What are orthodontics?
Orthodontics is a way to move the teeth. There are different ways to do that:
There are functional appliances like expanders that help with the jaw moving forward and back and becoming wide enough. That's typically done around 6 to 8 years old, but it can be done at any age.
There are braces and wires that move the teeth, which most people are familiar with. What people might not be aware of is that braces today are completely different than they were years ago.
The Evolution of Braces
Fifty-plus years ago, there was a straight wire and a straight bracket, and the orthodontist had to make every single bend. That's why orthodontics became its own profession. A big jump happened 30 or 40 years ago, where each bracket had the angle in it so the wire could be straight and not have to be bent for every tooth. That made a huge advancement in orthodontics, with better outcomes and no need for wire bending until the very finishing parts of the case.
Where we're at now is even a jump above that. What we have now is 3D-printed metal brackets. The spacers that we got when, like I was a kid, to space the teeth so you could put a ring around the tooth, we don't even have to do that anymore. The band that goes around the molar is printed metal. It's custom-printed to the tooth and just goes over the top of the tooth. You don't have to wear the separators. It's more comfortable. It's more convenient.
And then there are hundreds of different bracket systems. Every case is nearly custom to the patient. I take a scan of the teeth, and the bracket that goes on the tooth, I pick the bracket system based on where the tooth is at the beginning and where I want it to be at the end. And the wires now, not only are they nickel titanium, which is a very bendable wire, it was a metal that was invented by NASA a long time ago. It's a really, really cool metal that we use a lot today in dentistry.
But today, the wire is called bioactive nitai. The wire is differentially heat-treated. You get very little force in the front where you need it, medium force in the middle, and larger force in the back. It's much more comfortable, much more convenient, and much quicker. And on top of that, all the kids like those little ties that go on the teeth. They always ask, "Hey, what colors can I have?" I say, "You can have whatever color you want." And you still can, but now the bracket has this little window in it, so the wire can slide freely in there. It's not tied down from the bracket to the wire, so the tooth can move more freely in the bracket.
We have printed bands. We have a number of bracket systems with windows so that the bracket can slide easily along the wire. And we have heat-treated bioactive nitai wires, which means that it's much quicker, much more comfortable, much more convenient, with better outcomes. And I pick the wire, the bracket, and I print the band for every case. If you are interested in wire orthodontics, just know it's a lot easier. It's a lot more comfortable, it's come a long way, and you get a quicker, better outcome.
What about clear aligners to straighten teeth?
The main system that most of my patients use is clear aligners to straighten teeth. Invisalign is the brand; that's like the Kleenex brand that everyone's familiar with. There are a bunch of different clear aligner systems, but clear aligners are great because from about 5 feet away, you can't really see that they're on. I have a bunch of staff members that are going through it, and you probably wouldn't notice it if you were speaking with them.
I also include free whitening in my clear aligner cases. In all my clear aligner cases, the trays that move the teeth can also hold whitening gel. I include that for free in all my cases, just so you have a straighter, brighter smile at the end.
Clear aligners are really cool. What we do is digitally move the teeth and print or make these clear aligners so that each tray is set .1 millimeter from the previous spot of the tooth. Each tray moves the tooth about .1 millimeter. You slowly move the teeth into a more progressive position. So instead of the wire and bracket moving the tooth, the clear plastic tray slowly moves the teeth into alignment. Very convenient, very predictable, great outcomes.
There are, on rare occasions, some cases that go better with wires, and if that's the case, I'll let you know. But most patients are a candidate for clear aligners. I like clear aligners. It gives people, like, a really... people just get really happy about it at the end. Their smile pops. They have the smile they wanted, and most of my adults prefer it. It's more convenient. You can take them off if you want to eat and brush your teeth. They're more convenient to clean around. So there are a lot of conveniences to clear aligners , and I like them a lot and prefer them for most cases.
When is the best time for orthodontic treatment?
That's what most adults are familiar with, or teens past the age of 12. To do any of that type of movement, you need to have all your adult teeth. There are ways to save money in that second phase of time by getting the jaw growth and development earlier, as your child is growing, so about age 6 to 8.
