We often hear patients speaking about orthodontic treatments as if the only purpose was cosmetic. While we know that having straight teeth that are evenly spaced and not overlapping looks great, there are other reasons that make orthodontic care important to your overall health.
Malocclusions and misalignments do more than ruin your smile. There are several reasons to seek orthodontic care that are in everyone’s best interest. These include: • TOOTH DECAY- When your teeth are not correctly aligned, it is easy to miss areas while brushing and flossing. This is frequently the case with crowded and twisted teeth. When left unchecked, the bacteria in your mouth advances turning to tartar and plaque leading to tooth decay. Another way poor tooth positioning causes tooth decay is when upper and lower teeth rub together. Over time, this action wears down tooth enamel and leaves teeth vulnerable. • GUM DISEASE- Crooked and crowded teeth can make proper flossing nearly impossible. The result is a buildup of plaque at the gum line. If allowed to grow, the plaque will bring about gum disease. In extreme cases, gum disease can lead to tooth loss or necessitate a root canal. • DIFFICULTY CHEWING FOOD- Your teeth and jaws are meant to fit together in a specific way. If misalignment and malocclusion disrupt the correct fit, you will have a difficult time properly chewing your food. This can lead to poor digestion. In many cases, painful or difficult chewing leads patients to make poor food choices. Because many of the most nutritious foods are also difficult to chew, patients opt for softer and less nutritious foods that are much easier to eat. Our orthodontist in San Francisco works with many of our patients to help them achieve healthy, straight smiles. While there are many useful orthodontic options, our experience and expertise will help to guide patients to the treatment that will provide the best results possible. If you think you could benefit from orthodontic care, please contact our office. Our staff can set up an appointment for a no-obligation consultation with our dentist.
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For decades, the words orthodontist and braces brought images of teenagers with mouths full of metal to mind. Advances and fresh ideas in orthodontics made a change in the approach to orthodontic treatments especially regarding the age of patients receiving braces and other orthodontic procedures.
Recently, orthodontists discovered that it is possible to prevent many of the oral problems which lead to braces. The key to this sort of prevention is early intervention by an orthodontist. Our Torrance dentist firmly believes that children should visit an orthodontist for an evaluation by the age of seven. While this seems quite young among traditional schools of dentistry, there are several signs that early orthodontic treatments are a good idea. • Excess spaces between teeth • Extra teeth • Extremely crowded teeth • Missing teeth • Narrow upper or lower jaw • Overbite, under bite, cross bite • Severely protruding or buck teeth If you notice any of these problems with your child, early orthodontic intervention may eliminate or shorten time wearing braces. There are a number of issues early orthodontic intervention can repair. Many of these include either a reduction in the time spent wearing braces or the elimination of braces in the future. • Cutting down the treatment time with braces • Decreasing the need for tooth removal at a later date • Develop good self-esteem and foster a healthy self-confidence at a time when children begin to seek approval of their peers • Enhancing symmetry by affecting jaw growth • Lessening the risk of trauma to front teeth which protrude • Making more space for crowded permanent teeth about to erupt • Potentially remove the need for braces as the child ages • Saving space for permanent teeth which are still under the gum line Early evaluation and treatment by our orthodontist in Torrance have the potential to improve a child’s dental alignment and hygiene vastly. However, just because orthodontic treatments are beginning earlier, this does not disqualify adults of any age who consider looking to an orthodontist for help straightening misaligned teeth. Our office sees more adults than ever getting orthodontic treatments for crooked teeth which have plagued them throughout their lives. We have options for discreet orthodontic care to help our adult patients have the smile of their dreams. 8/28/2017 0 Comments All About Invisalign ExpressIf your teeth are slightly crooked but you don’t want to wear bulky, metal braces, you might be a candidate for Invisalign Express. Invisalign uses clear plastic aligners to correct tooth alignment and bite problems without drawing undue attention to the treatment system. As the name suggests, the Express version of Invisalign allows you to complete treatment more quickly.
