Orthodontics

Detail Dental Kids addresses the diagnosis, prevention or correction of misaligned teeth and bite through orthodontics.

As specialists in pediatric dentofacial orthopedics, our Detail Dental Kids team analyzes your child’s facial growth and development and can help determine if orthodontics is necessary and which course of treatment is right for his or her unique dental health needs. Orthodontic treatments involve different types of appliances, either fixed or removable, which are used to slowly move teeth and affect your jaw’s growth/alignment through gentle pressure on your teeth and jaw over time. Read below to learn more about the two most common treatment types we offer.

Braces

Braces straighten teeth through the application of steady pressure to guide movement over time. Most people just need regular braces with wires and rubber bands doing their jobs to keep the pressure on the teeth, while the orthodontist adjusts and guides them where they need to go. The wires on your braces help to move your teeth, and the rubber bands help to correct the alignment, which is the way your teeth line up.

Everyone wears braces for different lengths of time, but most people usually have them for about two years. Once your braces are removed , you will want to take special care of your teeth and may need to wear a retainer to ensure they stay put. A retainer is a small, hard piece of plastic with metal wires or a thin piece of plastic shaped like a mouth guard which is specifically molded to fit your newly straightened teeth. Retainers make sure your teeth don’t go wandering back to their original places.

Clear Aligners

Clear aligners are an alternative to traditional braces and are designed to help guide teeth into their proper position. Similar to braces, clear aligners use gradual force to control tooth movement, but without metal wires or brackets.

We find clear aligners to be a good alternative for patients who want a straighter smile, but do not like the idea of wearing traditional braces. Additionally, aligners are beneficial for patients with previous orthodontic treatment who want to make minor corrections to their smiles.

There are several advantages to using clear aligners:

  • Clear aligners are removable, so it is easier to brush and floss after meals
  • Easy to keep clean
  • More comfortable and less likely to irritate the gums and cheeks

Patients are responsible for putting in and removing their aligners. A series of aligners are created to move teeth. Each aligner is worn for 2-3 weeks and moves teeth a fraction of a millimeter at a time. Patients must remove aligners for meals and when brushing/flossing. The number of aligners needed to correct misaligned teeth varies based on the individual’s orthodontic problem and its correction.