At Clermont Orthodontics, we see and treat patients from seven to 77 years of age. As long as prospective patients have healthy teeth, gums, and adequate bone supporting the teeth, they are candidates to receive orthodontic treatment to improve their bite, function, or chewing, and to achieve a beautiful, confident smile.
Orthodontics for Children
At seven years of age, when children present with their upper and lower four incisors along with their upper and lower first molars, is generally a good age for their first orthodontic screening. At this initial appointment, your child’s growth and development is assessed and it will be determined whether any early treatment (Phase One treatment) is truly necessary.
Orthodontics for children at Clermont Orthodontics includes treating cross bite issues in which the top teeth are behind the bottom teeth. These situations can cause abnormal wear on the teeth, bone loss, and gum recession. If a cross bite or cross bites are present, they are easily fixed at this young age, generally within three to six months. Then, your child’s braces are removed and he or she is allowed to resume a normal diet and dental care.
If a young patient should present with severe crowding issues, it may be necessary to have some baby teeth removed to allow for the eruption of any of the front four incisors. In this case, Dr. Adams will work with the family’s dentist to have baby teeth removed. No braces are placed and the young patient is seen every six months to monitor their growth and development.
Also during this first orthodontic consultation, Dr. Adams will let parents know what future issues will have to be addressed with orthodontic treatment once all the permanent teeth come in. Dr. Adams is adamant about starting orthodontic treatment at the right time. Starting too early, when baby teeth are still present, will doom a patient to be in treatment for many years. That scenario is very demotivating to patients and will lead to patient burnout, the result of which is a very poor outcome and even possibly gum disease and scarring of the teeth due to poor oral hygiene. Starting treatment at the appropriate or right time is doing right by patients.
Orthodontics for Teens
Teenagers represent most orthodontic patients. Why? During the teenage years, teens have the permanent teeth they will have for the rest of their lives, and they are growing and developing. This is an opportune time to guide the teeth to their proper positions while they are still growing and developing. Teeth move much more readily during this phase in their lives. It is also important to address orthodontic issues like those under the Treatment Tab/Common Orthodontic Issues early to promote better oral hygiene and eliminate any long term wear and tear, bone loss, etc. due to a poor bite or crowding.
The challenge in treating teenagers is to keep them properly motivated. This is why Dr. Adams sees and treats every single patient every single day and sees patients on a monthly basis to keep a close eye on their progress and their compliance, including their brushing habits and rubber band wear. With compliance issues, Dr. Adams can address any issue early on with the patient and parents to make sure everyone is on board to achieve an excellent result. At Clermont Orthodontics, we firmly believe that fostering a very positive and family-friendly environment, providing genuine care second to none, and involving parents to observe care and be a part of their children’s care will motivate our teen patients to do their part so they may obtain their healthy bites and beautiful, confident smiles.
Orthodontics for Adults
Orthodontics for adults is the fastest-growing segment of the orthodontic population. There was a time when adults really didn’t care about maintaining their teeth and just saw getting dentures as a natural progression in aging. That is no longer the case today. More and more adults are seeking orthodontic care to correct bite issues and straighten teeth and to achieve that beautiful confident smile.
Many of these adult patients are former orthodontic patients as teens. For whatever reason, they did not wear their retainers as instructed and front teeth shifted as a result. For these adult patients, orthodontic treatment is very limited and usually only lasts from three to six months to realign any incisors that have moved.
Then there are those adults who could have benefited from orthodontic treatment as a teenager, but again, for whatever reason, treatment was never sought. These adult orthodontic patients are truly excited, and they are highly motivated to seek orthodontic treatment. They end up being the best patients. Their compliance with instructions and oral hygiene are always impeccable.
Another segment of the adult orthodontic population involves those patients who are being treated by a dentist and they need implants or bridges placed. For these patients, Dr. Adams will work with the dentist to guide the teeth to their best position(s) to accommodate the respective implant(s) or bridge.
As long as you have healthy teeth, gums, and bone, you are never too old to seek orthodontic treatment.