Invisalign: clear plastic trays that move teeth

 

Invisalign is a company that has developed (and continues to improve) an amazing technological advance:  clear trays that actually move teeth well.  If you wear your trays as instructed you can expect a great outcome without the burden of wearing braces.

True, you have to wear the aligners 23/7, which is more than what some people seem capable.  But if you are cooperative with wearing your aligners you will get an excellent result.

The fees for Invisalign are high, primarily because Invisalign has no major competitor.  So, Invisalign charges orthodontists a huge fee to use their products.

Please call our office today to schedule your free consultation:  520-732-8631.

New DVO location in Corona de Tucson!

Previously, Desert Vista Orthodontics was entirely in Cochise County.  We still have our primary office in Sierra Vista.  However, we are now seeing  patients in Corona de Tucson.  We will see patients at the Corona Dental office, which is 7 miles south of the I-10, near the intersection of Sahuarita and Houghton Roads.

To improve access to care in Tucson we are making braces more affordable.  Our current fees:   $3500 if we finance your treatment interest free.  If you pay in full when braces are placed the fee is $3000.   Click here to see map.

 

Please schedule your free consultation today!  520-732-8631.

Find Desert Vista Orthodontics on Facebook here and our web site here.

When to straighten? Now or later?

There’s no perfect time for braces.  However, generally speaking, younger is better & much more convenient than older.

A few reasons are:  Kids tend to be more resilient than adults.  Adults’ lives are more chaotic and busy.  Kids also have fewer fillings, crowns, implants, periodontal issues, etc.

So, if you’re wondering if Johnny is ready for braces, please stop by for a consult.  If Johnny has all his permanent teeth (most 12 year olds do) then it may be the easiest time for him to do braces.

Or if you’re an adult yourself there’s no better day than today.  For some of you adults you may need to muster the courage to put braces back on or use clear aligners.  But once you’re ready and get started you’ll realize braces (or aligners) as an adult is easier than ever.  Straightening teeth has been proven to be one of life’s best investments!

Really? Why do I need to wear rubber bands?

Wires and braces straighten the teeth.  But wires and braces don’t do much for the bite. Instead, rubber bands or elastics move the teeth to allow a good bite.  In other words, rubber bands interdigitate the bite.

Most Americans have an overbite that requires rubber bands worn one way: to move upper teeth back.  A smaller group of Americans have an underbite that require rubber bands worn the opposite way:  to move lower teeth backward.

So, regardless where your teeth are — underbite or the more common overbite — please follow instructions for rubber band wear from your orthodontist.  Only this cooperation allows efficient correction of your bite.  In fact, how long you’re in braces depends more on your cooperation with rubber bands than any other factor.

If you’re not sure, go ahead and wear the rubber bands 23/7.  Sometimes you’ll be asked to only wear rubber bands at night, but most of the time we need you to wear rubber bands 90-95% of the time (only remove during meals) to achieve an ideal and timely result!

A great outcome finished on time or early is a win-win situation that will not only make you smile.  Your parents and the orthodontic team will also be grinning ear to ear!  So, let’s hear it for rubber bands!!!

 

Good Oral Hygiene: brushing & flossing teeth during braces…

 

Have a look in the mirror at your new braces. As you see, the brackets and wires have many nooks and crannies that can trap food and plaque. This means your risk of tooth decay and gum problems may be higher while you are wearing braces.

You need to pay special attention to cleaning your teeth everyday and to your diet. Permanent damage to tooth enamel can occur if the teeth and brackets are not kept clean.

Areas on the enamel surface may begin to lose minerals (the early stage of tooth decay), leaving unsightly white spots. You may also develop inflamed, bleeding gums (gingivitis). Gingivitis and the early stages of tooth decay can be reversed by taking extra care with your cleaning and diet. If left untreated, they can lead to bigger problems that will require treatment and have life-long effects. While you are having orthodontic treatment, you need to continue to have regular check-ups with your family dental professional to ensure little problems don’t become big ones.

