Adult Orthodontic Treatment: Braces vs. Clear Retainers

Although childhood is the ideal time to correct any positioning problems with your teeth, many people didn’t have the opportunity as children to get the dental care they needed. In addition, dentistry has progressed tremendously over the past 20 years, which means the options on offer now far outpace those that were available in the 1980s and 1990s. Adult orthodontics include Invisalign from our Scarborough dental office, which enables you to enhance your smile regardless of your current age. You aren’t alone, either, because the American Association of Orthodontists states that one in four orthodontic patients is over age 18.

Types of Adult Orthodontics

Adult orthodontic patients seek treatment for a range of dental concerns, including a crossbite, crooked teeth, overcrowding, or gaps between the teeth. The most common forms of treatment are the use of braces, and fortunately the days of unsightly metal braces or unwieldy headgear are gone. Options now include braces, Invisalign aligners, and clear retainers. Many of these are almost invisible, although even braces with visible components are less unattractive than in the past. Here are some of the benefits of choosing Invisalign vs. braces.

Braces

Many adult orthodontic issues can be treated effectively by fitting the patient with braces, which have traditionally been used for decades. Braces now come in a range of streamlined models, including some made from tooth-coloured ceramic. This helps them to be less obvious in the mouth, although they do still have visible components such as wires or rubber bands. The braces are attached to your teeth for the duration of the treatment and are not removable. Although most patients quickly get used to wearing braces, they do require extra care to keep the teeth clean. Wearers are also discouraged from eating certain foods that can cause damage to the braces.

Invisalign Treatment

When you choose Invisalign orthodontic treatment, you’ll be fitted for a series of clear aligners that gradually change the position of the teeth. They are thin, plastic-type trays made according to your impressions, which fit perfectly over your teeth. These are engineered to put gentle pressure on the problem teeth, guiding them slowly into place.

You’ll be required to change to a new aligner every two weeks, or according to the schedule our Invisalign Scarborough dentist provides. The aligners are not only virtually invisible, but are also removable for eating, brushing, or briefly on social occasions. As long as you wear them for at least 22 hours a day, you’ll receive the benefit of the treatment.

Wearing Clear Retainers Afterwards

Most patients are required to wear clear retainers for at least 6 months after Invisalign treatment ends, to maintain the results delivered by the aligners. In some instances, you may have to wear these for longer, depending on your individual situation. Our Invisalign dentists in Scarborough will be able to determine whether you need to go on wearing retainers and for how long.

Cost Factors

Invisalign cost in Canada ranges from $2,000 to $8,000. According to manufacturers, treatment can cost between $3,000 and $9,000, but having dental insurance can significantly reduce costs. Most insurance companies pay for your dental visits, and a portion of the treatment cost for each year you’re having treatment. The initial cost of traditional braces could be slightly lower, but any repairs or replacement parts will be for your account or your insurance. This means that for patients who are eligible for either procedure, the costs are comparable.

Resolving your dental issues and enhancing your smile can be life-changing, and with the advancements in adult orthodontics there’s no reason why you shouldn’t benefit from the opportunities available. To schedule an appointment to discuss your options with an experienced, compassionate Invisalign dentist in Scarborough, please call 416-291-3117 or click here to contact us today.

Important Dentistry Milestones in Your Child’s Life

Every parent wants to keep their children’s oral health in peak condition, and that means getting quality dental care from the outset. Just like other types of healthcare, there are some important dentistry dates you should observe to achieve this, starting with your little one’s very first appointment with our family dentist in Scarborough.

First Dental Visit

Your child’s first to the dentist is a momentous occasion. It’s essential to find an office that offers pediatric dentistry as a service option, because there are a number of issues affecting kids’ dental care that don’t apply to adults. One of these is the arrival of primary or “baby” teeth, which usually begins between 4 and 6 months of age. This is the best time to bring your baby in for an examination, discuss your family history with the dentist, and to ensure the child has a strong foundation for a healthy mouth later in life.

As the little one’s baby teeth develop, make sure you have the benefits of regular dental check-ups by scheduling a visit every 6 months. Many people don’t realize the importance of keeping the primary teeth in their correct position until they fall out naturally. This is vital for the sound development of permanent teeth, however, because the primaries support the structure of a child’s mouth and help with speech development.

Getting Baby Teeth

Between the ages of 6 and 12 months, most children first get their upper and lower front teeth or central incisors. These are followed by lateral incisors between 10 and 16 months, and the first molars between 13 and 19 months. By 2 years old they should have enough primary teeth for them to be touching each other, and all 20 expected baby teeth should arrive by age 3. Remember, though, that all children are different, and that this can cause these timelines to vary. In addition, girls often develop faster than boys do, and they might both get and lose their baby teeth earlier as a result.

Learning Oral Hygiene

Proper tooth brushing and flossing are critical for lifelong good oral health, and the earlier your child begins learning to do this regularly the better. By the age of 1 year, most children should have undergone at least one visit to our family dentist in Scarborough. You can begin teaching a child at this age to accept a soft bristle toothbrush and to spit out the toothpaste after cleaning. If it’s too soon for toothpaste, brushing even with a little water is a good way to start building sound oral care habits.

Once all the baby teeth have erupted, learning to floss is a useful addition to the daily brushing routine. Encourage your little ones to floss after each meal, even if it isn’t being done as effectively (or regularly) as you’d like. By establishing robust dental hygiene routines early, you can help to prevent dental problems from arising in the future.

Receiving Permanent Teeth

On average, children start losing their baby teeth between 6 and 7 years old, followed by the eruption of the first permanent molars. These are new teeth in that they don’t replace any baby teeth, and that means they are occasionally mistaken for primary teeth. Once these start to erupt, it’s imperative that your child has learned to exercise good dental hygiene, because the molars play an important role in determining the shape of the face and the position—and health—of the other permanent teeth. By age 13, most children have 28 permanent teeth and are only lacking their third molars or wisdom teeth.

Orthodontic Check

At our family dentist in Scarborough, we recommend every child gets an orthodontic check by the age of 7 years. The reason for this is to see whether the child has any potential problems that could cause permanent teeth to erupt in unsuitable positions. At this stage in the natural growth processes. it’s possible to correct issues such as a crossbite or to use an appliance to expand the palate if the child is at risk of tooth overcrowding. If serious conditions like these are left untreated, the child might need oral surgery later to correct them.

Wisdom Teeth

The third molars or wisdom teeth usually come in between 17 and 25 years, and often erupt without any problems. We often discover, however, that a patient’s mouth is too crowded for the third molars to develop in the correct position behind the second molars. When this happens, the molars become impacted inside the gum tissue, where they are difficult to reach and clean. This makes them vulnerable to tooth decay and can cause gum disease, bad breath, pain, and swelling. Frequently, wisdom teeth are removed surgically even if they don’t present problems, to avoid issues later in life.

To schedule appointments for every stage of your child’s dental development with an experienced, compassionate family dentist in Scarborough, please call 416-291-3117 or click here to contact us today.