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 well as the potential consequences of these problems.

Several years ago, with the help of my assistants, I treated myself with braces. Yes, I was my own orthodontic patient! I had braces from molar to molar, top and bottom. I was coaching my son’s baseball team one early, cold morning in Idaho Falls, Idaho. I didn’t have time to grab breakfast at the hotel, so I threw a protein bar in my bag. I started to get hungry mid-way through the game, so I pulled out the protein bar, which by now was really hard because of the cold. I bit into it with my back teeth and at once felt two braces break off my molars. What in the world was I thinking? I was my own orthodontist breaking my own rules!

I share this experience so you know that I understand how easy it is to forget the rules and eat hard or sticky food. All excuses aside though, the person who is affected the most from broken “parts” is the patient. Here are the main causes of breakage:

1. Eating hard or sticky foods
2. Biting on pens, pencils or other hard objects
3. Flossing incorrectly

Some might think, “It’s ok if I break my braces. Dr. Coleman will just put them back on.” But not so fast! Let me explain.

Orthodontic treatment is a game of progression. We start with light, gentle forces on the teeth using small, thin wires. As the teeth straighten, we progress to stronger, heavier wires. If a patient breaks a brace or appliance, it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to get that brace or appliance back on the tooth in the perfect position to allow that strong, heavy wire to go through the braces again. The only choice we have at this point is to step back to that thin, light wire again. Doing this can delay treatment completion by anywhere from one to three months!

We really strive to run on time in the office. We know your time is valuable and we always want to respect that. When we set up a patient’s appointment, it’s not practical to add 15 minutes to that appointment to allow for fixing broken parts. It’s difficult to complete each patient’s planned procedures plus taking time for these repairs. So, in other words, it gets us behind in our daily schedule and people end up waiting.

As I mentioned above, I know that accidents happen. And I’m perfectly aware that sometimes things break and it’s no fault of the patient whatsoever. If we can all just remember to be very careful with what and how we eat, what we bite and chew, and be careful not to get floss caught on any braces, wires or appliances, I believe we can cut breakage in half. This would result in at least half of our patients finishing treatment on or even ahead of schedule.

I want to thank all of you for being a part of our practice. We truly appreciate and value the relationship we have with our patients and their families. We think we have the best job ever! As the school year ends, we wish you a great summer break. Have fun and be careful and we look forward to seeing you in the office again soon! And remember – if you’re looking into braces or clear aligners for yourself or a family member, summers get busy in the office. You’ll want to get your appointment scheduled as soon as you can. Call our office at 801-614-9090 to set up your free consultation.

Keep Smiling,
Dr. Coleman

The post How Would You Like To Get Your Braces Off Sooner? first appeared on Coleman Orthodontics.

Studies show that 20-25% of patients who complete orthodontic treatment don’t wear their retainers as prescribed. That’s a lot of wasted money! We don’t like seeing this any more than you do! In my years as an orthodontist, I’ve learned that there are several reasons why some people struggle with retainers in general. Here are a few:

-This retainer is uncomfortable.
-I talk funny when I wear them.
-I don’t like the way the wire goes across my front teeth.
-I don’t want to take the time to get a new one.
-I don’t want to spend the money on a new one.
-My dog ate my retainer…

And the list goes on. So, we’ve been thinking and talking in the office recently; what could we do to ease the challenge of keeping teeth straight for a lifetime? How could we make retainer wear as comfortable, convenient, affordable and simple as possible?

I’m excited to announce that we’ve come up with a great idea that we believe is the answer to resolving the famous retainer struggles, except for the one, “My dog ate my retainer.” Unfortunately, we can’t help you with that!

Over the next month, we’ll be rolling out this new lifetime retention program for all new patients who start treatment and all existing patients currently in comprehensive treatment. We really want to offer the best way possible to protect your investment. We’ll be sharing more details in our blogs, emails, social media and office displays in the coming weeks, and plan to begin offering this program by mid-March. Until then…

Keep Smiling,

Dr. Coleman

The post How Would You Like a Hassle-Free Way To Keep Your Teeth Straight for a Lifetime? first appeared on Coleman Orthodontics.

