Patient Stories

Orthodontics

Ana - Orthodontic Arch Expansion A very common orthodontic problem is a constricted palate. Children with narrow palates exhibit crowding, and often a "buck tooth" appearance. Ana was almost 12 when we saw her, a perfect time to start orthodontics. She only had one baby tooth - a canine - left in her mouth. (continues...)
Ana - The Hyrax Expands the Palate Each morning and night Ana's mother turned a key twice on this appliance, expanding Ana's palate one millimeter every day for about a week. The Hyrax appliance must stay in place 6 months after expansion to allow the bone to consolidate. Note the beautiful, rounded arch, with well-aligned teeth, in the second photo. (continues...)
Ana - Before & After To have achieved this palatal expansion past the age of 17 would have required some very difficult hospital-based surgery.
Bernita - Braces Bernita was a police officer who had grown tired of crooked teeth all her life. We originally thought we would have to extract four premolar teeth to do her orthodontics. It turned out we could gain enough space by narrowing several of Bernita's teeth. No extractions were necessary, and Bernita’s orthodontics were finished in about 16 months.
Correction of Crossbite Occasionally we find teeth like this upper canine locked in crossbite under a lower tooth. This case was corrected in about 12 months using conventional metal brackets.
Elizabeth - Braces We started Elizabeth's orthodontics at the tender age of 12. Due to the crowding we originally thought extraction of permanent teeth would be necessary, at least on the right side. At this young age, we were able to gain enough space without extracting teeth. Thanks to Elizabeth's excellent cooperation, the case was completed in only 14 months.
Jazmine - Braces Jazmine had exactly the right amount of space in her mouth for all her teeth. The problem was unequal space distribution. Some teeth were crowded, while there were spaces between other teeth. (continues...)
Jazmine - Braces Note how the centers of Jazmine's upper and lower teeth were not at the same place. Thanks to her young age at treatment, we completed Jazmine's orthodontics in a little over a year and a half.
Juan - Braces We always try to complete orthodontic treatment without the extraction of permanent teeth, but this is not always possible. Juan came to us at age 12 with a lot of crowding. His teeth were very large in size for his small mouth. Because of the severe crowding, Juan could not close his lips easily. This made plaque formation a problem, and as a result, he had chronically irritated gums.
Julie Why did Julie's lateral incisor stick out and ruin her smile? Because her permanent canine, instead of erupting normally in the arch, remained embedded in Julie's palate. Julie's case was a difficult one, spanning two years. We had to surgically uncover the upper canine, attach a bracket, and spend many months aligning the canine alongside other teeth.
Nan - Braces For no particular reason, the positions of this hairdresser's central incisors were radically different. In only 6 months of orthodontic brackets on Nan's front teeth, we were able to make this change.
Zachary - Braces Zachary came to us when he was just 13 years old. He was unhappy with the irregularity of his teeth. After only 14 months in braces, we had finished Zachary’s case. Zachary bleached his upper teeth, to make them look even better!
A Time-Critical Orthodontic Problem! An anterior crossbite, where the upper front teeth are locked behind the lower front teeth, is probably the most urgent orthodontic problem your child can have. If left untreated until adolescence, it will cause the lower jaw to grow too long. The only remedy if you let this happen is jaw surgery! It is not uncommon for us to treat crossbites as early as 6 years of age.

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