Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. Please check back often for weekly updates on fun and exciting events happening at our office, important and interesting information about orthodontics, and the latest news about our practice.
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Improving your smile benefits more than just your teeth and gums. In fact, recent studies have proven that people with healthier teeth who smile more often can improve their happiness and well as their overall health.
Here are just a few of the ways that getting the smile you've always dreamed of can make you a happier, healthier and more successful person:
Nothing can show the world how happy you are quite like a beautiful smile. In fact, studies prove that it's one of the first things others notice about you. Many people find a beautiful smile adds to self-confidence, overall happiness, and can even lead to career advancement.
It’s no surprise that fixing your smile can cause dramatic improvements to your self-esteem. Once you improve your smile, you are likely to receive more positive feedback socially and professionally, and those good feelings often carry over into other aspects of your life. Improvements in their life outlook cause many patients who have worn braces to improve their overall attitude as well.
Straight teeth aren't just attractive, they're healthy as well. Orthodontic treatment is used to correct a "bad bite," a condition known as a malocclusion that involves teeth that are crowded or crooked. Correcting the problem can create a great looking smile, but more importantly, orthodontic treatment gives you a healthier mouth. That's because crooked and crowded teeth make cleaning the mouth difficult, which can lead to tooth decay, periodontal disease and possibly tooth loss. The cleaner you keep your teeth, the longer they'll last. Additionally, a good bite makes it easier for you to bite, chew and speak.
Orthodontics is easier today than ever before with treatment options that fit your lifestyle and your schedule. Whether your looking for traditional braces or a nearly invisible, removable option such as Invisalign®, we can personalize your treatment to suit your needs. As part of your comprehensive dental care plan, orthodontic treatment can help you retain your teeth, and your smile, for a lifetime.
An orthodontic evaluation with Dr. Godwin is easy to set up, and better yet…it comes at no cost! Give Bel Air Orthodontics a call today to schedule your complimentary initial consultation.
While you may just see a shiny smile full of metal or ceramic, the truth is that there is so much more going on beneath the surface of creating that beautiful new grin. Braces might just look like a bunch of metal parts, but each component is strategically placed to help guide your teeth into proper alignment. In fact, each of these components is designed to work so well together that you must immediately address any type of breakage to avoid delays in your treatment.
The good news is that all of the parts of traditional braces are durable. Occasionally however, loose and/or broken appliances may occur during your active orthodontic treatment. It is important that you contact the team at Bel Air Orthodontics as soon as possible so that we can evaluate the urgency of the problem and schedule you to be seen accordingly for repair. When making that call, it is helpful to know the various parts of your braces so that you can explain your concerns to us in a clear manner. So, lets review our diagram below to learn more about your braces.
If you have any questions about your appliances or your orthodontic treatment, we're here to help. Don't hesitate to give the team at Bel Air Orthodontics a call for additional assistance.
At Bel Air Orthodontics, we hear this question all the time, so we thought we'd give you an overview of how braces work.
Tooth movement is your body's natural response to continuous, light pressure applied by braces over a period of time. As the teeth move, the bone changes shape as pressure is applied.
Traditional orthodontic treatment works when we attach braces and their components onto your teeth. Braces may consist of brackets, bands, wires and other fixed or removable corrective appliances.
Brackets are the small squares that are bonded directly to the front of each tooth. Brackets act like handles, holding the arch wires that move the teeth. These wires are held in place by small elastic ties that fit around the brackets. As time passes during your treatment, these wires apply pressure on your teeth, which sets in motion the movement of your teeth into their desired positions.
When you first get your braces, the initial wire or two will typically be very flexible, but still strong enough to apply a constant force on your teeth. As your teeth straighten out over time, however, you will notice we will use progressively thicker and firmer wires to help move your teeth in place for the ideal bite.
Each time you visit our office for an adjustment, we will swap out the wires in order to maintain the right amount of pressure on your teeth. This is why it's so important for you to keep your adjustment visits during your treatment. Most adjustment appointments are scheduled four to six weeks apart to give your teeth time to move at a steady pace and allow us to assess progress and ensure we keep your treatment plan on track.
As for rubber bands (a.k.a. elastics), most of our patients will need to wear elastics at some point during their treatment. Elastics are typically placed from one or more of the upper braces to one or more of the lower braces, pulling on your teeth to move them in a direction they need to move in order to achieve an optimal bite and a beautiful smile.
Not long ago, orthodontists had a single option - stainless steel brackets and wires- and that was about it. Today, however, we offer a variety of treatment options, from traditional brackets to nearly invisible ceramics and Invisalign removable appliances. With new, high-tech wires at our disposal, we can now move your teeth faster and more comfortably.
If you have any questions about wires, brackets or elastics, please Bel Air Orthodontics a call or feel free to ask your questions during your next regularly scheduled adjustment visit. We always here to help!