Common Orthodontic Issues

Patient started treatment at age 11 and wore braces for 26 months. He loves his new smile.

Patient sucked her thumb as a young child. At age 13 she got braces and a special appliance called a crib to retrain the tongue for 28 months. Now she can bite the lettuce out of a sandwich.

This 25-year-old patient required braces and jaw surgery to correct his severe overbite, with treatment taking two years. His problem could have been corrected without surgery if he had been treated before he was a teenager.

This patient's lateral incisors were congenitally missing. She had braces for 20 months to move the teeth into their correct positions, then the missing teeth were replaced with bonded "Maryland" bridges.

Patient's underbite was causing jaw discomfort and excessive wear patterns on her teeth. After about 30 months of treatment starting at age 32, she now finds smiling and chewing much easier.

Patient was bothered by the spaces between his teeth. Braces closed the spaces and gave him an ideal bite in 24 months. Special glued-in retainers help keep the spaces closed.

At age ten, patient had a big overjet with the top teeth protruding beyond the bottom. She had two phases of treatment to help her jaws grow more harmoniously and to align her teeth and bite. At age 13, she was proudly displaying her new smile.

This patient was first seen at age seven for crowding of the lower permanent teeth. A procedure was performed to reduce the width of the adjacent baby teeth and the permanent incisors aligned on their own in nine months.

This eight-year-old patient with emerging permanent teeth had crowding and contact with the palate in lower teeth, and extreme displacement in the upper teeth. After 12 months of Phase One treatment with an expander and partial braces, patient's appearance and dental function were vastly improved.