Orthodontist Reveals the Secrets to Straight Teeth and a Confident Smile!
Orthodontic treatment procedures initiated at an early age allow early detection and management of oral problems in children before they become life-long issues. Kids First Dental – Lancaster is a pediatric dental office in Lancaster that you can visit with your child if you are looking for a kids’ dentist near you who offers orthodontic treatment, among other dental services.
The Benefits of Orthodontic Treatment
Here are the benefits you and your child will likely get from our orthodontist in Lancaster, SC.
- Early detection
When you bring your child to our dental office for a dental appointment with our kids’ dentist in 29720, an oral examination is one of the procedures that must take place. Oral exams allow the orthodontist to spot signs that may indicate problems with normal jaw and mouth development. Detecting such issues can save one from future complications requiring more expensive procedures.
If no issues are detected, the professional will still do a close follow-up and track theirdevelopment to make sure there is proper jaw development and teeth alignment.
- Boosts confidence
Having crooked or poorly aligned teeth can bring insecurities in children and has been linked with low self-esteem and confidence. Traditional braces and other orthodontic treatments will restore your child’s confidence by straightening their teeth, thus improving their smile appearance.
- Improved speech
Having improperly aligned teeth or jaws is one of the causes of lisping, slurred speech, and speaking difficulties like the poor pronunciation of words with the letter “T” and “S” in children. Initiating orthodontic treatment while the jaws and teeth are still growing and developing helps to solve this problem.
- Improves digestion
When your child has straight teeth and a well-positioned jaw, chewing food becomes easy. Chewing breaks down food into small pieces facilitating digestion which contributes to a child’s overall development.
- Reduced risk of having decayed teeth
By straightening misaligned teeth, orthodontic treatment makes it easy for your child to properly floss and brush their teeth as well as clean the whole mouth as the hard-to-reach areas become accessible. According to studies, people with crooked teeth are usually more predisposed to dental decay since cleaning their teeth with a brush is hard, becoming impossible to get rid of all food particles.
Orthodontic Treatment Options
Various orthodontic procedures are being offered by our kids’ dentist in Lancaster to correct teeth alignment issues and may include:
- Fixed appliances like traditional braces
- Removable appliances such as Invisalign
- Orthodontic mini-screws
- Retainers
The Orthodontic Process
An orthodontic treatment plan may run for one to three years, depending on the severity of the misalignment, and although this may seem like a really long time, the end results are usually life-changing. The orthodontic process at any kids’ dentist near you can be summarized into the following:
- Initial consultation–This will make the first appointment and involve an oral examination, oral x-rays, and selection of a treatment plan that best suits your child’s teeth.
- Placement –During your second appointment, orthodontic braces will be fitted, and this is the visit that will be longer than other visits. First, the child’s teeth will be cleaned to avoid bacteria getting trapped inside the brackets. This will follow the attachment of metal brackets, wires, and rubber bands.
- Adjustments and maintenance–These appointments are usually scheduled once each month and allow the dentist to do an oral checkup and adjust the braces accordingly.
- Removal of appliance–Once the desired results are achieved, which can take a year or more, the orthodontic appliances are removed to reveal a new symmetrical smile.
- Retention–This is a key step in most orthodontic treatments as it ensures the results achieved from the orthodontic treatment are maintained. It will involve wearing retainers regularly to prevent shifting of teeth.
Tips for Successful Orthodontic Treatment
Here are some key tips for a successful orthodontic treatment:
- Maintain good dental hygiene throughout the orthodontic treatment
- Employ effective brushing and flossing techniques
- Follow the dentist’s instructions to the letter
- Mind your eating and drinking habits during treatment
- Never miss an appointment with the dentist
Retention Phase and Post-treatment Care
The retention phase is part of post-orthodontic treatment and prevents teeth from shifting to where they previously were. Post-treatment care will involve wearing an oral custom-made orthodontic appliance known as a retainer. The dentist will dictate how long one has to wear the retainers.