Conventional Invisalign usually lasts 12 to 18 months and uses 20 to 30 aligners. Each aligner is worn about two weeks at a time and is used to shift specific teeth into certain positions. With the Express version, you can complete treatment with as few as 10 aligners. This means that you could be done with your entire course of treatment in just 6 months. You might be a candidate for Express treatment if you: Need less than 1.5 mm of expansion per arch Need less than 2 mm of midline correction Have minimal rotation of your front teeth Have minimal crowding or spacing Have minor orthodontic relapse Invisalign trays are easy to put in and take out, so you can continue eating your normal diet and brushing and flossing the way you always have. Call our office today to learn more or to schedule your consultation with our Rocklin orthodontist. 8/9/2017 0 Comments Invisalign PerksInvisalign is a wonderful way to smooth the kinks in your smile without the intrusion of braces. Invisalign uses thermoplastic aligners to gently smooth your crooked or crowded teeth into better versions of themselves.
This program has a few perks. Depending on the severity of your case, you may only need to use the product for a year—as opposed to 18 months or longer for traditional braces. If you’ve had orthodontic work in the past and are using Invisalign’s spinoff, Invisalign Express, to fix your dental relapse, your treatment will take even less time. The pressures exerted by Invisalign work in a push-like way, rounding your teeth into shape in a series of two-week stages. This incrementalism requires you to exchange your aligners for a new set—again every two weeks. Each stage of your treatment builds on the last, ensuing your teeth straighten in a linear, noticeable way. Our expert in Invisalign in Torrance considers the finest perk of Invisalign to be its lack of interference in your daily life—you can eat whatever you want, simply removing your aligners before each meal or snack. And the aligners are translucent enough to fix your teeth in near-invisibility. For more, call our dentist in Torrance. 7/24/2017 0 Comments Invisalign Better for TeethWe’ve all heard at least one horror story about a teen getting hit in the face with the ball during gym. Imagine the pain and discomfort experienced by someone who wears traditional metal braces. Teens have a lot on their plate as it is, so luckily there are new, less obtrusive orthodontic treatments available. Our expert in Invisalign in Los Angeles is dedicated to providing teens and adults with discrete and effective orthodontic treatment.
Invisalign is a tooth straightening system that uses clear aligner trays to shift your teeth into proper placement. Every two weeks, your appliances are traded for new ones, and your teeth continue to shift over time. For teens who play musical instruments or participate in contact sports, standard metal braces can be bulky and irritating. Invisalign provides a perfect, subtle way for teens to straighten their teeth because the trays are easy to care for and can be removed before meals. Unlike traditional braces, which can cause diet restriction and affect overall lifestyle, Invisalign allows patients the same freedom they had before treatment began. Contact our Invisalign dentist to learn more about this orthodontic system, and find out if Invisalign is right for your teen. 7/20/2017 0 Comments The Three Types of InvisalignNobody’s smiles are the same, which means that every orthodontic patient will have different issues to address. One of the great things about Invisalign is that they offer a few different types of treatment in order to accommodate everyone. Here is a look at Invisalign Full, Express, and Teen.
Invisalign Full Most patients are candidates for the full Invisalign process. This typically requires between twenty and thirty aligners over the course of fifteen months. This option is meant for those with multiple mild to moderate flaws, such as crooked teeth and spacing issues. Invisalign Express This shorter form of Invisalign treatment is for those with only a few mild orthodontic problems. Most patients receive ten aligners, and complete the process in about six months. It is appreciated by those who wish to perfect their smile before a big event, such as a wedding or reunion. Invisalign Teen Younger patients get their very own form of treatment. These aligners come with indicator dots that let the patient know if they are being worn enough, as well as expanders to accommodate for growing mouths. Invisalign Teen even offers up to six replacement aligners in case any go missing or become damaged. For more about Invisalign, contact our Invisalign provider in Los Angeles. If you didn’t get braces as a kid, you should know that it’s never too late to get orthodontic treatment. An increasing number of adults are turning to braces and other orthodontic treatments to improve their smiles and correct their bites. Our Rocklin orthodontist can help you decide if braces are right for you.
