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!

Am I Too Old?

Am I too old for braces?

Our adult Patients ask this all the time. 
You are never too old to have a beautiful smile.  Teeth will move at any age.
(This is why we suggest all patients wear a removable retainer at night for the rest of their lives)

Patients think that coming to the orthodontist is something that is for teens only, but this just isn't the case.  We treat patients from all ages 3-85+.  Our oldest patients was 85 and drove a red mustang so you are only as old as you feel. 

We think that everyone should have the opportunity to have a pretty smile.  Patients may have had straight teeth all their lives may have movements or crowding in their adult years.  So if you are an adult don't feel bad you are not alone.

The rest of our bodies are always changing what makes are teeth different? NOTHING!

The leaps in technology allow our adult patients options that were not available 20 years ago.  Orthodontist can now offer you straight teeth without anyone knowing you are straightening your teeth.  There are now products on the market that allow doctors to straighten teeth using nearly invisible brackets and or clear plastic aligners.  These tools attract our adult patients because they won't have to show off a silver smile while the work is being done.

Clear braces and Invisalign give confidence to patients that could not have orthodontic treatment when they were young.

A smile is the best thing you can put on in the morning so wouldn't you like to show it off??
Make a call to the Orthodontist today if you are thinking about making your smile straight.

When should I see an Orthodontist?

What age should you first see an orthodontist?

The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends that children have an orthodontic check up before the age of 7.

The reason for this examination are to check the position of molars when they first erupt.  At this time the orthodontist can evaluate the position of the molars and the relationship of the biting surfaces.  This allows the doctor to discover any functional shifts or cross-bite as well.

At this time incisors (front teeth) have begun to erupt and problems can be detected such as crowding, biting issues, habits with tongue or fingers and also any jaw problems.

For some patients this allows the doctor to start early treatment. This early treatment can be beneficial when the patient is growing and significantly reduce later treatment time.

Resources:

www.braces.org

What is Decalcification?

Decalcification

The white marks sometimes found on teeth after orthodontics treatment

            There are two types of white discolorations that are found on teeth.  In one case there is a defect in the enamel formation when the tooth is being formed under the gums, causing internal white marks that can be found at any position on the tooth, even up around the biting edges.  Teeth just erupt this way and it is not a sign of decay, but they may not look very aesthetic.  Most of the time we do not know why this occurs although infections during early childhood may be a cause.

In the other case, the white marks are caused by acids that have begun to eat away the enamel of the tooth (decalcification).  This is the first stage of tooth decay.  As the enamel starts to dissolve it begins to appear white and chalky.  Eventually the enamel starts to turn brown or black and disintegrates.  At this time it is considered a “cavity”.

Typically these white marks are around the gum line where the patient has not done a good job of brushing and flossing.  As food particles collect in this area they are colonized by bacteria forming plaque.  The bacteria then eats the sugar and excrete acids which then eat away the enamel.  Any additional acids added to the mouth like citrus fruits, soft drinks, sports drinks, sour candy, etc. just make the situation even worse.  Of course sugary things just give the bacteria more to eat, so sugary acidic foods are doubly bad.  Some of the worst things are sports drinks and soft drinks.

          In the “old days” before orthodontist learned to “glue” the brackets directly to the tooth they used metal bands that were cemented around the tooth to which the brackets were welded.  Sometimes the cement would wash out from under a band, even though the band would stay around the tooth.  In those cases plaque would cause decalcification under the band that would not be discovered until the bands were removed and a white “belt” was seen across the middle of the tooth where the band was positioned.  Those were unfortunate discoveries that we just don’t see anymore.

So how do you prevent decalcification in patients with braces?

·       Brush or at lease rinse out your mouth after every meal or soft drink.

·       Make sure you do one GREAT brushing every day to remove all the plaque (it takes days for plaque to form to the point where it produces acid)

·       Avoid stick, sugary, acidic foods as much as possible.

·       Use the fluoride rinse we prescribe to lessen the risk of decay.

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 See the Dentist while in Braces

Importance of Regular Dental Check Ups

Orthodontic treatment should be a cooperative effort between the orthodontist, the patient and the family dentist.  Although we will advise you of any obvious dental decay, we as orthodontic professionals do not give our patients a dental examination for decay or gum problems. Your family dentist takes special cavity detecting x-rays and gives you your regular cleaning and fluoride treatments.  These services are the responsibility of your regular dentist, and we expect all patients to maintain their regular office visits with their dentist.  To facilitate these visits, patients in "braces" may come in to our office before going to the dentist to have the wires removed and replaced after their cleaning.  Please CALL us so we may coordinate these wires out /wires in visits with your scheduled visit date and your dental check up.