Orthodontic Treatment
Create Beautiful Smiles One at a time
Treatment for Children
Children are more receptive to orthodontic treatment
Children and teenagers are ideal candidates for orthodontic treatment. Because the jawbone is soft and still growing, a young patient’s smile is particularly receptive to re-alignment. In addition to enhanced aesthetics, a straighter smile also offers significant health benefits including improved speech and better access for oral hygiene.
Early intervention is essential
American Association of Orthodontists recommends a visit to the orthodontist at age 7 to advise if orthodontic treatment is required. The first permanent molars and incisors have usually come in by that time and crossbites, crowding, and other problems can be evaluated.
When treatment is begun early, the orthodontist can guide the growth of the jaw and guide incoming permanent teeth. Early treatment can also regulate the width of the upper and lower dental arches, gain space for permanent teeth, avoid the need for permanent tooth extractions, reduce likelihood of impacted permanent teeth, correct thumb-sucking habits, and eliminate abnormal swallowing or speech problems.
Treatment
Traditional braces are common among children. Colorful bands are typically added, giving kids a fun way to express themselves. As a child moves into the teen years, a more discreet treatment method such as Invisalign® or clear ceramic braces is available.
We are here to make your child’s orthodontic experience as comfortable and successful as possible. Please give us a call for more information.
Treatment for Adults
Over the last few years, more and more adults have become aware of the benefits of orthodontic treatment. Adult orthodontic treatment can be successful at any age to provide the benefits of a beautiful smile. One of every five patients in orthodontic treatment is over 21.
Adults represent a great percentage of patients at Paramount Orthodontics as we use new techniques and technologies that are great at making it less noticeable. Dr. Choi and his team is constantly focused on providing our adult patients with a relaxed and comfortable setting while delivering excellent and efficient service. Our goal is to give you the smile that you have always dreamed of and deserve. We believe that it is never too late to achieve that smile which is why we are excited to offer orthodontic treatment to adults.
Benefits of Adult Treatment
The great news for adults seeking orthodontic treatment is that tooth alignment can be changed at any age if your gums and bone structure are healthy. We offer a variety of treatments designed for adults.
Although orthodontic treatment at later stages in life can dramatically improve your personal appearance and self-esteem, improving the health of your teeth and gums is equally important. Crooked teeth and a bad bite can contribute to the following:
- Gum and bone loss
- Tooth decay
- Abnormal wear of the tooth enamel and surfaces
- In some cases, headaches and jaw joint pain
Types of Braces
Traditional metal braces are the most common type of braces and are more comfortable today than ever before. Made of high-grade stainless steel, metal braces straighten your teeth using metal brackets and archwires. With metal braces, you have the option of adding colored elastics (rubber bands) for a more unique and colorful smile.
Self-ligating braces utilize traditional metal, ceramic, or clear brackets but use a specialized clip in place of elastics to help the archwire guide teeth into place. The clip helps reduce the amount of pressure being placed on the teeth, and requires fewer adjustments than elastics. This often means fewer appointments for you.
Ceramic braces are made of clear materials and are therefore less visible on your teeth than metal braces. For this reason, ceramic braces are used mainly on older teenagers and adult patients who have cosmetic concerns. While they are visually less prominent, they do require more attention to oral hygiene as ceramic braces are larger and more brittle than their metal counterparts. For these reasons, ceramic braces tend to be used more on upper front teeth than on lower teeth.
Clear aligners are a series of invisible, removable, and comfortable acrylic trays that straighten your teeth like braces. Not only are the aligners invisible, they are removable, so you can eat and drink what you want while in treatment, plus brushing and flossing are less of a hassle. The aligners are comfortable and have no metal to cause mouth abrasions during treatment.
Invisalign
What is Invisalign?
Invisalign uses a series of invisible, removable, and comfortable aligners that no one can tell you’re wearing. So, you can smile more during treatment as well as after. Invisalign is made with 3-D computer imaging technology and has been proven effective. Invisalign recently announced that is has successfully treated its 1,300,000 patient, including celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Heidi Klum!
Why would I want Invisalign?
Not only are the aligners invisible, they are removable, so you can eat and drink what you want while in treatment. Plus, brushing and flossing are no problem. They are also comfortable, with no metal to cause mouth abrasions during treatment. And no metal and wires usually means you spend less time in your doctor’s office getting adjustments. Invisalign also allows you to view your own virtual treatment plan when you start so you can see how your straight teeth will look when your treatment is complete.
How does Invisalign work?
You will wear each set of aligners for about 2 weeks, removing them only to eat, drink, brush, and floss. As you replace each aligner with the next in the series, your teeth will move – little by little, week by week – until they have straightened to the final position Dr. Choi has prescribed. You’ll visit our practice about once every 6 weeks to ensure that your treatment is progressing as planned. Total treatment time is 9 to 15 months and the average number of aligners worn during treatment is between 18 and 30, but both will vary from patient to patient.