Orthodontic Treatment – Braces

Orthodontic Treatment – Braces

Braces can be used to treat a number of orthodontic problems including overbites, underbites, misaligned teeth, and spacing problems. If your orthodontist has prescribed braces to straighten your teeth and improve the look of your smile, you may be wondering exactly how this treatment works. Read this overview to gain a better understanding of how your braces will correct the placement of your teeth.

Application of Braces

Orthodontic braces are composed of several different components including brackets, an archwire, and ligature elastics. Your orthodontist will bond a bracket onto each tooth with a glue-like material, and then run the archwire through each bracket. Ligature elastics are used to secure the wire to the bracket and are regularly changed when you visit your orthodontist for adjustments. braces San Antonio

Realignment of Teeth

Braces work by gently pulling on your teeth to realign them. The archwire is tightened on a regular basis, putting pressure on the teeth. Over time, this continual pressure moves the teeth into their proper place. Additional components, such as elastics, bands, and spacers, may be used to correct bite issues, create space, or reposition a tooth that is markedly out of place.

Completion of Treatment

Once your orthodontist feels that your teeth have reached their ideal location, it’s time for your braces to come off. You will have to wear a retainer for a period of time to keep your teeth in the correct position. Your orthodontist may use permanent retainers, semi-permanent retainers, or removable retainers to stop your teeth from shifting.

If you or someone in your family requires braces, visit the friendly staff at our Dental Office. We provide residents of the area with comprehensive orthodontic care. Call us to schedule an orthodontic evaluation.

If your front teeth are overcrowded, your orthodontist may recommend a palatal expander to create more space for your teeth. For effective treatment, you’ll need to turn the expander yourself.
Turning your expander is a relatively simple process. Insert the key, turn the screw back towards the roof of your mouth, and remove the key. Make sure you don’t accidentally reverse the screw when you remove the key and ensure that you complete one full turn with each adjustment. Ask your orthodontist if you have questions.

If you need treatment with a palatal expander, visit Our Dental Office. We offer a wide array of orthodontic appliances to correct any problems with your teeth. Call for an appointment today.

Many people can benefit from a visit to an orthodontist to receive comprehensive treatment. If you are wondering if you are one of those people, then here are some signs that you should look for:

Crooked Teeth

If your teeth are crooked, turned, or leaning to one side, you should see an orthodontist for braces. Undergoing treatment can straighten your teeth and give you the healthy, beautiful smile you’ve always wanted. It doesn’t matter if you are older—you can still get braces to help you look and feel your best.

An Overbite or Underbite

Some people have jaws that aren’t aligned properly, which leads to overbites or underbites. With orthodontic treatment, your bite misalignment can be corrected. Once your treatment is complete, you’ll have straight teeth that are properly aligned when you close your mouth.

Hard-to-Clean Teeth

If you have teeth that are overlapped, it can be hard to keep them clean. Without proper oral hygiene, bacteria can grow, causing plaque, cavities, and tooth decay, and possibly leading to more serious problems, such as periodontal disease. Braces can correctly align your teeth, allowing you to adequately clean between them and prevent these problems.

Speech Impediment

The position of teeth can affect speech. If you or your child has a speech impediment, braces should be considered to correct any abnormalities in the teeth. Ask your speech therapist for a recommendation regarding orthodontic treatment.

Sleep Apnea

Much in the same way that braces can help with speech problems, they can also help with sleep apnea. Sometimes, the position of teeth can hinder proper breathing at night, which can lead to sleep apnea. An orthodontist can help move teeth into their correct locations, making breathing easier.

If you believe that you or your child could benefit from braces, contact our Dental Office. We provide orthodontic treatment for families living in the area. Call to set up an appointment today.

While braces may be the first thing that pops into your mind when you consider orthodontic treatment, there are a number of other appliances that your orthodontist may employ to improve the alignment of your teeth.

Here is an overview of the different kinds of appliances your orthodontist may use:

Elastic Bands

Elastic bands may be used in conjunction with the brackets on braces or with a temporary anchorage device (TAD) to help teeth move into their correct positions. These bands can move the jaw forward or backward, and the TAD can help move specific teeth. The use of braces or a TAD can sometimes prevent the need for more noticeable orthodontic appliances, like headgear.

Palatal Expander

If your teeth are too crowded or if the rows of your teeth are not in alignment with each other, your orthodontist may use a palatal expander to help widen your upper jaw. This allows your mouth to better accommodate your teeth, helping prevent the need for tooth extractions. Once the jaw is adequately expanded, you may need to continue to use the appliance for a few months to ensure that your teeth stay in their proper place.

Headgear

For some people, headgear is a necessary orthodontic appliance. Headgear may only need to be worn at night and can be used to correct severe overbites and underbites. The headgear appliance puts gentle pressure on the teeth to stop them from growing forward, reducing the appearance of over and underbites.

Forsus

A forsus may be used when the upper teeth jut forward too much or when using other appliances, such as headgear, is not an option. This orthodontic appliance is attached to braces and works to pull the top teeth into alignment with the lower teeth.

If you are looking for an orthodontist in the area, visit the professionals at our Dental Office. We can provide the orthodontic treatment you need for a beautiful smile. For an appointment, call us today.

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You Want A Seasoned Orthodontist

You Want A Seasoned Orthodontist

Our Orthodontist has many years of experience in dealing with every sort of tooth and dental development issue and is very willing to help you make an informed decision about the treatment choices for your child. Like many procedures, the effectiveness of early treatment can only be determined on an individual basis. Here, the doctor explains his viewpoint on early treatment options.

What is early treatment?

