A Consultation with Dr. Janina I. Braun | Featured on Dear Doctor
Dear Doctor,
I would like to fix my crooked teeth, but I just turned 60. Is it too late for me to get braces?
Dear John,
Healthy teeth can be moved at any age, so there’s no such thing as “too old” for braces. In fact, nowadays about one out of every five orthodontic patients is an adult. Yet this figure represents only a small portion of adults who could actually benefit from orthodontic treatment.
Research has shown that the frequency of malocclusion (“mal” – bad; “occlusion” – bite) in adults is comparable to what we see in children and adolescents. Perhaps as many as three quarters of adults have some form of orthodontic problem — crowding of teeth or drifting of teeth after extractions, for example.
A great-looking smile is a surefire way to boost self-confidence and studies have demonstrated that orthodontic treatment can even enhance an adult’s career opportunities and social life. There is also a potential health benefit, as misaligned teeth can be harder to clean, setting the stage for tooth decay and gum disease. Straightening teeth can also make chewing more comfortable. So there are many reasons to consider orthodontic treatment at any age.
Perhaps as many as three quarters of adults have some form of orthodontic problem.
What will determine if you are a good candidate for orthodontic treatment, then, will not be your age; it will be your current state of periodontal health (“peri” – around; “odont” – tooth), your general health, and what type of problem you are trying to fix. Periodontal (gum) disease, which can lead to the loss of tooth-supporting bone, is more prevalent in adults than in adolescents. This is an important consideration because orthodontic treatment works by gently moving teeth within the bone that supports them. And orthodontic treatment in the presence of periodontal disease can aggravate the disease and make it worse. While bone loss does not preclude successful orthodontic treatment, it is essential that any existing periodontal disease be brought under control before treatment begins.
Orthodontists (dentists who have specialized in the diagnosis of and treatment of malocclusion, which includes the study of growth and development of the jaws and teeth) can use a variety of orthodontic treatment options. Braces, the traditional little metal or plastic brackets attached to the teeth, through which wires run, are just one example of the way in which pressure and tension are applied to move teeth slowly and gently in the desired direction. Pressure will cause a portion of the bone next to the root to resorb (be dissolved by the body), while on the opposite (tension) side new bone formation occurs. This new bone builds up in the space the root moved out of, solidifying its new position.
It is essential that any existing periodontal disease be brought under control before orthodontic treatment begins.
There are a few medical conditions that may contra-indicate orthodontic treatment. Examples include severe heart-valve disease, bleeding disorders, leukemia, and severe uncontrolled diabetes. If you have any of these conditions, check with your physician and orthodontist (or dentist if he/she is doing the treatment) to make sure all the implications are understood. Also, some drugs used primarily by adults for arthritis or osteoporosis can make tooth movement more difficult. Other medications have a tendency to dry out the mouth, as does smoking. Mouth dryness may make orthodontic treatment uncomfortable and will increase your risk of tooth decay.
Another consideration is whether the malocclusion is skeletal in nature, meaning that it is related to the way your jaws fit together. In a full-grown adult this might require orthognathic surgery (“ortho” – to straighten; “gnathic” – jaw). However, for most people with less serious orthodontic problems (crowding or improper spacing, for example), the lack of physical growth will have little or no bearing on the treatment or the results.
You will find that a lot has changed since you were a teenager in terms of the orthodontic appliances themselves. Clear or colorless braces can sometimes be used instead of the metal ones, and are a lot less noticeable than they used to be, and some can even be placed on the lingual (tongue) side of the teeth. Virtually invisible clear aligners are also appropriate in many cases.
These newer appliance options no doubt have contributed to the increase in adults seeking treatment, with most reporting that they are very happy with the results. So remember that when it comes to straightening teeth, there is no age cutoff. If a better smile is something you really want, schedule a consultation with your dentist or an orthodontist to discuss your treatment options. As the saying goes, you’re only as old as you feel.
– See more at: http://www.deardoctor.com/inside-the-magazine/issue-21/orthodontics-for-the-older-adult/#sthash.HFxS3avS.dpuf
Looking for an orthodontist in Beaverton, Oregon? Biermann Orthodontics is a cutting-edge orthodontic practice that serves Beaverton and Molalla, OR, and focuses on providing world-class customer service and efficient treatment. We strive to create stunning smiles in the shortest amount of time without ever sacrificing quality.
How Thumb Sucking Affects The Bite
/in Orthodontics For ChildrenArticle Featured on Dear Doctor
Dear Doctor,
My 10-year-old sucked his thumb from birth until age 8. I’m wondering if this habit affected his bite because now his teeth don’t come together in the front and every time he swallows, his tongue moves forward. What can be done?
