As I have mentioned before, the AAO recommends that children be examined by an orthodontist starting at the age of 7. For young kids that need early Phase I intervention for one reason or another, this is great. But what about the majority of the kids who don’t need anything right now? In our office we have a complimentary Junior Observation program. Children who do not need a Phase I intervention are followed on a regular basis- often times yearly or every 6 months depending

Baby teeth (primary teeth) are meant to come out on their own. So then why would an orthodontist recommend extracting baby teeth? There are a variety of reasons why it might be recommended to extract a baby tooth. I generally leave it up to the patient’s pediatric dentist or family dentist to extract a tooth based upon decay. But, if there is a space issue, or if the adult tooth underneath is not developing straight and appears to be at an angle, it can be highly recommend

I cannot speak for all Orthodontic offices, but in our office we understand that everyone has a different budget and different monthly expenses. That is why we have very flexible payment options so that a comfortable payment option or plan can be made for each patient or family. Some of our patients prefer to make one payment at the start of braces. Some of our patients like to receive points back on their credit card or have flex spending accounts that make this option very

Congratulations! You have braces! You are on your journey to a beautiful smile. Now, how do you get through this first week? The braces may feel scratchy or sharp at first because you aren’t used to them. Also, your teeth may start to feel sore or achy. If not very sore or not very uncomfortable, you don’t need to do anything special. But, for those patients who do experience soreness or sharp/scratchiness, here is some advice on how to make things better! Soreness: Feeling s

What are the different parts that make up braces? Having braces involves more than just the braces themselves. There are many ‘parts’ that work together to move and align teeth. The first part of course are the braces themselves. Braces is plural for a whole set of ‘brackets’. Individual braces are called brackets. A bracket is bonded to each tooth with a special tooth cement. The brackets themselves cannot move teeth. The second part that is critical for proper movemen

A question I get a lot is “I (or my child) just had x-rays taken at the dentist, why do I also need x-rays taken for orthodontics?” This is a valid question. In years past there was a lot of concern about the dose of radiation received from x-ray machines. As a result, it put patients and parents on high alert about receiving x-rays. The great news is that with the advent of digital radiography we can now enjoy significantly lower doses of radiation than ever before. One pano

When patients get braces there is a lot of talk about what foods they can’t have. Let’s talk about the things you can still have! The truth of the matter is that you can still eat most foods. The items that can break or damage braces and wires tend to be foods that are extremely hard (hard candies, lollipops, pretzel rods, whole nuts) or extremely sticky (Caramel, gum, gummy bears, taffy). In the sweets category, you can still enjoy things like chocolate, Kit Kats, Reese’s pe

How long should I wear retainers? Not that many years ago, the recommendation for wearing retainers was to wear them for a few months after orthodontic treatment and that was about it. Well, we know a lot more now than even 10 or 20 years ago and the new recommendation is to anticipate Retainer for Life. We all know that skin sags down and wrinkles form over time. Much in the same way, teeth have a tendency to shift forward and inwards over the course of a person’s lifetime.

Invisalign treatment consists of clear aligner used to orthodontically move teeth. A consultation first is always required to make sure you&

At what age should my child be seen by an orthodontist? The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all children be seen by an orthodontist by age 7. This does not mean that all children need treatment. In fact, I find that most young children do not need intervention at this age. However, for those that do need early treatment, or Phase I treatment, the timing is highly sensitive. What are the reasons a young child (average age 7-10) might need Phase I treatmen