The terms ‘early treatment,’ ‘interceptive treatment,’ or ‘phase I treatment’ are all basically the same thing. This form of treatment is usually done when the child is 8 to 10 years old and will have 8-12 baby teeth present in the mouth. More here @ https://cochranorthodontics.com/children-orthodontics/children's dentist san antonio

Phase II treatment consists of fixed appliances (metal braces) and is usually done when the patient is older and all the baby teeth are gone and the permanent teeth are in the mouth. For girls, this is about 11 ½ years old and for boys about 12 ½ years of age on average.

Are there drawbacks to early treatment?

Early treatment is great when it is indicated and appropriate. Dental problems such as crowding or crossbites are usually corrected best through early treatment at age 9 or 10. A second stage of treatment with braces will usually be required at age 11 ½ for girls, and at age 12 ½ for boys to finish aligning the teeth.

However, what I discovered was that it was still taking about 20 months of the metal braces to finish aligning the teeth at age 12 to 13. So, I could do two phases of treatment, taking 28-32 months, or I could be a little patient and do all the treatment in one step, taking about 24 months in the metal braces.

Which was the better way? Well, by just doing one phase of treatment, the parents saved money, the child had fewer hoops to jump through, and the results were basically the same.

When do we recommend early treatment?

I love to see the kids about age 9 or 10 years old, or even younger if mom and dad have a concern about their child’s teeth. I’d much rather be ahead of the game than behind. Sometimes I will turn the patient loose for a little while, and then when he/she is ready, start the correct early treatment.

Of course, there are instances where treating the patient at 9 or 10 works out great! If all the upper teeth are too narrow (called a crossbite), 9 or 10 is a great time to correct this. Sometimes a front tooth is stuck and won’t come down, or is sticking straight out – 9 or 10 is a great time to correct this.

orthodontic treatment

Child patient at the orthodontist – close up

I firmly believe in early treatment. It just needs to be used when it is truly indicated.
Call now to schedule a consultation with us to discuss treatment options and see what financing plans you qualify for.

The doctor will examine you or your child’s teeth to determine the best course of orthodontic treatment and will discuss financing that you can afford.

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Cosmetic Dentistry – Get A Great Smile Back

Cosmetic Dentistry – Get A Great Smile Back

Using a combination of advanced cosmetic dentistry procedures, we create beautiful, white smiles for patients who are not satisfied with the condition of their teeth. Below you will find introductions to our most popular procedures. Find more information here @ https://mcomiedentistry.com/

Teeth Whitening
One of the simplest and most dramatic things you can do to improve the appearance of your smile is to have teeth whitening performed. Over time, substances such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, and tobacco can all leave ugly stains on our enamel. Teeth whitening can reverse those effects, whitening teeth by five to 10 shades! Zoom™ is a simple, in-office whitening system that takes two hours to perform. A hydrogen peroxide gel is applied to the teeth and is then activated by a patented, blue-spectrum light. Results are immediate and impressive. We also offer a take-home whitening system. The Nite White tooth whitening system consists of a custom-fitted appliance that is filled with bleaching gel and worn at night over the teeth. Nite White gel, a solution containing 10 percent carbamide peroxide, safely and gently whitens teeth over the course of two to four weeks, depending on each patient’s needs.cosmetic dentistry

Dental Bonding
A fast, effective alternative to veneers and crowns, dental bonding produces exceptional results in as little as a single office visit. During the procedure, a strong tooth-colored resin material is placed onto your tooth. The material is then sculpted and polished it until it is indistinguishable from your surrounding natural teeth. When exposed to high-intensity ultraviolet light, the resin hardens, and the procedure is complete. The bonding material, while not as durable or stain-resistant as the porcelain used in veneers and crowns, will endure for years with proper care. This is an in-office procedure that provides immediate results with minimal intrusion.

Porcelain Veneers
Changing the appearance of your smile is easier than ever with porcelain veneers. Veneers are thin layers of tooth-colored material that can be bonded to your teeth to change their shape, size, alignment, or color. Porcelain veneers can repair chips and cracks, hide discoloration, and straighten crooked teeth. They look completely natural and very little tooth structure needs to be removed in order for them to be placed. Veneers are an excellent way to achieve a beautiful smile.

Crowns
Porcelain crowns – or caps, as they are sometimes called – are an excellent way to repair and strengthen badly damaged teeth. When a tooth is broken or has become weakened by a large filling or root canal treatment, it may be repaired by placing a crown, fabricated by an outside laboratory. By strengthening these weaker teeth, a crown effectively eliminates pain, sensitivity, and difficulty with chewing and speaking. Crowns are made of either metal with porcelain overlay or all-ceramic material. Crowns protect you teeth from further breakdown and improve the function as well as the appearance of the tooth.

Inlays/Onlays
Inlays and onlays are porcelain or composite restorations that are bonded to the tooth. An inlay is stronger than a regular “white” filling, as it is fabricated by a laboratory technician. Inlays and onlays are virtually indistinguishable from natural teeth and discreetly restore teeth to an optimal state of health. An onlay, when possible, is a more conservative treatment than a crown.dentist

Implants
If you tend to hide your smile because of missing teeth, dental implants could be the answer. Tooth loss due to injury, disease, or infection can make speaking and eating difficult. Dental implants are the most durable way of replacing missing teeth. An implant, essentially an artificial tooth root to which a new crown can be attached, can successfully replace a single tooth or all of your natural teeth. The dental implant procedure involves three phases. During the first phase, we place the implant, usually made of titanium, into your jawbone. It then requires a period of healing that lasts for several months. Finally, we attach a new crown to the implant, giving you a strong, natural-looking new tooth. Implants are an excellent solution to tooth replacement as they help to retain existing bone levels. More here @ McOmie Implant Dentistry

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