Regular dental care is important for adults because it helps maintain a healthy, beautiful smile and prevents chronic dental conditions. However, it may be even more important for our pediatric patients. Young children need regular trips to the dentist for early detection of many common orthodontic issues. Your pediatric orthodontist in Solon, OH, can help with three orthodontic problems regularly seen in young patients.

Abnormal Tooth Eruption

Abnormal tooth eruptions occur when a permanent tooth grows through the gum in the wrong place. Often, this happens because a baby tooth was lost prematurely and did not hold the empty space for the permanent tooth to grow in. However, many factors may contribute to an abnormal tooth eruption, including losing a baby tooth too late, having a very small mouth, or having more or less than the usual 20 baby teeth. An abnormal tooth eruption may correct itself eventually, or it may require repositioning by your child’s orthodontist.

Tooth Crowding

As your child’s permanent teeth begin to erupt, you may notice that they overlap, grow in crooked, or may twist or rotate out of position. This is a sign of overcrowding, and it’s caused by too many teeth in too little space. Sometimes, genetics play roles in overcrowded teeth. Or other factors, such as injury or excess teeth may be to blame.

Overcrowded teeth in childhood must be corrected because it makes proper brushing and flossing more difficult. It may also affect your child’s self-esteem, and it may cause bigger problems, such as malocclusion, as your child grows older.

Crossbite

Crossbites happen when an upper tooth lands inside a lower tooth when your child’s mouth is closed. This is usually fixed by wearing a device called a palatal expander. Call McGuire Orthodontics and Facial Orthopedics when your child needs a pediatric dental appointment in Solon, OH.

Braces and aligners help straighten teeth and correct jaw alignment problems, but it takes time to get the results you want. This means having to come in for several appointments until your treatment is done. With OrthoPulse, you can shorten the amount of time you’ll need to wear an orthodontic appliance overall. Learn more about what OrthoPulse is and how it works.

What Is OrthoPulse?

OrthoPulse is a device that you can use at home to speed up orthodontic treatment. This device has been cleared by the FDA for orthodontic use with aligners and braces. Your orthodontist can provide you with this device to use at home for roughly ten minutes a day. The amount of time you’ll need to use it overall will depend on different factors, such as how crooked your teeth are or how severe your jaw alignment problem is.

What Are the Benefits of OrthoPulse?

When you use OrthoPulse while wearing aligners or braces, you’ll end up needing orthodontic treatment for a shorter amount of time. This device also helps reduce the number of appointments you need to come in for, and you won’t have to deal with discomfort you might experience when you wear braces or aligners on a long-term basis. With OrthoPulse, you’ll also be able to return to your normal diet sooner instead of having to avoid certain foods when you have braces or aligners on.

How Does OrthoPulse Work?

OrthoPulse uses low amounts of heat and light to stimulate bone and cell growth around your tooth roots. This helps correct jaw problems and straighten teeth in a shorter timeframe. OrthoPulse is considered safe to use since it does not produce high or unsafe amounts of heat or light. Your orthodontist can let you know if this device is suitable for you to use if you wear aligners or braces. If you will be using OrthoPulse, your dentist will provide you with instructions on how to use it at home.

If you need more information on OrthoPulse, please contact Arnstine and McGuire Orthodontics to make an appointment.

There has never been a better time to get your teeth straightened. The number of orthodontic options available has increased dramatically from when you were a kid and saw your friends wearing those heavy metal bands across their teeth. Today’s orthodontists have a myriad of solutions available for adults who want to improve their smile or correct a misaligned bite with braces.

If you’re considering braces after age 18, don’t worry; you’re not alone. From 25 to 50 percent of the average orthodontist’s patients graduated from high school years, if not decades, ago… and this number is increasing every year.

You Adult Braces Options

1. Invisible line braces. This type of brace is all but invisible and allows you to feel good about your smile even while you are having your teeth straightened.

