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FAQ
At what age should a child first see an orthodontist?
At age 7 is usually recommended as the front permanent teeth are erupting, unless your dentist has found an area of concern earlier (for example, a crossbite,sucking thumb habit ..). But This does not mean that treatment must be started this early Early treatment (Phase 1) is usually between the ages of 6 to 11 and is done to correct specific early problems that are best treated before eruption or growth is completed. Full treatment (with braces on all of the permanent teeth) is usually between ages 11 to 15. We pride at Smileright dental clinic on having the shortest treatment times possible and you will find that we are able to complete your orthodontic correction much faster than both for Phase 1-Phase 2 treatment and One Phase treatment. A critical part of achieving this goal is proper timing in placing the right braces.
Do all patients need orthodontic treatment when they are seen by an orthodontist for first time?
On a case by case Our Orthodontist not only presents you / each patient with your / their treatment options, but also advise you on how to achieve the most economical, least invasive, and shortest treatment plan for achieving the desired results. For instance, while many younger patients can benefit from early orthodontic correction, others are better served by waiting and treating in one short phase instead of two.
I’m interested in getting braces, Is there an alternative to metal braces?
Patients no longer need to be self-conscious about wearing braces. The “clear” ceramic braces are esthetically appealing and are very popular with orthodontic patients of all ages. It can make orthodontic therapy more “socially acceptable”
Also there social 6 lingual braces or the best clear alternative to braces,the Invisalign.
Should I continue to see my family dentist during orthodontic treatment?
Absolutely! Regular dental check-ups are encouraged to prevent or detect dental decay and to monitor the health of the supporting structures. We will work closely with your general dentist throughout orthodontic therapy.
If my bite were misaligned, by now wouldn’t my dentist have already told me?
A misaligned bite is rarely an immediate crisis. However, it is something that over the years can definitely cause teeth to wear faster and as a result you can lose them prematurely.
Isn’t it somewhat rare for people to have a misaligned bite? And wouldn’t I be able to tell?
Unfortunately, a misaligned bite is not rare. Also your bite can be misaligned even when you have straight teeth. A misaligned bite means that your upper and lower teeth are not aligned well to fit and connect in the right way. And being off just a little can many times add up over a lifetime to premature wear and tear on the teeth resulting therefore in premature teeth problems as we age.
I had braces earlier in life, so how can my bite be misaligned?
There are two reasons for this.
One reason is that most dentists and /or orthodontists do not adequately assess a patient’s bite. Consequently, their patients will have straight teeth but may have misalignments in their bite. And why don’t most dentists and/or orthodontists pay more attention to their patient’s bites? It is because very few patients ask for it and many ask for fast options with questionable long term results though!
A second reason is that our teeth like every other organ of our body changes throughout our lives. Therefore, having a well aligned bite in our youth doesn’t prevent us from having a misaligned one when we are older. And sometimes even though you have been using a retainer faithfully ever since your braces were removed, you are at risk.
How does a misaligned bite cause my teeth to “give out” prematurely?
When the bite is misaligned, it means that the upper teeth and bottom teeth are not hitting evenly and some teeth bear too much of the pressure that comes from eating or grinding your teeth at night. Those teeth wear out faster as we age. And this process accelerates and becomes worse once we start losing teeth. Restored teeth via techniques such as bridges, crowns, veneers are unable to “carry their weight” when it comes to supporting surrounding teeth. As a result, having restored teeth puts extra strain on the remaining healthy teeth which will wear even faster leading to additional premature tooth loss. Having a properly aligned bite will help to distribute the chewing pressure evenly throughout the mouth and will enable your teeth to last longer.
If I already have bridges , is it too late to fix my bite?
Fortunately not ! Even if you already have restorative dental work like crowns and bridges. In fact, a growing part of orthodontics is using orthodontic techniques to extend the life of the remaining present healthy teeth by being proactive and making sure that the bite pressure is normally distributed across all of your teeth in your mouth. The result will be that your remaining healthy teeth will last longer than if your bite remained misaligned.
Correcting a patient’s bite can make definitely the restored teeth last longer too. So some persons are choosing to get braces as or right before having costly restorative work performed to minimize by this way the possible amount of restorative work (lower their cost) and so that they can make their restorative dental work last longer.
If my teeth look straight, does that mean my bite is aligned?
Unfortunately, just looking in the mirror at your bite does not show you if your bite is misaligned. Your dentist would be unable to determine if your teeth are misaligned. To assess if your bite is misaligned, there are some cost effective techniques, to see if your bite is properly aligned. However, even after practicing can’t just “eye-ball” whether you teeth are well aligned or not. It takes using special techniques to assess alignment!
Should wisdom teeth be extracted?
A number of studies have been done regarding the relationship between wisdom teeth and dental crowding after orthodontics. Overall, there are no studies that have actually shown wisdom teeth as a direct cause of post-orthodontic relapse. While wisdom teeth do need to be extracted for multiple other reasons, we can not scientifically say that impacted wisdom teeth will result in orthodontic relapse.
I have been to several dentists, and none mentioned my bite was off. So I shouldn’t have a problem, right?
It is possible that your bite is just fine. However, some experts have estimated that 3/4ths of the U.K population has a misaligned bite. And except in rare situations, most of these misaligned bites are not readily detected without using special techniques to assess bite alignment.
What is the difference between having straight teeth and a bite that is almost aligned properly? Aren’t they exactly the same?
Having straight teeth means that all of your teeth from your upper and (or lower) jaw are aligned with each other. However, the bite is when your upper and lower jaw only just come together. So if your teeth are typically “straight” but the upper and lower jaws come together though a little unevenly, it puts too much pressure on some teeth and not enough on some others. The result is then that even though your teeth are “straight”, they don’t strike 100% together properly resulting in some teeth failing over the course of your life before they otherwise should.
