No, if you think you have an orthodontic problem, you may contact us directly. It is mandatory that all patients under going orthodontic treatment at our office have a family Dentist, in which, they see for bi-annual (minimum) cleanings and dental check-ups.
To be a legitimate Orthodontic specialist and hold a certified license as such in Canada , strict criteria must be met. First, a degree in general dentistry is completed (4 years in length). After which, a three year university graduate Masters program must be completed in the specialty of orthodontics. Upon successful completion of an orthodontic graduate program, a fellowship exam, which is administered by the Royal College of Dentists of Canada must be passed, after which time, the Canadian Dental Association grants licensure as a certified orthodontic specialist.
Orthodontist’s have a minimum of a 11 years of university education in order to qualify for their specialty status!
It's important to note that any general dentist can place braces on patients legally, but it is highly unethical and illegal for them to represent themselves as an ‘orthodontist’ or ‘orthodentist’. Only Doctors who have undergone three years of additional graduate education and passed their fellowship exam, can represent themselves as a certified Orthodontist by law! If you feel that a general dentist has misrepresented themselves as an actual certified orthodontist, you have every right to report this fraud to your local provincial and/or Canadian Dental Association.
Orthodontist’s have three years of highly specialized training above and beyond that of a general dentist in correcting jaw and bite irregularities. An orthodontic specialist does only orthodontics. Other types of dentists can legally offer braces to their patients, but lack the intensive training and specialized experience of an orthodontist. Just as we seek the opinions of medical specialists, such as cardiologists and dermatologists, for specific medical problems, it is important to
do so and in your best interest for proper orthodontic treatment.
There are many factors that should be considered when deciding on an orthodontic specialist. Most importantly, you should be provided with a thorough explanation of what is involved and be informed throughout your orthodontic treatment. You should feel comfortable asking as many questions as you would like. We truly care about each and every patient and will make every effort to ensure their comfort throughout treatment.
The Canadian and American Associations of Orthodontists recommend that every child have an orthodontic examination by the age of seven. By age 7, enough permanent teeth have come in and enough jaw growth has occurred that the orthodontist can identify current problems, anticipate future problems and alleviate parents' concerns. For example: crowding, misplaced or blocked out teeth; early or late loss of baby teeth; any ongoing finger sucking, mouth breathing, speech difficulty; other oral habits can be assessed; jaws and teeth that are out of proportion to the rest of the face; and teeth that meet abnormally or not at all.
If treatment is not indicated at this age, but it is anticipated that orthodontic care may be needed in the future, your child will be placed on a routine one-to-two year recall, to continue monitoring jaw growth and development of the permanent teeth.
Early treatment may present an opportunity to:
- Influence jaw growth in a positive manner
- Harmonize width of the dental arches
- Improve eruption patterns
- Lower risk of trauma to protruded upper front teeth
- Correcting harmful oral habits such as thumb/finger sucking
- Reduce or eliminate abnormal swallowing, or speech problems
- Improve self-esteem and esthetics
- Simplify and/or shorten treatment time for later corrective orthodontics
- Reduce likelihood of impacted permanent teeth
- Preserve or gain space for erupting permanent teeth
Initiating early interceptive treatment in children who do not yet have all of their permanent teeth (ages 8 to 11) may allow us to achieve a better long-term result. Not all children need early interceptive treatment and it is typically reserved for more complex cases, such as those involving severe crowding, poor jaw growth or habits such as thumb sucking. Typical problems which may be addressed with early interceptive treatment include: over-crowded teeth, cross bite, overbite, under bite, and thumb sucking habits. These problems can affect the function of the teeth and face and can cause difficulties with chewing, speaking, or swallowing.
The common goal of early interceptive treatment is to create enough space for all of the permanent teeth to erupt, in addition to correcting improper growth of the developing jaws. Thus, simplifying later comprehensive treatment (once the remaining permanent teeth have erupted) and hopefully preventing more invasive procedures such as the extraction of permanent teeth and/or jaw surgery.
