Orthodontics
Our orthodontic patients at RGV Smiles range in age, from youth to adult, because it is never too late to get a perfect smile. At RGV Smiles our McAllen orthodontists focus on aligning teeth and jaws to improve facial structures, overall oral health and smiles.
Braces are commonly worn between the ages of 10 and 14, during the period of development and when the head and mouth are still growing and teeth are easier to straighten. However, adults also choose to wear braces that will correct minor problems and improve smiles.
For more information on our McAllen orthodontic services and to discuss your orthodontic options call RGV Smiles at 956-661-0900.
Treatment & Procedures
Orthodontic treatments can help repair and improve numerous oral health issues such as:
- Guide permanent teeth into the proper position
- Improve lip closure
- Reserve or gain space for erupting permanent teeth
- Reduce the potential for jaw joint damage
- Influence proper width of dental arches
- Improve eruption patterns
- Lower the risk of damage to protruding upper teeth
- Shorten treatment time for later corrective orthodontic procedures
- Improve some types of speech problems
At RGV Smiles, our McAllen orthodontists take the time to discuss your options and answer all of your questions regarding the orthodontic process and how to properly maintain your braces. Our orthodontists follow a set of procedures that help them decide what is best for your oral health needs.
The procedure for braces is as follows:
- An initial oral examination will be conducted and treatment recommendations will be made
- A plaster cast of an individual's teeth will be created
- X-rays of the head and mouth will be performed
- Braces will need to be adjusted regularly
- When the braces are removed, retainers will be used to ensure that teeth remain in the same position
Braces (Orthodontia)
Braces are applied to teeth for various reasons, including poorly aligned jaws, crooked, crowded and missing teeth or a bad bite.
Various things can cause teeth to become crooked or jaws misaligned, including thumb-sucking or a traumatic injury. Some conditions are inherited.
Children between the ages of 10 and 14 are typical candidates for braces because their facial structures are still developing. Adult braces usually entail additional procedures because their faces have already fully developed.
Procedures
In most cases, a dentist will need to make a plaster cast of the individual's teeth and perform full X-rays of the head and mouth.
After braces are placed, they need to be adjusted from time to time to ensure that they continue to move the teeth into their correct position. Retainers are used following braces to ensure that teeth remain in position.
Aesthetic and Comfort Issues
Today, braces are made from extremely lightweight and natural-colored materials. The materials that braces attach to, the brackets, are bonded to the surfaces of teeth but can be later removed.
Patients should expect to wear braces for about two years. Adults are usually required to wear braces for longer periods of time.
Because braces need to be adjusted from time to time to ensure they continue to move the teeth into their correct position, they can create pressure on the teeth and jaws. This mild discomfort usually subsides following each orthodontia adjustment.
Hygiene issues
Patients who wear braces need to make sure that food particles and other debris do not get trapped in the brackets or wires. Brackets can also leave stains on enamel if the area surrounding them is not cleaned on a daily basis.
Daily oral hygiene such as brushing, flossing and rinsing are a necessity. Some patients with braces can benefit from using water picks, which emit small pressurized bursts of water that can effectively rinse away such debris.
Space Maintainers
Space maintainers are can help teeth grow in normally following premature tooth loss, injury or other problems. They can help ensure that proper spaces are maintained to allow future permanent teeth to erupt.
If your child loses a baby tooth early through decay or injury, his or her other teeth could shift and begin to fill the vacant space. When your child's permanent teeth emerge, there's not enough room for them. The result is crooked or crowded teeth and difficulties with chewing or speaking.
Contact Us
For more information on the orthodontic process and our services, call our McAllen orthodontists at RGV Smiles at 956-661-0900.