2. Regular or conventional braces. These are the metal wires and bands that are cemented on your teeth and are tightened every four to six weeks. However, today’s conventional braces are lighter and much less noticeable than those of a generation ago.

3. Clear Aligners. These devices fit over your teeth and gradually move them into their correct alignment. They are nearly invisible, but unlike invisible line braces, they can be removed for eating and cleaning your teeth. Aligners need to be worn 20 to 22 hours a day. A new device is created periodically until your teeth are their final position.

4. Ceramic braces. This type of braces also involves bands and wires, but with ceramic braces, the bands are tinted to match your teeth so that they are much less noticeable. However, this option is considerably more expensive than regular braces.

5. Lingual braces. Lingual braces are just like conventional braces except that the wires are cemented to the back of your teeth, making them much less noticeable.

To learn more about type of braces is best for you, visit us online at Arnstine and McGuire Orthodontics, or request an appointment by calling (insert contact information). Our practice has been helping people in the greater Cleveland area improve their smiles for more than 50 years.

The decision to get braces for your children or for your own teeth can raise concerns about the timing. When should you consider braces as an adult? Is there an ideal time to get braces for your children? By clarifying the ideal timing, you will be able to discuss your options with our dentist to ensure that braces are a good choice in your situation.

Braces for Children

While it is possible to get braces at any age, many children benefit from braces when they get them during their formative years. Since the head and mouth are still growing and developing during childhood, the treatment may help with overbites, underbites, crooked teeth, or crowding in the mouth.

As a general rule, it is ideal to get children checked by a dentist when they start losing their baby teeth and their adult teeth start coming in. Crowding or crooked teeth will usually become apparent around 10 years old, but the ideal timing for braces among children is between 10 and 14 years old.

Braces for Adults

Adults who decide to get braces may not need to worry about the timing. In general, the right time for an adult depends on their goals and situation. It may depend on financial situations or personal preferences when you decide to talk to our professionals about braces.

Trauma to the face and jaw may impact your decision to consider braces. If you were injured and it changed your bite or caused problems with your teeth, then you will want to discuss appropriate treatments with a professional before determining that braces will help with your needs.

The decision to wear braces to straighten your teeth or address a problem with your jaw may require some adjustment to the timing. While the ideal timing is during development, adults can still benefit from braces to correct specific concerns or problems. The key is discussing your options with our professionals before you make a decision about your teeth.

Teenagers aren’t the only ones who can benefit from braces! Adults can get braces too, and more often than not, the braces experience is much easier and more effective for adults.

Why? Unlike teenagers, adults understand better what they’re getting into when they get braces. Instructions from orthodontists to brush and floss daily, avoid certain foods, gargle, etc. are taken seriously, and this produces faster and more effective teeth and/or bite alignment results.

Types of Braces

There are several different types of braces available for adults. These include:

Standard Metal Braces

With gentle pressure, these braces slowly move your teeth or jaw into place. Brackets will be placed on each affected tooth, and in between, you’ll have metal wires. These will be adjusted and tightened every few weeks by your orthodontist until your desired teeth alignment has been achieved.

Clear Braces

If you don’t like the idea of metal braces that are difficult to ignore when you smile, Invisalign or other clear braces might be right for you. Invisalign braces are clear teeth plastic trays formed to your teeth and virtually unnoticeable. Keep in mind that Invisalign braces and other clear braces require just as much care as standard metal braces, and they don’t always work with all jaw and teeth corrections. For example, if you have a large gap between two teeth you’d like to close, standard metal braces may still be your best option for an effective fix to the problem.

Considering Braces?
Braces can change your life for the better. Many adults missed getting braces in their teen years and mistakenly assume that they lost their chance. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

If you are an adult and are unhappy with the way your teeth are aligned or situated in your mouth, braces can fix the problem, perfectly align your teeth, and boost your confidence for the rest of your life.

Don’t wait to change your life for the better with braces! At Arnstine & McGuire Orthodontics, we can help you choose the best type of braces for your needs. Call or use our online form to book your preliminary appointment today!