Children who have undergone early interceptive treatment, still often require comprehensive orthodontic treatment (full set of braces) at a later age, once all the permanent teeth have erupted. This second phase of treatment, with full braces, is generally shorter and far easier than treatment would have been, if the patient had not had the benefit of early intervention. More importantly, we are able to achieve a better result for these children. Early interceptive treatment often prevents the need to extract permanent teeth and/or surgery of the jaws during later adolescent comprehensive orthodontic treatment.
How one feels about his/her looks has an impact on self-esteem and career success. Orthodontic treatment can make a tremendous life-long change in the appearance of a person’s smile, teeth, face and overall well being.
More and more adults are seeking orthodontic treatment in order to make cosmetic improvements to their smile and improve the overall health of their teeth. Adults now comprise about 50% of patients seeking orthodontic treatment! Moving teeth with braces is not limited by age whatsoever. The teeth of adult patients respond to orthodontic movement in a similar fashion to younger patients. Technological advances in orthodontic treatment, now allow us to offer cosmetic alternatives to adult patients, such as clear braces or removable aligners (Invisalign) which are completely invisible to the human eye.
Patients generally require orthodontic treatment for three different reasons. 1) They do not like the way their smile looks. 2) Their bite is incorrect and is putting extra pressure on the gums, teeth, and joints. 3) Their dentist needs to perform some restorative work and needs the teeth to be moved orthodontically beforehand.
Our fees are based upon treatment time and the severity of the case. Because there is such a wide range in individual treatment complexity, we cannot quote a fee without first examining a patient. We do try to provide payment options that are sufficiently flexible to accommodate most financial situations.
Some dental insurance plans will assist with a portion of the fee. If you have any questions related to your individual orthodontic insurance coverage, please feel free to contact our office.
The length of treatment varies from 3 months to 3 years depending on complexity with the average treatment time being approximately 20 months. Before you start treatment, we will let you know the length of time your treatment should take.
Technological advances in orthodontic materials have led to new wires that generate a light consistent force for tooth movement. These wires are heat activated which allows any discomfort associated with recent adjustment appointments to be remedied by cool liquids or foods such as ice cream. Generally, patients experience little or no pain. The greatest period of adjustment occurs during the first week of braces while the cheeks, lips, and tongue become accustomed to the braces.
Yes, however we ask patients to wear a protective mouth guard while playing any contact sports. We will even provide you with a complimentary mouth guard that fits over your braces once you start treatment, just let us know that you need one.
With a short period of adjustment, braces typically do not interfere with the playing of musical instruments.
TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint. It is the joint which attaches your lower jaw to the base of the skull and is used for chewing. Like any other joint in the body, some people develop problems with their TMJ such as clenching, grinding, locking, cracking noises, and associated muscle or headache pain. We use splints and braces to improve or relieve problems associated with the jaw joints.
A retainer is a removable appliance that is made from a mold of your teeth the day your braces are removed. Retainers are used to maintain your teeth in their new position, preventing them from relapsing back to their old position. Typically, we provide patients with upper and lower clear removable retainers that are worn during sleeping hours. Patients are required to wear their retainers every night for the first 1-2 years following completion of orthodontic treatment, after which, they may slowly decrease the number of evenings worn as long as the retainers are fitting properly. As part of the overall treatment, we supervise our patients’ retainer wear by seeing them every 6 months for 1-2 years. Some patients may require a more traditional type of removable retainer, which is made out of acrylic and has wire support; in addition, to being required to wear them full-time for a period rather than just at night, but these cases are rare.
There is no scientific proof that wisdom teeth cause crowding. However, due to thousands of years of evolution our jaws have become progressively smaller and most wisdom teeth become impacted. Impacted wisdom teeth can lead to infection and damage of the surrounding healthy teeth. Therefore, in consultation with your dentist, we often suggest having wisdom teeth removed at approximately 15-18 years of age. In most cases, this is a couple of years after we have finished your orthodontic treatment.
