Timing of Orthodontic Treatment

Child, Teens, And Adults can all benefit from Braces

When is the right time to straighten my teeth?

All children beginning at the age of 7 should receive an Orthodontic Evaluation

-The American Association of Orthodontists

The patient would benefit from early treatment if any of the following are present:

Early or late loss of permanent teeth
Difficulty in chewing
Breathing through the mouth
Thumb sucking
Crowded, misplaced or blocked–out teeth
Jaws that are that are too far forward of back
Biting the cheeks or into the roof of the mouth
Front teeth that do not meet, or meet in an abnormal way
An unbalance facial appearance
Grinding or clenching of the teeth

The fastest way to make an appointment with us is to call our office and set up a free consultation with Dr. Bret. You can also use our "chat with us" feature to talk to the office or orthodontist OR just use the Book online or Appointment Request feature and we will contact you when you request.

You do not need to be referred by your dentist to make an appointment in our office, but we will usually ask you for your dentist's information so that we can make sure your teeth are healthy and ready for braces and also keep your dentist in the loop about our orthodontic treatment and progress.

What is Early Orthodontic Treatment?

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children beginning at age 7 be seen by an orthodontist because this is the age that the top front teeth should be erupted into the mouth along with 6-year-old (1st) molars. The orthodontic examination at this point is usually just to gather a baseline of growth and development of the jaws and teeth and check the development of the adult teeth.

While the majority of children will not benefit from early orthodontic treatment in most cases; there are instances, however, where early treatment can have a profound effect on growth and help guide positive skeletal and changes during growth. These instances include:

Correcting habits such as thumb and finger sucking, tongue thrusting and lip wedging or sucking
Correction of cross bites both posterior (when top molars fit inside lower molars) and anterior crossbites (when top front teeth fit behind lower front teeth)
Reduce the risk of trauma to severely protrusive front teeth (top front teeth stick out too much)
Improve Self Esteem if the appearance of the teeth cause social anxiety for the patient
Early loss of primary teeth

If it is determined that you could benefit from Early Orthodontic Treatment Dr. Bret will review all the options with you along and the pros and cons of each option, and we will come up together with the best choice for your child. Most of the time when early orthodontic treatment (which we also refer to as Phase I treatment) is needed, a second phase of treatment will also be needed in the teenage years once all the teeth have erupted. Fortunately, the phase I treatment does reduce this later treatment considerably.

Children (age 7-11)

What to look for to see if Early treatment is necessary

What do I need to do to make an appointment?

Less prone to wear, chipping and other trauma
Easier to keep clean, preventing decay or cavities
Key to reducing the chances of developing gum disease, which can result in bone loss, decay, and even tooth loss
Able to help in proper chewing and digestion
Designed to last for life by properly bearing the stress and wear of chewing

Braces and other orthodontic treatment can not only help your teen feel confident about having a healthy smile, but can also help set them up for success throughout their lives.

At Village Orthodontics we utilize cutting edge of technology that didn't exist years ago and that many orthodontists still do not take advantage. Invisalign Teen is an option of many patients especially for those who do not want "braces" or those that are not able to wear braces due to activities that are involved in. Invisalign Teen is very similar to Invisalign but with some unique advantages designed just for growing patients.

Please visit our brushing and flossing section

Teens & Young Adults (age 11-19)

Ideal age for Orthodontic Treatment

Age 11-16 is the most common and usually the best time for orthodontic treatment to begin. Starting at age 11 or 12 all the adult teeth have erupted into the dental arch. We can evaluate how the teeth fit into the arches, how the teeth fit together, evaluate crowding, spacing, cross bites, overjet of the teeth, evaluate your overbite, just to name a few. Bone and jaw structure have sufficiently formed to allow orthodontic treatment to begin. Some kids and teens may have already begun Phase I treatment at an earlier age, and now may be the time to follow up with full braces or other orthodontic treatment.

If your teenager has gaps, crooked, or protruding teeth, they may feel self-conscious and hide their smile. They may also be very concerned with how they may be perceived and treated by their peers. Confidence and positive self-esteem can help your teen be successful through their education, social and future career goals.

Since all the teeth are present (or will be during the treatment plan time) this treatment will resolve all the dental issues present and there will be no need for another round of orthodontic treatment.

Advantages of straight teeth

Are there any other options besides braces???

Wear and Care instructions

Adults (age 11-19)

At Village Orthodontics we want all patients no matter how young or old to achieve the smile that they want and have the right treatment goals and orthodontic knowledge to help you get the results you want.

Whether your teeth are crowded, spaced, rotated, or just about in any other position you may not like, we have a way to improve your smile, your bite and function, and your dental happiness.

We offer adult patients unique options to try to make treatment easier

No matter what at Village Orthodontics we will always present the treatment with will get you to the results you want in the FASTEST time possible. Some offices call this Fast Track, or Fast Acting Braces, or some other euphemism, but they are typically using the same brackets and wires that they do on everyone and just speed up the intervals when they change the wires. The teeth can only move so quickly in the bone (this is biology based) but we will work within this biocompatible movement range to accelerate you to the finished line. We will always create an individualized treatment plan customized for you.

Invisalign is another option. Invisalign treatment is described in detail here. But essentially, Dr. Bret will have digital models made of your teeth and then use computer simulated stepwise movements to achieve a straight, biocompatible smile. One new tray per computer generated step is individually milled for you and when worn in series will allow your teeth to move as they did from the simulation

For those really interested in speeding up their Invisalign OR braces treatment significantly we offer Acceledent Aura (I'm talking up to 50% reduced treatment time- HUGE!). This patented, revolutionary technology needs to be just used 20 minutes per day to allow you to get your braces off so much sooner.

Adults (and teens too) can have the option of using a more esthetic, crystal clear brackets (braces) that when viewed from a few feet away makes the braces appear indistinguishable from the tooth.
- These braces although a little more fragile, allow us to use the same mechanics and treatment options as traditional metal braces to achieve highly predictable efficient tooth movement with complete control of torque and tip of the teeth for awesome results.