Read more
Space Between Front Teeth
/in Cosmetic DentistryArticle & Images Featured on Dear Doctor | A Consultation with Dr. Cary A. Shapoff
How muscles (frenums) cause separation of your front teeth
Dear Doctor,
I have a gap between my two front teeth. My dentist says my teeth are separated because of a muscle that runs down between them. I want to have the spaces closed but he says I will need surgery. Please explain further!
Read more
Knocked Out Tooth
/in Dental EducationArticle Featured on Dear Doctor
Dear Doctor,
My 10-year old son knocked out one of his front teeth last year playing baseball. It was a good hour before our dentist put his tooth back into the socket. How long will the replanted tooth last?
Read more
The Bitter Truth About Sugar
/in Dental Education, General Care, Healthy LivingHard to Resist, Tougher to Avoid — and Devastating to Our Health
By Dr. Robert H. Lustig | Article Featured on Dear Doctor
Do you enjoy the taste of sweet things?
We all do, to some degree. In fact, it’s evolutionary. A sweet tooth served our hunting-and-gathering ancestors well. They knew that if they ate something sweet, it wouldn’t kill them; nothing in nature that tastes sweet is acutely poisonous. It’s ironic, because in the amounts we currently consume it, sugar is a chronic toxin and it is killing us — slowly. I’m not being overly dramatic here; I’m simply stating what scientific research, my own included, has made impossible to ignore.
We are in the midst of a nationwide health crisis, with implications for both dentistry and medicine. Dentists are seeing an increase in tooth decay — despite the addition of tooth-strengthening fluoride to most municipal water supplies. Physicians like myself are seeing many more obese children — some as young as six months old! Thirty years ago, 1 child out of 20 was obese. Today, it’s 1 in 5. Thirty years ago, there were zero children in America with type 2 diabetes. Today, there are 57,000.
Read more
Teenagers & Dental Implants
/in Orthodontics For Adults, Orthodontics For ChildrenWhen is it the right time to use implants to replace missing teeth in a teenager?
A Consultation with Dr. Frank Celenza | Featured on Dear Doctor
Dear Doctor,
My daughter is 15 years old and is just finishing wearing braces. She is missing two of her upper front teeth which never developed. The orthodontist made space to have them replaced, but now we’re told she has to wait 2 to 3 more years before she can have implants. She desperately wants her teeth replaced. Why can’t implants be done now?
Dear Alicia,
This is an important question and the current wisdom is not to have implants placed until jaw and facial growth are complete. Although it varies from person to person, growth of the jaws in most cases is not complete until late teens. Of course, we are faced with the dilemma of waiting for the optimal time to place implants so that they will succeed on the one hand, and respecting the psychological needs of a teenager missing front teeth on the other.
Read more
Orthodontics For The Older Adult
/in Orthodontics For AdultsYou’re Never Too Old To Straighten Your Teeth
A Consultation with Dr. Janina I. Braun | Featured on Dear Doctor
Dear Doctor,
I would like to fix my crooked teeth, but I just turned 60. Is it too late for me to get braces?
Dear John,
Healthy teeth can be moved at any age, so there’s no such thing as “too old” for braces. In fact, nowadays about one out of every five orthodontic patients is an adult. Yet this figure represents only a small portion of adults who could actually benefit from orthodontic treatment.
Research has shown that the frequency of malocclusion (“mal” – bad; “occlusion” – bite) in adults is comparable to what we see in children and adolescents. Perhaps as many as three quarters of adults have some form of orthodontic problem — crowding of teeth or drifting of teeth after extractions, for example.
A great-looking smile is a surefire way to boost self-confidence and studies have demonstrated that orthodontic treatment can even enhance an adult’s career opportunities and social life. There is also a potential health benefit, as misaligned teeth can be harder to clean, setting the stage for tooth decay and gum disease. Straightening teeth can also make chewing more comfortable. So there are many reasons to consider orthodontic treatment at any age.
What will determine if you are a good candidate for orthodontic treatment, then, will not be your age; it will be your current state of periodontal health (“peri” – around; “odont” – tooth), your general health, and what type of problem you are trying to fix. Periodontal (gum) disease, which can lead to the loss of tooth-supporting bone, is more prevalent in adults than in adolescents. This is an important consideration because orthodontic treatment works by gently moving teeth within the bone that supports them. And orthodontic treatment in the presence of periodontal disease can aggravate the disease and make it worse. While bone loss does not preclude successful orthodontic treatment, it is essential that any existing periodontal disease be brought under control before treatment begins.