1. Hawley retainers – these are considered the “traditional” orthodontic retainers. Wire and plastic acrylic are the main components of Hawleys. They’ve been around for a long time because the materials have been readily available for many years. We use these retainers now primarily for younger kids who have just finished their first phase of treatment and still have some baby teeth and a second phase of braces later in life to finish their treatment. I don’t love them for final, long-term retainers.

2. Bonded (permanent) retainers – these used to be my favorite retainers for the bottom teeth. The lower Hawley retainers are less comfortable to wear so we noticed early on that compliance was an issue with these. Placing a bonded wire on the inside of the front teeth took care of that concern. I’m not a fan of bonded retainers on the top teeth. First, most people aren’t candidates for these because of their bite in the front. Second, they don’t stay on very well because the chewing forces that push food up against the top retainer tend to break it. Bonded retainers in general require a fair amount of maintenance. But for many years, I felt that was a good tradeoff to keep the bottom teeth straight. I’d rather maintain a bonded retainer than have to go back into treatment to fix teeth that shifted because the Hawley retainer wasn’t worn.

3. Essix (clear) retainers – these have by far become my favorite retainers. Essix retainers have been around for quite some time, but I didn’t have a lot of faith in them in past years due to breakage. But thanks to recent advances in technology, the plastic on the market that these retainers are made from has become much more durable. These retainers are the most comfortable to wear, keep the teeth in better alignment, are easier to talk with when in use, are virtually invisible and are easy to replace. Best of all, people wear these retainers better than all the others, even teenagers! This negates the need for a bonded retainer in my mind. Why have something in the mouth that requires maintenance when you can get the same results with something removable? Keep in mind though, that these are not the best choices for younger kids who finish their first phase of treatment and will need a second phase later to finish.

Hopefully, this information helps you to understand more about retainers in general and why we recommend different retainers for different purposes in our office. If you have further questions, feel free to ask one of us next time you’re in the office. And if you’d like to schedule a free consultation to find out how we can be your guide to that confident smile you deserve, feel free to call our office!

Keep Smiling! 

Dr. Coleman 

The post What Retainers Are Best? first appeared on Coleman Orthodontics.

• Crowding of the upper front permanent teeth
• A “shift” of the lower jaw sideways (which is the only way the child can bite and chew food)
• Crooked lower jaw growth
• Abnormal tooth wear
• Breathing and airway problems

This is an 8-year-old that we treated recently. Notice how her upper jaw is shaped narrower than her lower jaw. Even though her upper front teeth have spaces between them, a closer look shows that there isn’t enough room for her side teeth, the lateral incisors to grow in. When she is biting her teeth together you can see that her upper and lower midlines don’t line up with each other and she has a crossbite on one side in the back.

She was treated with an upper expander retainer to widen her upper jaw which helped with the crossbite correction. We also used upper and lower limited braces to align the crowded front teeth.

Here’s her results showing a much wider upper jaw, straight upper teeth and lower front teeth, a better bite in the back on both sides and a great big confident smile!

Keep in mind that kids who need early treatment will almost always need a final phase of treatment when they are older to align all the other permanent teeth that haven’t grown in yet. But she now has the benefit of more room for those permanent teeth to fit and most importantly, normal jaw growth growing forward because of the crossbite and growth correction that was completed.

Remember that the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all kids 7 and older have an orthodontic consultation. You don’t need a referral from a dentist for that appointment. Feel free to call us at 801-614-9090 to schedule! And don’t forget to…

Keep Smiling,

Dr. Coleman

The post See How We Corrected This Crossbite In an 8-Year-Old Patient at Coleman Orthodontics! first appeared on Coleman Orthodontics.