What is an Expander?

What is an Expander?

Expanders are used for certain conditions when the upper jaw or palate is narrow. Expandtion can be done before adulthood, the palate is actually two seprate bones connected down the middle by a non-bony suture.

Fixed Rapid Palatal Expander

Advantages of this technique include more room to align the teeth, a broader more esthetic smile, a more stable final result and sometimes even easier to breathing through your nose!
Relatively heavy forces applied quickly (to minimize orthodontic tooth movement) will cause the two palatal bones to separate.  After a period of time new bone fills in and preserves the increased width of upper jaw.

A typical expansion procedure involoves activation of the appliance once a day for about 3-4 weeks.  This is followed by 3-4 months of stabilization before the appliance is removed.

For most patients it is the size and bulkiness of the expander that make it the most uncomfortable. Soreness of teeth can be expected and, as the appliance expands the mid facial bones, some discomfort under the eyes and around the nose may occur.  A large space can be expected to open between the front, center teeth.  This is because one tooth goes with the right side the other goes with the left side, each is a seprate bone.  This movement stretches the gum tissue between the incisors; and over a period of a few months they will be pulled back together.  Fixed (glued in) appliances are almost always necessary to acheive an ideal alignment.

When expanding:

If you experience a GREAT deal of pain activating the appliance, you are unable to turn the screw, or if the appliance becomes loose we ask our patients to call our office and make an appointment IMMEDIATLEY!

If you are unable to make the observation appointment during the expansion phase DO NOT continue to expand past your appointment date.

The most important part: Might not be fun, but it is FAST!

Whats going on at Century

Century Orthodontics has some new things that we are offering and doing different in our office.

We are promoting our Facebook page.  Why? Well we love to stay in touch with our patients.  We like to see whats going on in their lives.  It helps show off the great smiles that the kids and adults are receiving.  As you know smiles are contagious we would love to help more people smile.  The more smiles we can bring to the world means a better place for all of us.  So if you are not a friend of our staff page yet or haven't liked our business page please do so.

We will be offering great prizes this summer. We are trying to get 1000 likes but the end of the summer.  We need your help. Please help us reach this goal by sharing our link with your friends and family.  Starting April first we are launching our 1st Facebook only contest. Our Fans will have to like our page then pick the Staff members T-shirt who they like the best.  The staff member with the most likes will receive a Special Prize to the spa or dinner and the movies.  Everyone who voted for our staff members T-shirt will be entered to win an ipad mini.  ONLY if we get a 1000 likes.  So we are asking everyone and everyone that we ask to ask someone.

What other fun things are we doing?

We are changing the way we do contests in our office too.  We going to have more guessing contests. We will also have two photo challenge contests.  This Summer we are going to ask all of our patients to make their Century Orthodontic T-shirt fun.  They can design it anyway they want to.  We will take a picture and share it with all of our offices and on Facebook. July 28th will be the last day to share them for the August contest. Then In the month of August our patients will pick their Favorite T-shirt, Most Creative and Most Crazy.  The T-shirts with the most votes will get a Special Summer Prize that will be announced in August.

Faces without Braces

We will be asking all of our bracket removal patients if they would like to share their new smile with Facebook   We then take a special picture that can be shared on Facebook for friends and family to see.  We just ask that patients and parents sign a release so that only the patients that would like to have their picture on Facebook have them on Facebook.

New Brace Face.

Patients with their new tooth jewelry will also be asked if they would like to share their smile on Facebook   This is such a great way to share with your friends and family your new smile.  Patients love the chance to show off their new bling!  Most people don't realize that braces are some of the most expensive jewelry that most people will wear.  These brackets are beautiful and you may make them as colorful or camouflaged as you like.

Mother & Father's Day

Patients who schedule their appointments the week before Mother or Father's Day will receive a special gift to give to their parent or Motherly or Fatherly figures in their life.  We will also be taking pictures to share on Facebook with Parents and friends.

Please ask if you have questions about any of the new things that are going on.  If you haven't read our blog before please look at past blogs.  There are many interesting articles not only about how to take care of your teeth but also fun things that we do.  Don't forget to visit our Webpage www.centuryorthodontics.com

Text Reminded Rubber Bands

We are in the first stages in beta testing a new way to get kids to wear their rubber bands.  Most teens, young adults and adults have their cell phones attached to their hip. Which means if their phone would remind them to put their rubber bands in they would not be able to say that they forgot them.

 Rubber bands are an important step in correcting your teeth's alignment.  To move teeth with rubber bands you need a slow continuous force.  When moving teeth with rubber bands it is the patient's responsibility to remember to put them in and wear them.  If a patient forgets to wear them it slows the process and can even double the time in braces.  When wearing elastic bands full time this means 20-23 hrs of the day with them in  the correct place.

The time that most patients forget them is after lunch until after dinner this means that the patient can lose anywhere from 1-6 hours of wear.  The best way to solve this problem is to have someone or something remind them that elastics wear is important and that they should have their bands in.

If you would like to help us test this new Rubber band reminder it is very simple all you have to do is text

@gotbands to (832) 900-4027. 

or if you would prefer email 

just email gotbands.mail.remind101.com

This will send you 3-4 text messages a day reminding you to put your bands in.  It can also tell you about upcoming events that are going on in out office and contests.

If you have any questions about this please email tara@centuryorthodontics.com

Why do I need Braces?

Why do I need braces?

