treatment is needed, and, if so, when it should start. That’s key, because for each patient, there’s an ideal time to begin orthodontic treatment in order to achieve the best results. Orthodontists have the skill to determine when the time is just right. Even if a problem is detected, immediate treatment may not be recommended. Chances are, the orthodontist will take a “wait-and-see” approach—checking your child from time to time as the permanent teeth come in and the jaw and face continue to grow.

Although every case is different, patients generally wear braces from one to three years. Treatment times vary with several factors, including the severity of the problem being corrected, how well the patient follows the orthodontist’s instructions for wearing appliances and how well the patient attends to oral hygiene.

After the braces are removed, the patient often wears a retainer for some time to keep, or “retain,” the teeth in their new positions. The orthodontist will determine how long the retainer needs to be worn.

Teeth continue to change over a lifetime, so many patients continue periodic orthodontic visits even after the retainer phase to ensure that the teeth stay properly aligned.

With today’s orthodontic technology, both growing patients and adults who wear braces can feel good about how they look while they’re in treatment. Metal brackets are much smaller than they used to be. Even less noticeable are clear braces made of a ceramic material. For those that want to be noticed – braces now come in a variety of fun designs and you can get rubber bands in every color imaginable. For those that do not want to be noticed – orthodontics can also be invisible through the use of Invisalign techonology .

The fee for an individual’s orthodontic treatment will depend on many factors, including how severe the problem is, how complex the treatment is, and how long the treatment lasts. However, patients today are finding that braces are more affordable than ever. Dollar for dollar, when you consider the lifetime benefits of orthodontic treatment, it truly is a great value. And our office offers many flexible payments options with monthly payments spread over the course of treatment. We will also make sure to maximize your insurance benefits so that you will receive the benefit of reduced personal costs.