orthodontic
Expanding Your Palate
If you are an artist, your palatte may be very messy and colorful. If you are a gourmand, then your palate describes your appreciation of smell and taste. Anatomically, your palate as the roof of your mouth.
Some people have a narrow palate for a variety of reasons:
- thumbsucking
- pacificer use
- low tongue posture
- birth defects like a cleft
- mouth breathing
- unknown reasons
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.
Super Orthodontic Wires
Moving teeth is a relatively simple matter. Just push on a tooth with gentle force for a long time and the tooth will move. Kids that suck their thumbs will move their teeth forward with their thumbs.
We move teeth with brackets glued to teeth and wires between them. The trick to moving teeth orthodontically is to have the gentle forces continue for a long enough time.
Invisible Braces for Teens
Invisalign allows teens to straighten their teeth without having to show any metal. These are particularly good for spaced teeth.
This week, a patient from Gresham asked me what would be best for closing his spaced front teeth.
I told him that the Invisalign trays would cover up the spaces as soon as he put them in and make them look much smaller.
Advantages of Invisalign treatment:
- nearly invisible
When to Start Braces
Many parents comment on the number of kids in second or third grade who have some braces.
Treating with two phases of orthodontic care can usually be avoided. Good evidence exists that most orthodontic treatment is best provided at one time as a pre-teen.
However, there ARE times when early orthodontic treatment is useful.
Orthodontic problems that are best treated early:
- lower front teeth that bite outside of upper teeth (a cross bite)
Brushing Braces
One of the hardest things to do as an adolescent is to brush your teeth. We give brushing instructions but when you have braces, it becomes much, much, much harder to do a good job.
Brushing teeth and especially brushing around braces requires attention to detail and taking enough time to do it well. These are not traits that teens are famous for.
Invisalign for Teens
More teens can be treated with Invisalign now. Techniques for treating patients with more complicated orthodontic problems were recently discussed in a lecture near Portland.
Invisalign trays move teeth step by step by wearing a series of slightly different aligner trays that push teeth into new positions.
When Invisalign was first developed, it was directed only at adults. Now teens can be treated and even be treated for significantly crooked teeth, even for teens whose teeth must be extracted.
Shark Teeth
A surprising number of children develop a double row of teeth, especially on the lower front teeth. A six year old girl from Gresham saw me last week in my Portland office with just this condition.
Her mother was concerned that the permanent lower incisors would stay inside the lower primary (baby) incisors and look abnormal. She called them “shark teeth”.
Although this usually happens with lower incisors, it can also occur with upper incisors or primary molars.
- Dental Health Lessons For Young Children
- Kids and Teens Can Benefit From Orthodontic Treatments
- The Best Toothpaste
- Choosing the Best Dental Products for Kids
- What You Need to Know About Instant Orthodontics
- Pediatric Shark Teeth – What Are They
- Your Guide to Common Dental Terminology
- How to Teach Your Child to Look Forward to Visiting a Kids Dentist
- What You Need to Know About Dental Insurance
- Dental Hygiene Tips for Kids
- Getting Kids to Brush Properly
- Dietary Supplements for Dental Health
- Tips For Parents Who Have Kids In Braces
- Things to Know about Invisalign Braces
- Baby Juice Bottles
