Orthodontics is the movement of teeth through bone into a more idealized, healthier and more esthetic position

If Dr. Waldman has recommended orthodontics, it is because she recognizes that your teeth are not in an adequate position for long term health and esthetics.

Orthodontic problems occur for a variety of reasons — all of which need to be understood in planning your course of treatment.

Most malocclusions (or "bad bite") are inherited, but some are acquired. Inherited problems may include overcrowded teeth, too much space between teeth, extra or missing teeth, cleft palate and other facial or jaw irregularities.

Acquired malocclusions can be caused by thumb or finger sucking, tongue thrusting, a restricted airway caused by tonsils and adenoids, dental disease, or premature loss of primary or permanent teeth. Whether inherited or acquired, many of these problems affect both the alignment of your teeth and your facial appearance.

It is important to note that orthodontic problems can also be hidden behind perfectly acceptable smiles. Dr. Waldman is qualified to diagnose existing or potential conditions that, left untreated, could impact your dental health.

Crooked or overcrowded teeth are difficult to clean and maintain, and this contributes to conditions that cause tooth decay, gum disease and eventually, premature tooth loss.

Other orthodontic problems can cause abnormal wear of tooth surfaces, excess stress on supporting bone and gum tissue, or misalignment of the jaw joints, leading to chronic headaches or pain in the face or neck. You may be experiencing pain that could be easily treated by having better oral health.

Orthodontic treatment can be accomplished by several means. The most commonly know are braces which consist of the bonding of metal or porcelain brackets to the teeth and the application of forces to the teeth via the brackets by means of wires and elastics.

However, there are other types of orthodontics such as Invisalign®, (Invisible orthodontic treatment), functional appliances and removable appliances.  While functional appliances produce forces that correct the jaws (dental orthopedics), removable appliances and Invisalign® focus their forces onto the individual teeth to correct tooth position.
Surgical Orthodontics will correct jaw discrepancies that cannot be adequately treated with functional appliances or traditional brackets.

There are basically 2 types of brackets: metal or porcelain.
Metal brackets, while more visible are easier for both the dentist and patient to control and result in faster movement.
Porcelain brackets are tooth coloured but are more fragile and susceptible to breakage and therefore may slow treatment time

Speed brackets are a new development that may shorten treatment time by as much as 1/3 due to reduced friction and ease of movement for the teeth.

With children, it is often possible to perform “early intervention” and correct the shape of the jaws before the eruption of the permanent teeth. With the jaws in the correct shape, the permanent teeth will often grow into the correct position or close to it requiring little or no follow-up orthodontic treatment once the permanent teeth are in place.

A further advantage of treating children is that while the child is growing, it is often possible to redirect the growth of the jaws into a more idealized direction such as the correction of a small chin.  While this is treatable in adulthood, it is with much more limited success.

However an advantage of treating adults is that adults are generally more responsible and co-operative than children or teens. So while options for growth management are more restricted for the dentist, many dentists prefer treating adults due to their superior hygiene, co-operation and appreciation for the treatment.

Diagnosis: This will consist of the taking of impression for models, photos and head xrays. With these records the dentist can properly assess, diagnose and determine the best treatment options for each patient

Orthopedics: This stage of orthodontics is not necessary or applicable for every patient, This involves the correction of the deficiencies of the jaws to allow for adequate space for the teeth or to improve the bite and esthetics

Bracket / Active movement: This is accomplished through the use of brackets, removable appliances or Invisalign®. This is the stage where the teeth are moved into idealized positions

Retention: This is the stage of treatment that holds the teeth in their final position to prevent the natural forces from shifting the teeth back towards their original poor positio

Keep your teeth very clean! Though the appearance of food trapped in your braces may be unsightly to others and lead to bad breath, it is not the worst that can result from poor brushing.  Failure to brush thoroughly while in brackets can result in permanent white circles around the areas where the brackets were bonded.  This is very disheartening after undergoing braces to appear better to others and to end up with permanent white marks on your teeth!

CALL US IMMEDIATELY IF ANYTHING BREAKS OR POPS!  This is essential.  Please call us even during a weekend, evening or if you have an appointment coming up soon and leave us a message. This way we can reschedule you as soon as possible with sufficient time to allow us to properly repair the damage. If you wait too long, your teeth may shift into an unacceptable position and prolong your treatment

Wear the prescribed auxillary appliances: If the doctor has asked you to wear elastics, removable appliances or headgear, this is because these are essential for the progression of your treatment. Failure to cooperate will result in increased length of treatment time or failure to obtain the desired result

What can you eat? Let's talk about what you shouldn't eat! If you've been wanting to drop a few pounds, the first week wearing braces is just your chance! For the first day or so, stick to soft foods.

Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables. Before long, you'll be able to bite a cucumber again. But you'll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you're wearing braces.

Foods to Avoid

• Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
• Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
• Sticky foods: caramels, gum
• Hard foods: nuts, candy
• Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots
• Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will cause treatment to take longer.
• Also be ware of foods such as salads that may contain unexpected hard foods that can accidentally cause bracket dislodgment during chewing
  

When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm salt water mouthwash.

Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. If the tenderness is severe, take aspirin or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain.

The lips, cheeks and tongue may also become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become accustomed to the surface of the braces. You can put wax on the braces to lessen this. We'll show you how!

This is to be expected throughout treatment. Don't worry! It's normal. Teeth must loosen first so they can be moved. The teeth will again become rigidly fixed in their new – corrected – positions.

There a several types of “Maloccusions”. This is just a short list:

• Anterior open bite: Front teeth remain apart while the back teeth are closed
• Anterior closed bite: The upper front teeth completely or close to completely hide the lower front teeth when the back teeth are closed
• Skeletal Class II: This occurs when the lower jaw fails to grow to match the upper jaw. An individual with an extreme version of this condition can be said to be “chinless” or with a “small chin”
• Skeletal Class III: This occurs when the lower jaw is too large for the upper jaw to be harmonious. This condition is demonstrated by the well know late show talk host: Jay Leno.
• Constricted Arches: This condition occurs when one or both of the jaws is too narrow and prevents the teeth from coming into place evenly resulting in moderate to severe crowding
• Missing Teeth: When a patient loses teeth from decay or accidents, the other teeth start to shift in position often resulting in poor alignment of the remaining teeth. This damage can be reversed through orthontics