Most orthodontic patients remember hearing something like this before starting their treatment; “Be careful not to break any of your braces. If so, you might have your braces on longer than planned!" We’ve seen a big uptick recently in broken braces, wires and appliances. I wanted to write this week, from an orthodontist’s perspective, about some causes of breakage as... read more »
The other day, a young man (we’ll call him "Tim") came into our office with his mom, and sat down in the treatment chair, while mom sat across from him on the bench. This was a “retainer check” appointment. When I walked over to his chair, I could tell neither of them was very happy. Apparently, Tim had not been... read more »
Retainers are a very important part of orthodontic treatment. The fact is that teeth move with time, whether you’ve had orthodontic treatment or not. Retainers are the only proven way to keep your teeth from shifting. We call them the “insurance policy” of your orthodontic investment. We get the question all the time – “What retainers are best?” It can be confusing because... read more »
Some younger kids develop a bite problem called a “crossbite”. There are different kinds of crossbite problems but most of them occur when the upper jaw grows too narrow compared to the width of the lower jaw. There are multiple reasons for this abnormal jaw growth but more on that later. Several additional problems can develop because of this narrow... read more »
