Treatment
What is Invisalign®?
Invisalign is another option for those who are seeking orthodontic care. For many, the primary concern for their smile is the appearance of their teeth. With Invisalign®, patients can now receive orthodontic care with clear aligning trays that will improve the appearance of teeth without having to place metal braces. Metal braces can be irritating, restrict consumption of specific foods, and make brushing and flossing a hassle. Invisalign® trays can be removed easily and are easily integrated into your everyday life.
How does Invisalign® work?
Invisalign® works through the use of removable aligners instead of using the traditional non-removable braces. Many dentists are able to provide Invisalign® treatment, so there is no need to go to an orthodontist. Check with your dentist to see if they are able to provide you with this treatment.
When you and dentist decide that Invisalign® is a good treatment for you, your dentist will take impressions and radiographs of your teeth so a treatment plan can be created for you. Your dentist will show you how your teeth will move and shift as your treatment comes along. Depending on the severity of your case, treatment time is variable.
When a treatment plan is created, clear tray aligners will be created to custom fit your teeth. These tray aligners are removable and can be removed when eating, brushing and flossing so that they do not interfere with your everyday life. The aligners are also made of smooth plastic so they so they do not irritate your cheeks and you do not even notice that you are wearing them. These aligner trays are replaced every two weeks with a new aligner that will help shift your teeth into the next phase of treatment.
Advantages of Using Invisalign®
- Clear and invisible – no more traditional braces
- Removable
- Smooth plastic – no cheek or gum irritation
- Straightens teeth in a comparable amount of time to traditional metal braces
- Helps with cases of gaps, overcrowding, crossbites, underbites, overbites
Impacted teeth can often cause problems early on in a child’s life. Impacted teeth are teeth that are not in the correct position when erupting and therefore, it can cause the teeth to fail to erupt.
Reasons for impacted teeth:
- Overcrowding and not enough space in the mouth
- Losing primary teeth too early
When a tooth or teeth are impacted, you should correct the problem as soon as possible because it can lead to many problems in a child’s development by causing misalignment, problems with the sinus, damage to nearby teeth, uneven spacing in teeth and other issues. An orthodontist can help correct impacted teeth by examining an impacted tooth or teeth using x-ray diagnosis. Then, the orthodontist can help expose the impacted tooth and help guide it to where it is suppose to be.
Orthodontics can also help when a patient is missing a tooth or teeth due to an injury or failure of development. An orthodontist can help figure out why the tooth is missing and help close the gap of where the tooth is missing using braces. Many issues such as problems with eating, misalignment and less confidence in a smile can result from any missing teeth. If you or your child has any impacted or missing teeth, visit our office for a consultation and see what we can do for you!
Spacing teeth is when there are gaps present in between teeth. This can be caused by a variety of reasons such as:
- Smaller sized teeth
- Missing teeth
- Abnormal gum tissue
- Teeth that have failed to erupt or impacted teeth
- Protruding teeth
Spaces between teeth can cause problems with ability to eat, gum problems due to over-exposure of the gums and can decrease confidence in your smile.
On the contrary, crowding of the teeth is the opposite problem. Crowding occurs when the teeth in the mouth seem like they cannot all fit, which can cause teeth to become twisted, protruded and misaligned. Some reasons for crowding include:
- Smaller jaw size compared to teeth size
- Problems when teeth were erupting
- Too early or late loss of primary teeth
Overcrowding of teeth can become a problem to you or your child because it can increase the likelihood of decay, cause gum disease, crooked teeth and difficulties eating.
Crossbite is when one or more of the upper teeth on the front or sides of the mouth end up on the inside of the lower teeth. When detected early, a crossbite can be corrected. Crossbites can corrected by using braces, expanding the upper teeth or sometimes surgery. When a crossbite is detected, it should be corrected because many issues can arise such as misalignment, troubles chewing/eating, less confidence in smiling, and gum disease.
An overbite is when the front teeth overlap in front of the lower teeth. An overbite can be caused by over-development of the bone that holds the front teeth or over-eruption of the top teeth. When this occurs, the front bottom teeth will get covered. Some problems associated with an overbite can involved difficult eating/chewing, jaw problems, less confidence in smiling, gum problems and grinding down the front teeth.
An overjet is when the lower teeth are very far behind the front teeth and can cause the front teeth to protrude. Problems with overjet can be caused by tongue thrusting or thumb sucking in children. An appliance can be made for the patient in order to help the teeth from protruding. Overjetting can cause problems such as wearing out the teeth, less confidence in smiling, and difficulty using the front teeth.
An underbite is when the front bottom teeth protrude and overlap on top of the front top teeth. This usually happens when the lower jaw grows much more than the upper jaw and not enough growth of the upper jaw. When detected early, the bite can be corrected. Underbites can cause problems with eating/chewing, pain in the joints and less confidence in smiling. Underbites can be corrected using extraction of teeth and surgery.
Orthognathic Surgery is a surgery procedure that is done on the jaws when the teeth in the mouth don’t fit together correctly or when the jaws do not align correctly. Many patients that are in need of jaw surgery often experience difficulty chewing and eating, problems with their speech, pain that is associated with the jaw or TMJ, facial deformity or breathing problems. Misalignment of the jaws can cause many problems and can affect the overall well-being of a person including their physical and emotional health. Orthognathic surgery to re-align the jaws can help relieve these problems and bring back confidence to your smile.
There can be many different causes to why there is misalignment in the jaws. Some of the common reasons include: jaws growing at different rates, defects that occurred at birth or injury. If jaw misalignment is due to birth defects, symptoms may begin to show early. If it is a result of development, the growth of the jaw should be monitored as the patient develops throughout the years. In order to determine when the best time to have the surgery, growth of the jaws must be stabilized to ensure that more growth does not occur after surgery.
If you believe that you suffer from jaw misalignment, consult with your dentist. Together, your dentist, orthodontist and oral/maxillofacial surgeon will work together to come up with your treatment plan and help you understand the steps that need to be taken.
TMJ Dysfunction is a condition that affect many people. Some symptoms from TMD include pain in the ear, face, head, neck, shoulder, and back. The joints that hold the jaw in jaw in place are composed of strong muscles that help you opening, close and fit your teeth together in your mouth. Together with your dentist and orthodontist, a treatment can be made to help manage pain due to TMD. If you have any of the pain specified above, consult your dentist and orthodontist to see if you can find relief.
Bioesthetic orthodontics is when the teeth are arranged to work the joints in the jaw. When the jaws are aligned with the teeth, it helps maintain the proper bite and form of the mouth. The mouth functions better when the teeth and the jaw are align together and work together.