Many of our patients come to us after seeing their dentist and they ask "why do I need braces?"  The answer to this question has many different answers.  Some reasons are obvious, you have crooked teeth, you don't like your smile or it hurts to bite but that isn't always the case with every patient.  Each patient is different and has different concerns with their teeth.  Only your orthodontist can tell you personally why you need braces.

Some of the purposes for having braces on teeth are:

• Straightening teeth- To align the teeth in an arch pattern so that it is easier to clean and chew. A bad        bite will have a negative impact on chewing, head and neck aches, as well as speech.
• Correcting Bites- Malocclusion are "Bad Bites," and have different terms to group them according to the bite alignment. 
• Cosmetic- These changes to your teeth will have no change in the functionality of your teeth but will enhance your smile.  Orthodontics for a cosmetic reason are to arrange the teeth in their correct place to obtain a "perfect" smile.

Reasons for straightening teeth:

• Straightening ones teeth makes it easier to chew and digest food.  
• Improvements to the roof of your mouth can help with breathing and reduce snoring.
• Having a beautiful smile brings confidence to the owner and makes others smile around you.

Patient with Over-Jet & Over Bite Before

After

Severe Crowding Before

After

What's Next?

After I am finished with my orthodontic treatment 

what comes next?

              After you are finished wearing braces or Invisalign the next step is retention.  Retainers come in many shapes and sizes.  Each patient is special and has special needs for their teeth so retainers vary from patient to patient.  Whatever type of retainer is chosen for you should be worn for as long as you would like to keep your teeth straight.  So if you would like your teeth to stay straight forever, the only way that you can ensure that they do is to wear a retainer for 4-12 hours everyday or as instructed by the doctor.

In our office we typically use these retainers for these types of orthodontic procedures:

Full fixed (Braces)- Traditional retainer and a bonded (glued in retainer).
Invisalign- Essix (clear in office invisalign type retainer) or a Vivera (made by Invisalign)


What does that mean?

Types of retainers and their pros and cons:

• Traditional Retainers-  These retainers are an oldie but a goodie.  They are more bulky but they have lots of advantages.  These retainers can last 20-30 yrs and still do a great job.  These can have a picture or color choice added to them so that they can show off your personality.  These retainers can be adjusted if teeth have moved and are more forgiving if you slack in wearing them a few nights.  Traditional retainers also are a little less comfortable then the other types of retainers.

• Bonded Lower Retainers- Are a great way to keep your teeth straight and not have to worry about remembering to put it in your mouth.  These retainers are one of the easiest to wear but one of the hardest to keep clean.  Glued in retainers make it difficult to floss and to brush behind but it is possible.

• Essix Retainers- These in office clear plastic retainers are super comfy and invisible but they do have a few drawbacks.  These retainers are great but only last about a year to a year in half just like contact lens.  They can become expensive if you are going to wear them for a life time because you have to replace them yearly.  (About $100 an arch)

• Vivera Retainers- Invisalign's retention appliance is a great option for patients who love the clear aligners but aren't available to get to an orthodontist every year.  These retainers are made by either taking an impression or a LED Scan.  They are made by Invisalign and are made 4 sets at a time.  So you won't have to come back in for appointments yearly.  Also the scans are saved by invisalign so as long as your last aligner fits you may never have to take an impression again.     

How Much Do I Wear My Invisalign

How much do I wear my Invisalign aligners?

           Patients that are moving teeth and are wearing Invisalign appliances should wear their aligners anywhere from 23-22 hours everyday to get the best optimal wear. 

           This amounts to taking them out only to eat or to brush.  One nice thing about Invisalign though is if you have a special occasion or a meeting or even photo shoot you can take them out and just make up the time you lost at the end of your two week process.  

           Certain days you may not want to risk losing them so you can just keep them in a safe place and just add a day at the end.  The one thing that you must always do is wear them for the full two weeks.  Each aligner is only designed to do 100% of its job it can not do anymore than that so if you aren't wearing your aligners enough you will build an in correction into your future aligners.  

"Shopping" for Orthodontics?

Would you pick a heart surgeon on price alone? Now teeth are not quite life and death, but they do play a huge part in your appearance and well being!

Braces and Invisalign are simply tools. The results that are achieved are entirely dependent upon the skills of the doctor and staff. When evaluating your options, this is the most important factor to consider in your buying decision.

Our doctors are specialists in the field of orthodontics. Trained in all aspects of orthodontic diagnosis and correction, they have the ability to utilize many different techniques to get the best possible results in the minimum amount of time.

Our practice was a pioneer in the use of Invisalign since its inception in 1999 and our disignation as an Elite provider puts us in the top Invisalign practices in the country. Only 1% of orthodontics reach this status.

How We Practice

 Unlike most group practices, treatment at our office is a mutual collaboration, with Dr. Waxler and Dr. Cavanaugh jointly  diagnosing, treatment planning, and treating most of our patients.  We feel that the advantages of multiple insights has been extremely beneficial for our patients.  We do understand, however, that certain patients may desire or require a particular doctor. 

 Where We Come From

Our practice has been around for a very LONG time, over a century.  Dr. Edward Angle is considered around the world to be the father of modern orthodontics.  Among his many accomplishments were the invention of the edgewise appliance which are the "braces" used by the majority of the world's orthodontists, establishing the world's first school for orthodontic education right here in St. Louis in the year 1899 and finally founder and first president of what has become the American Association of Orthodontists which has its headquarters here in St. Louis.  As we traced our origins, we were pleased to discover that our founder and predecessor was this very same Dr. Angle, who started his private orthodontic practice in 1896.  His practice has changed hands and moved locations through the years but has always remained intact.