This patient below has significant decalcification or white spots on the upper teeth:

This patient below has not only white spots, but also several cavities that must be filled by the dentist ASAP.

So, keep those teeth clean while we straighten and align your bite.  You don’t want straight teeth that have been harmed by poor oral care.  We don’t see outcomes like this (images above) often, but they do occur (unfortunately!) from time to time.

Retainers. Why? And wear ’em for how long?

Teeth shift unpredictably throughout life.  They always have.   After teeth erupt into the mouth you’ll notice that through the years and decades these teeth will not stay in the same spots.   If your teeth do, you’re very fortunate.  Tooth position stability — even after braces — is the exception, not the rule.  We wish teeth would stay straight: the way we placed them after braces or the way Mother Nature put them if you naturally have straight teeth.

Teeth shift before braces.  If you get braces at 55, for example, you’ll recognize that your teeth were not in the same positions in your 40s as they were in your 20s.  Braces allow teeth to shift into ideal positions.  And teeth — if retainers aren’t worn or are lost — shift out of ideal positions after braces.

So, that’s why we advise you wear your retainer the rest of your life.  Usually, the day we take the braces off we instruct you wear retainers 24/7 for a few weeks to months.  After that, only wearing at night should be sufficient to maintain/retain your nice smile.

Many retainer types are used, depending on your original condition.  A fixed or glued wire is used in some cases.  In other cases, we use a variety of removable retainers.
                                       

Teeth don’t shift into bad positions after skipping your retainer for a single day.  However, it often won’t take too long and your teeth can shift in ways you and mom won’t like (see image below).  So, please wear your retainer.  And call immediately if a dog eats it, a train runs over it, etc.

Will you extract 4 of Billy’s teeth?

Extracting teeth for braces isn’t nearly as common as 30 years ago.  But, in certain cases, we still need to remove teeth.

The two main reasons to remove teeth are:  1) severe crowding, as in image above, and 2) very full profile (can’t close lips well).  Every orthodontist is different, and each provider practices with at least a slightly unique philosophy — even relating to extractions.  However, most orthodontists still remove teeth when they feel space must be created.

Before brackets were glued on teeth — an innovation adopted by most in the 1980s — orthodontists used to place bands on all the teeth (see image above with a real “metal mouth”).

These days, if any bands are used at all, bands are placed only around the very back teeth or molars (see image above with metal ring or band around back molar and regular braces on other teeth more in front).  Placing bands took up lots of space, requiring orthodontists to remove teeth to create room for bands.  This, along with a higher awareness of preserving (popular) full profiles, has driving down extraction rates.

So, yes, we still remove teeth.  But not at the rate of orthodontists from the more-distant past.  We will happily review other aspects of this question at a free consultation.

When should Billy visit the orthodontist?

The short answer is it depends.   When to bring your child to our office depends on a lot. Here are a few things the decision depends on: 1) What does your child think?  Is he/she embarrassed or teased at school, for example?  2) Do you, the parent(s), feel the condition is serious?   3) How many permanent teeth are in?  4)  How old is the child?  I could list several other factors.

Early treatment — often referred to as phase I — isn’t recommended for every child.  However, depending on the child’s situation, early or interceptive treatment can be very helpful, even if all baby teeth haven’t fallen out yet.

Usually, it’s best to bring your child to the orthodontist for treatment when all the permanent teeth are in (around 12 years of age).  However, if Johnny sucks his thumb, is teased at school, or has a few more-serious tooth/orthodontic issues it may be advantageous to do a short phase of treatment early (before 12).

That is, whenever Johnny has at least a few permanent teeth in (usually around 7) it may be a good time to do a short phase of braces (usually 6-12 months long).  But, as indicated earlier, we usually only do early treatment (usually braces, and expander, and sometimes both) on kids when there is something fairly alarming:  buck teeth, sucks thumb, teased at school, etc (see image above).  For phase I we create a clear treatment plan and achieve our goals in under one year.  Please keep in mind that your child may still need additional treatment when all permanent teeth have erupted (around 12).

