Orthodontic Treatment in Countryside, IL
Today, one in four people in the United States getting orthodontic treatment is an adult. Getting a straighter, more beautiful smile can affect the way your whole face looks while also giving you a powerful and comfortable bite. At Hope Dental, we offer orthodontic treatment options to help you achieve the results you want.
What Is Orthodontic Treatment?
Orthodontic treatment refers to a dental specialty that focuses on straightening your teeth and treating malocclusion (bad bites). The most common orthodontic issues people face include:
- Overbites
- Crossbites
- Underbites
- Rotated teeth
- Crooked teeth
- Crowded teeth
- Impacted teeth
How your teeth fit together can impact your oral health. For example, bad bites can potentially lead to excessive wear in some teeth, and cavities can result from overcrowding.
To resolve these issues, Hope Dental offers three main forms of orthodontic treatment: traditional braces, clear aligners, and retainers.
Traditional Braces
Traditional braces gradually shift your teeth into the right positions using metal brackets fixed to the surface of the teeth. To tighten the braces over time, we manipulate a wire that passes through each bracket and allows us to apply pressure on various areas of your bite.
Traditional braces are made of a combination of metals, called an alloy, and offer strength and flexibility.
Braces have many benefits, including being a good option for people of all ages. They can also handle more complex bite problems, including jaw alignment issues. Another benefit is that they last longer than other orthodontic devices. Because you can’t remove them, there’s less risk of losing them.
Getting Traditional Braces
If you have dental concerns that might require braces, schedule a Free consultation with us at Hope Dental.
At the consultation, Dr. Russell Ras will examine your mouth and bite, ask about your oral hygiene and medical history, and take X-rays to check for impactions and pathologies of the jawbone. With all of this information, he can put together a treatment plan and tell you about the costs you can expect for treatment.
If traditional braces are the right option, the next step is for us to make an impression of your teeth that we send off to the lab that will create your braces.
The next appointment is for fitting the braces. During this process, we will apply an etchant to the surface of your teeth to allow for easier boding and then use a special adhesive to hold the braces in place. This appointment can take about two hours.
Caring for Braces
To help your braces last as long as needed, you want to brush your teeth with a soft-bristled brush. You may want to invest in an interdental brush to clean underneath the wires and along the sides of the brackets.
Because food particles and bacteria can get trapped between your teeth, you may also want to purchase a water irrigator or dental flosser. These devices make it easier to reach food particles under the brackets.
While you have your braces on, avoid hard or sticky foods.
Clear Braces
Clear braces, also called ceramic braces, are orthodontic treatment options similar to metal braces but with clear or tooth-colored ceramic brackets instead of metal ones. As with traditional braces, we attach them to the surface of your teeth and make the necessary adjustments using wires and rubber bands in the same color.
Clear braces are more discreet than metal ones. Because they are ceramic and not metal, there are also fewer risks of getting sores on your cheeks or gums.
Clear ceramic braces are also durable. You can expect them to last until your treatment is complete.
Getting Clear Braces
The process of getting clear braces is similar to getting traditional metal ones.
After getting X-rays and checking that ceramic braces can help with the type of orthodontic issues you have, we will get an impression of your bite and send it to the lab.
If we see that your teeth are too close together, we may put a spacer in before adding the braces to create the space we need for the bands that will fit around your teeth.
After placing the brackets on each tooth at the next appointment, we can add the wire that will tighten the braces. Fitting ceramic braces usually takes about an hour.
Caring for Clear Braces
To care for your clear braces, you should brush your teeth at least twice a day, always using a soft-bristled brush. Make sure that you clean around the brackets. To ensure that no food particles get stuck, you should floss as well.
Some foods and drinks can stain ceramic braces. To prevent staining, you should avoid substances like coffee, tea, red wine, sodas, and tobacco. If you do drink or eat foods that may stain your braces, rinse your mouth immediately afterward.
Clear Aligners
At Hope Dental, we also offer E-Z Align. These clear aligners straighten teeth by using a series of custom-made devices that gradually move your teeth. This type of treatment involves four phases, each one requiring a different aligner that you wear for about three weeks.
You can remove clear aligners when you eat and when you brush and floss your teeth.
After three or four weeks of wearing one aligner, we schedule another appointment and give you the next one.
Clear aligners like E-Z Align are almost invisible, allowing you to get treatment discreetly. Because you can remove them to brush your teeth, they also allow for better oral hygiene throughout the duration of the treatment. Unlike traditional braces, they do not cause sores and do not affect your speech.
Getting Clear Aligners
At your Free consultation, we will examine your teeth and take X-rays to see the condition of your jawbone. If we think clear aligners like E-Z Align can offer the orthodontic solution you need, we’ll take an impression of your teeth to send to the lab.
Once we receive your aligners from the lab, we’ll explain exactly how often you need to see us.
Caring for Clear Aligners
Before handling the aligners, you want to wash your hands. If you remove the aligners to eat, place them in a clean container or let them soak in an approved solution. Before putting the aligners back into your mouth after eating, brush your teeth to remove food particles.
Because you need to wear your aligners at least 20 hours a day, you want to ensure that they stay clean. Brush them twice a day, but avoid using toothpaste because it can be too harsh for the aligners. Instead, you can use unscented antibacterial soap or a mixture of white vinegar and water.
We also recommend soaking the aligners once a week using denture tablets or a special solution made for clear aligners. Rinse them well before using them again.
Get Quality Orthodontic Treatment in Cook County
If you are unhappy with your smile, you can turn to experts for orthodontic treatment. With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Russell Ras provides a high level of expertise as well as some of the most advanced treatment options to help you achieve your dental and orthodontic goals.
To get started, contact us at Hope Dental in Cook County, IL, to schedule your Free consultation.
Orthodontic Treatment Questions & Answers
At our office, we begin evaluating children as early as eight years old. It is always best us to see children at an early age so that we can take steps to minimize treatment time later on. This can save you from a lifetime of side effects that can occur due to crooked teeth or a misaligned jaw. That being said, it is never too late to fix your smile, and we are here to offer a solution, no matter your age.
Braces do not hurt, but some soreness and tenderness may be felt as they slowly begin to shift your teeth. Most patients describe the feeling as more annoying than painful. We, of course, offer several solutions to help you cope along the way.
A healthy set of teeth and gums are required before braces can be placed. Two-phase treatment occurs when a patient is evaluated and needs intervention before starting regular orthodontic treatment, resulting in two separate treatment plans.
A two-phase orthodontic treatment is a specialized process that combines tooth straightening along with physical, facial changes. With a two-phase treatment plan, the goal is to maximize the opportunity to accomplish the ideal healthy, functional, and aesthetically pleasing results that will remain consistent throughout your entire life.
Delaying treatment can result in the serious side-effects mentioned above, such as TMJ and periodontal disease. It is best to move quickly on correcting your smile. Book your consultation now to discuss treatment and payment plans.
All fees will be discussed at your free consultation. Please contact your insurance provider to see if your plan covers orthodontics.