Every time a child comes into my office, because they all develop at different rates, we look at the jaw width and the jaw position forward and back. A lot of people have too narrow a jaw, and we need to broaden that out. That does a lot of things. Not only does it give the jaw space to grow naturally or normally to its full size and allow space for all the teeth to come in straight, it also helps with breathing.
Years ago, we used to take out some middle teeth to make space. That's quick and easy, but it doesn't give you a great outcome. It makes the smile very narrow, restricts your airway, and causes a lot of problems with snoring and sleep apnea later in life. What we want is that big, broad, like Julia Roberts smile. To get that, a lot of times the jaw is too narrow. We don't want to take out teeth, so we expand the jaw with appliances that are either removable or cemented in.
I just let mom or dad choose that. If your kid will take the appliance in and out, that's great because they can take it out to eat and do sports. If you're worried about compliance or them wearing it, we can cement it in. That will expand the jaw to the proper width. And then there are other appliances that'll move the jaw forward and back. Around 6 to 8 is the ideal time to do that to save time and money later in life, but that can be done at any age. There's no age restriction on orthodontics in any way. That just happens to be a nice time to get it along the growth curve so that you promote the growth and development in the way we want it to go.
Can adults, teens, and kids all have orthodontics treatments?
All of these systems can be used for adults, teens, kids, and children. There's no restriction. The only real choice is whether or not you'll wear it. If you're not going to wear the clear aligners, they're not going to work. You have to wear them 22 hours a day. If you're worried your child isn't going to wear them, then don't waste your money on it. And for the expanders, the same applies. If you're worried your child won't wear it, we'll just cement it in. You won't have to worry about it.
But all of these systems are safe and effective for people of all ages. And you're going to get a great result as long as you're committed to wearing it. And if you're worried that you or your child might not be committed to wearing it, I can just cement it in so you don't have to worry about it.
What about retainers after treatment?
The same goes for retainers at the end. We can do a wire retainer on the teeth so you don't have to worry about it coming in or out or losing it, or we can do a removable retainer because it's easier to clean around. Those are just worn at night. At one point, we thought, oh, a couple years will be enough, but we now know that you have to wear your retainer pretty much for life. It's nighttime only. The longer you go from your case, the less critical it is to wear it every night. But we do recommend that for life now because if you don't, the teeth will drift or move at some point in your life. If you've invested that time and money into it, you want to have and wear your retainer.
The cool thing is now, with scanning, we're all digital. If you lose your retainer, you can just call the office and I can remake it with the click of a button. It's much more convenient now that we're digital. It allows for a lot better workflows with computer design and computer manufacturing, and it's really opened up a lot of treatment options. Some really cool stuff has come out in the last couple years.
Orthodontic Treatments at Dulac Dental of Springfield
I love doing orthodontic treatment for adults and children of all ages. My patients who are the happiest are the patients who have gone through Invisalign or adult orthodontics. I just love seeing that result. I love seeing people smile more. People look happier. They're smiling, and it just gives you this warm feeling that you didn't just help somebody with their health, but really with their social life and their whole being.
It's a very rewarding experience, orthodontics, and kids too. I mean, knowing that even if the teeth aren't straight, as long as the jaws develop properly, they can chew better later in life and they don't have airway issues, snoring issues, and sleep apnea issues later in life, it just gives you a good feeling that you really helped that child grow and develop. It's something I really enjoy doing.
There's a lot of great options and technology that have come out that make it better than when I was a kid. And I love staying on top of new stuff that comes out all the time. The printed metal brackets have just come out in the last couple of years. It's pretty neat. There's a lot of stuff we can do now, and you're going to love your results.
What are the health benefits of having orthodontic treatment?
In addition to the cosmetic and functional benefits, there are some health benefits as well. If the jaws aren't properly aligned, that can lead to airway obstruction issues, snoring, and sleep apnea later in life.
Schedule A Consultation for Your Orthodontic Treatment at Dulac Dental of Springfield
If you have questions about orthodontics, straight teeth, jaw growth, jaw development, or jaw alignment, please give us a call. Dulac Dental of Springfield, Springfield, Virginia, (703) 451-4500, or schedule below! Our staff would love to talk with you.