To determine if this type of early treatment is beneficial for your child, we will need to take records (pictures and x-rays).  So, please call to schedule a (free) orthodontic consultation:  520-732-8631.

 

 

 

Do Braces Hurt? And Tylenol vs. Motrin…

Do braces hurt?  Yes. And no.

But to patients and parents, I try to never use the P or pain word.  I also like to avoid the H or hurt word.  Instead, I describe the discomfort someone is about to experience during braces as just that: discomfort.  Not pain.

Wires move teeth.  Once teeth begin to even subtly move, each now-moving tooth sends signals to our brain.  Those signals are (unfortunately) nociceptive or interpreted as uncomfortable.  Again, I avoided the use of the P (Pain) word.

Those negative signals are best handled by modifying one’s diet to soft things.  In addition, thinking of other positive things and using your best attitude helps your sore mouth and teeth.  The hurt won’t last for too long, though.  Usually, after hours to days most of the discomfort passes. However, if the discomfort is sufficient or simply puts one in a cranky mood one hopes to avoid, I recommend Tylenol.  I don’t advise on to be tough just for the sake of being tough.  Yet, I don’t advise taking any type of medication until one feels he/she needs it.

Motrin is truly a better analgesic, but Motrin (as an effective anti-inflammatory) blocks the tooth-moving pathway — also involving the inflammatory process.  So, to block pain, but to allow tooth movement to occur most efficiently I request parents provide Tylenol.  If one does take Motrin it won’t absolutely stop Jimmy’s tooth movements.  But it is true that progress will likely slow as Motrin will more greatly inhibit the inflammatory process involved with braces.

I hope this discussion makes sense and is helpful.  Dyscomfort, unfortunately, is part of braces.  And these 2 meds — Tylenol (our favorite during braces) and Motrin —  can reduce common orthodontic pain or discomfort.

 

 

 

 

Orthodontists. Who are they?

Orthodontists studied a lot.  An awful lot.  And virtually all orthodontists excelled in their coursework and with patients.  In other  words, orthodontists usually graduated at the top of their classes.   Orthodontists attended a college or university for at least 4 years.  Then they trained in dental school for 4 years.  Finally, orthodontic residency lasted another 2-3 years.

Orthodontists are specialists in the area of braces and aligners (Invisalign).  Doing braces for 2-3 years in a residency setting after dental school — treating a huge variety of patients — before venturing into business is the best way to produce consistently great results in private practice.  Once they complete school, orthodontists do braces every day, all day.

General dentists do amazing work, and sometime also do braces.  Usually, general dentists spend most of their time filling teeth, cleaning teeth, making crowns, making dentures, placing implants, etc.  This is what dental school trained them to do.  General dentists did not attend a 2-3 year orthodontic residency after dental school.

If you’re thinking of getting braces or Invisalign from your general dentist please consider asking these questions to your (non-specialist) dentist:

• Do you ever refer cases to an orthodontist?
• Do you have cases that don’t go well that you pass on to the specialist/orthodontist  to finish for you?
• Do you refer your kids to the orthodontist?
• How many cases have  you finished that are similar to my teeth?
• How many cases did you do before you started practicing with braces and/or Invisalign?

 

Difference between Dentist and Orthodontist

• Dentists and orthodontists are both doctors of teeth and oral care.  Yet, orthodontists are those dentists who have done an additional 2-3  year residency program in orthodontics.

• During this residency training (and before they see patients in their practices) orthodontic specialists have supervised 100s of braces and Invisalign patients.
• Many general dentists simply take weekend courses at hotels and immediately begin doing orthodontics and Invisalign.

• Less than 10% of dentists are qualified and licensed orthodontists.

 

*** Dr. Neal Jones attended BYU and graduated Magnum Cum Laude with a major in Zoology and minor in Business Management.  He then spent 5 years in Iowa City: 4 in dental school and 1 year working in the Oral Surgery Department.  Dr. Jones completed orthodontic training at the University at Buffalo’s 2.5-year highly rated orthodontic program, earning a Master’s Degree.