Virtually anyone with healthy teeth and gums can be a candidate for braces if they have teeth that are not aligned properly or are gapped or crowded. Teeth can move at any age, and even if you had braces in the past, if they have shifted or drifted out of place, they can be moved again. Adult braces can help you avoid serious dental problems by correcting bite abnormalities and reducing the risk of TMJ disorders and other issues. They can also space teeth properly, making them easy to clean and less vulnerable to decay and periodontal disease. Finally, braces for adults can make you feel more confident. People with crooked, badly aligned teeth often try to hide their smiles and are embarrassed about how their teeth look. Braces not only correct your bite and alignment; they also straighten your teeth and give you a smile of which you can be proud. You don’t have to hide your smile any longer. Call our dental office today to schedule your consultation and learn more about how adult braces can transform your smile. Self-ligating braces are a revolutionary type of braces that eliminate the need for elastics to secure the arch wire to the brackets. Instead, the wires are attached directly to the brackets with a special clip, allowing them to slide freely. They are available with conventional metal braces, or with ceramic or clear braces for the solution that works for you. The brackets are even sometimes smaller than those used for traditional treatment.
The arch wire used with these braces may be thick or thin depending on your needs. The thinner arch wire is used with passive brackets, which allow for freer tooth movements. Active brackets use thicker wires for stronger pressure and more consistent results. The clip used by these special braces reduces the amount of pressure needed to move the tooth, which also reduces the number of adjustments that you will need. Chair time is also often reduced, since there are no elastics to switch. If you are a candidate for conventional braces, you will likely also benefit from these braces as well. Our dentist in San Francisco can help you decide on the best orthodontic solution for your smile, which can include either self-ligating or conventional braces. Call our office today to learn more or to schedule your consultation with our orthodontist. 5/12/2017 0 Comments How Visible are Ceramic Braces?The biggest complaint about braces is that their metal brackets and wires are hugely noticeable. This has caused many patients to avoid their orthodontic health, which can be a very dangerous choice. Fortunately, modern orthodontics now offers a few different braces options that are much less noticeable. One of these options is ceramic braces.
When braces brackets are made of ceramic, they are able to blend in with the teeth perfectly. Our orthodontists in Rocklin can even use translucent bands that wrap around the brackets to keep the wire in place. These aspects together make ceramic braces much less noticeable than traditional ones. Ceramic braces are placed on the teeth in exactly the same way as other types. Depending on your orthodontic needs, you may even be a candidate for self-ligating ceramic braces. This appliance utilizes brackets that are able to control the wires on their own. This means that you will require fewer appointments, and the brackets can be smaller. If you are ignoring your need for orthodontic work because you are worried about how they will make your smile look, it is important to keep in mind that there are many options that are less noticeable than basic braces. You can learn more about them on our site or at an appointment. Early orthodontics is often recommended for younger patients with bite irregularities. Considering the fact that many patients wear braces later on, during adolescence or adulthood, you may wonder why early orthodontic treatments would be beneficial. Here is a look at how effective this approach is. Bite Correction Braces are just as effective at moving the teeth of children as they are at moving the teeth of adults. Children benefit immediately from a lowered risk of oral health problems, such as gum disease and tooth decay. At the same time, kids enjoy a better-looking smile that can support their social development. Growth Support A key feature of early orthodontics is its ability to help promote good orofacial development over time. Even long after wearing braces, children may have better tooth eruption and positioning thanks to the corrections that orthodontics made earlier. This can pave the way to a smile that looks better during adulthood than it would have if braces were used later. Early orthodontics is an excellent option for many patients. You can schedule a consultation with our orthodontist in Rocklin to learn more about early braces treatments at our office. |
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