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About 22% of Americans are uncomfortable with their smiles. Orthodontics from Dr. Dennis Lee can help you feel more confident!
First, you’ll come to your McKinney Dentist for a comprehensive consultation with Dr. Lee. He will conduct an oral exam and take x-rays and images of your mouth to determine the extent of your orthodontic issues, and the treatments that may be right for you.
After your consultation, Dr. Lee will discuss your options for orthodontic treatment with you, such as Six Month Smiles or ceramic braces, as well as any other treatments you may need to correct the alignment of your smile.
Next, all you’ll do is confirm your treatment and schedule your first orthodontic appointment at our office. From there, you’ll follow the plan given to you by Dr. Lee to correct your smile.
Ceramic braces are similar to traditional metal braces, but are made of clear or tooth-colored materials, so they are much less prominent. If you are worried about how braces will make you look, ceramic braces are a great option. They provide the same corrective power as metal, while being much less obvious.
If your child loses a baby tooth early, a space maintainer may be required. This is a small piece of metal or plastic that is placed in the gap between their teeth.
This prosthetic maintains the proper spacing between these teeth, allowing their permanent tooth to erupt properly. A space maintainer can help your child avoid oral development issues, and eliminate or reduce the need for costly orthodontic correction in the future.
Sometimes, unerupted or “impacted” teeth fail to grow completely into your child’s mouth. The baby tooth will fall out, but the primary tooth either won’t erupt, or will not erupt completely.
This is the most common with the front canines. If this happens, surgery may be required to expose the tooth, and orthodontic treatment may be required to shift it into the proper position and keep your child’s bite healthy.
Six Month Smiles is a unique type of braces that uses tooth-colored brackets and wires, and is designed to correct cosmetic orthodontic problems with your front teeth.
Because it primarily focuses on shifting the front teeth, it’s much faster than other types of smile correction. As the name suggests, it’s usually possible to correct the position of your teeth within just 6 months of treatment.
You can get orthodontic treatment at any age!
Yes! No matter how old you are, it’s not too late to get orthodontic treatment, and get the straight, healthy, smile that you’ve always wanted. Whether you’re a young adult, middle-aged, or even a senior, it’s usually possible to get orthodontic treatment at Experience Dental.
However, you must have a healthy mouth and meet a few other requirements to get braces, Invisalign, or Six Month Smiles, and the right treatment for you will vary depending on the specifics of your orthodontic problems. To see if you are a candidate for treatment, just contact Experience Dental for a consultation with Dr. Dennis Lee.
Many advances have been made in orthodontic treatment over the years to make the process less uncomfortable. However, your teeth will still have to be moved by the force of braces or plastic aligners, and this can definitely cause some discomfort.
However, you will usually only experience discomfort for a few days after your braces are adjusted, or after you swap to a new set of Invisalign aligners. Your teeth will only be sore for a little while, and you can deal with this by eating soft foods and taking over-the-counter pain medicine like ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
This is very patient-specific, and also depends on the treatment you get. Six Month Smiles, as the name suggests, often takes less than six months to correct cosmetic flaws in your smile. Invisalign usually takes about a year, and braces can take anywhere from 12-24 months, depending on your case.
To get a better idea of how long orthodontic treatment will take, you will need to schedule an appointment with Dr. Dennis Lee. Based on your orthodontic needs and the treatments that are right for you, he’ll be able to give you a better idea about what to expect.
If you’re correcting your smile with Invisalign, you’ll need to wear your aligners for a minimum of 20 hours per day, and it’s usually recommended that you try to wear them for 22+ hours per day. Ideally, you should only remove them to eat and drink, and to brush and floss.
The more you wear your aligners, the more quickly your treatment will progress. If you do not wear your aligners for 20-22 hours per day, you could experience treatment delays and complications. Be consistent about wearing your aligners for the best results.
Yes. Certain foods can damage or dislodge your braces, and should be avoided while you’re undergoing treatment. You should avoid very hard foods like nuts, hard candy, ice, popcorn, bagels and hard rolls, and very crunchy crackers.
You also can’t chew gum, and you shouldn’t eat very gummy candies. It’s also best to avoid sticky candies like caramel and taffy, which can potentially dislodge your veneers, and are also very hard to clean away from your teeth and your braces.
Orthodontic treatment is often times painless.
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