Esthestics
When to Start Kids Braces?
Most of my Portland patients ask me when to start braces for their kids. I have been practicing orthodontics in Portland since 1995 and so I have seen many of my pediatric dental patients grow up from infancy through their teens.
Some orthodontists recommend treating crooked teeth or teeth that do not occlude (bite together properly) in two phases or treatment steps. The first phase usually starts around second or third grade and a second phase around sixth grade.
Flossing Braces
Keeping braces clean is so important to moving teeth that it bears repeating. Keeping braces clean is so important to moving teeth.
Why is it important you ask? To completely correct a badly positioned tooth, the tooth must slide the brace along the wire in the brace only a few millimeters.
That is NOT very far! Two years to move something the thickness of a pencil!
Spotty Teeth
Many kids or their parents ask me about spots they see on teeth.
There are several different types of spots found on teeth:
- white spots
- chalky yellow spots
- chalky brown spots
- dark brown spots
- black spots
Each of these have different causes but most have similar treatment: Treatment is either leaving it, polishing off the surface of the tooth or placing a filling of some sort.
White spots can be caused by:
Bleaching Kids Teeth
A friend in Clackamas recently asked me why his son’s new permanent teeth were so yellow. I asked him to come down to my Oregon City office to see if they needed bleaching.
What I found was two normally colored permanent teeth growing up between normal blue-white-colored primary teeth. Many parents get concerned when they see the contrast in color but it this is perfectly normal.
- We have been taking our daughter... April 23, 2013We have been taking our daughter here for a couple years and have had great treatment and attention. Yesterday was my 2.5 year old sons first appointment and they did AWESOME at testing his boundaries and not pushing beyond.
- Dr. Mutschler and his staff are... April 13, 2013Dr. Mutschler and his staff are all very competent and caring. It makes the dental experience as good as could possibly be.
- My son did very well with the dentist... April 9, 2013My son did very well with the dentist and was not scared
- Hayden was. Dry nervous about the... March 23, 2013Hayden was. Dry nervous about the dentist and it hurting but after the dentist talked to him he felt more comfortable about everything.
- they are awesome and very good... March 21, 2013they are awesome and very good and patient with my children!
What are parents saying?
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Portland, OR 97233