Orthodontists (dentists who have specialized in the diagnosis of and treatment of malocclusion, which includes the study of growth and development of the jaws and teeth) can use a variety of orthodontic treatment options. Braces, the traditional little metal or plastic brackets attached to the teeth, through which wires run, are just one example of the way in which pressure and tension are applied to move teeth slowly and gently in the desired direction. Pressure will cause a portion of the bone next to the root to resorb (be dissolved by the body), while on the opposite (tension) side new bone formation occurs. This new bone builds up in the space the root moved out of, solidifying its new position.
There are a few medical conditions that may contra-indicate orthodontic treatment. Examples include severe heart-valve disease, bleeding disorders, leukemia, and severe uncontrolled diabetes. If you have any of these conditions, check with your physician and orthodontist (or dentist if he/she is doing the treatment) to make sure all the implications are understood. Also, some drugs used primarily by adults for arthritis or osteoporosis can make tooth movement more difficult. Other medications have a tendency to dry out the mouth, as does smoking. Mouth dryness may make orthodontic treatment uncomfortable and will increase your risk of tooth decay.
Another consideration is whether the malocclusion is skeletal in nature, meaning that it is related to the way your jaws fit together. In a full-grown adult this might require orthognathic surgery (“ortho” – to straighten; “gnathic” – jaw). However, for most people with less serious orthodontic problems (crowding or improper spacing, for example), the lack of physical growth will have little or no bearing on the treatment or the results.
You will find that a lot has changed since you were a teenager in terms of the orthodontic appliances themselves. Clear or colorless braces can sometimes be used instead of the metal ones, and are a lot less noticeable than they used to be, and some can even be placed on the lingual (tongue) side of the teeth. Virtually invisible clear aligners are also appropriate in many cases.
These newer appliance options no doubt have contributed to the increase in adults seeking treatment, with most reporting that they are very happy with the results. So remember that when it comes to straightening teeth, there is no age cutoff. If a better smile is something you really want, schedule a consultation with your dentist or an orthodontist to discuss your treatment options. As the saying goes, you’re only as old as you feel.
– See more at: http://www.deardoctor.com/inside-the-magazine/issue-21/orthodontics-for-the-older-adult/#sthash.HFxS3avS.dpuf
Looking for an orthodontist in Beaverton, Oregon? Biermann Orthodontics is a cutting-edge orthodontic practice that serves Beaverton and Molalla, OR, and focuses on providing world-class customer service and efficient treatment. We strive to create stunning smiles in the shortest amount of time without ever sacrificing quality.
Visit our Locations page to find a clinic near you, or schedule an initial consultation.
Biermann Orthodontics
503-690-0722
17885 NW Evergreen Parkway, Suite 200
Beaverton, OR 97006
Five Questions To Ask Orthodontic Care Specialists
/in About OrthodonticsCall Biermann Orthodontics today to schedule a free consultation and find an orthodontic treatment option that works for you!
Article by Amy Freeman | Featured on Colgate
Seeing a general dentist a couple of times a year is fine for many people, but sometimes you may need the services of orthodontic care specialists. They are in demand when someone in your family has an overbite, an underbite or needs teeth realigned to fix crowding or spacing. Also known as Orthodontists, which are specialists who spend an additional two years studying to treat more serious dental problems like teeth and jaw alignment and dental and facial irregularities, according to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO).
When looking for a specific practice, get some information before deciding who to trust with your smile. Here are five questions to ask your potential orthodontist.
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Types of Gum Disease
/in Oral Health, Oral HygieneFeatured on Perio.org
Types of Gum Disease
Untreated gingivitis can advance to periodontitis and can eventually lead to tooth loss and other health problems.
Read more
What Are Dental Implants?
/in ImplantsArticle Featured on Perio.org
DENTAL IMPLANTS
A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that is placed into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Dental implants may be an option for people who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury, or some other reason.
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When Should I Get Braces?
/in All About Braces, Do I Need Braces?, Orthodontics For ChildrenArticle Featured on KidsHealth
Show your Oregon pride with our new Oregon Ducks Braces! Call Biermann Orthodontics today for a free consultation!
Some kids can’t wait to get their braces, seeing them as a sign that their teen years can’t be far behind. Others, though, worry about what they’ll feel or look like.
However your child feels, you probably have some questions and concerns of your own about braces. Here’s the lowdown on kids and braces.
Why Kids Need Braces
Kids can need braces for any number of reasons, including crooked, overlapping, or overcrowded teeth, or a “bad bite” (known as malocclusion). Malocclusion is when there’s a difference in the sizes of the top and bottom jaws. When the upper jaw is bigger than the lower jaw, it’s called an overbite. When the lower jaw is bigger, it’s called an underbite.
Sometimes tooth and jaw problems can be caused by tooth decay, losing baby teeth too soon, accidents, or habits like thumb sucking. But often they’re inherited, so if you or someone in your family needed braces, it’s likely that your kids will, too.
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