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What do you imagine when you picture an orthodontic office? Do you see a steady stream of teenagers walking through the doors? Teen magazines in the reception room? Backpacks stowed under every chair? If so, we have an update for you.

In today’s office, you’ll find grade school kids, teens, and adults (and children’s books and games, and even the occasional golf magazine). Today’s orthodontic patients are more diverse than ever before!

Why? Because today, more than ever, more of us can benefit from orthodontic treatment.

Young Children

Even before a child’s adult teeth come in, a visit to Webster Orthodontics is a good idea. In fact, dentists and orthodontists recommend an orthodontic exam around the age of seven for every child.

Early intervention can make sure that there’s enough space for those incoming permanent teeth and can help correct jaw alignment problems for a healthy bite.

• Palatal expanders can gently enlarge a small upper dental arch to make room for adult teeth.
• Space maintainers will save room for an adult tooth to erupt in just the right spot if a baby tooth is lost too early.
• Treatment for malocclusions like overbites, open bites, and underbites while young bones are still growing helps create a more comfortable, healthy bite and may prevent more complicated treatment in the future.

Older Adults

If you’ve always wanted straighter teeth or a pain-free bite, don’t let an imaginary age limit prevent you from getting orthodontic treatment! As long as your teeth and gums are healthy, orthodontic treatment is a terrific way to keep them healthy.

• If you have painful bite issues which have never been treated,
• If you’ve always wanted straighter teeth,
• If your teeth have become more crowded over time,

there’s no time like the present to start working toward the smile you’ve always wanted.

Bonus: new technology in braces and aligners makes orthodontic treatment more subtle and discreet than ever before.

• Traditional braces—brackets are smaller than ever, and come in a choice of several materials and colors, including ceramic brackets and tooth-colored and clear brackets.
• Lingual braces—the least visible treatment, because brackets and wires are attached behind the teeth.
• Clear aligners—a removable and almost invisible way to straighten teeth.

Tweens & Teens

Teenagers still make up the majority of patients in orthodontic treatment. Orthodontists often recommend starting treatment between the ages of ten to 14, because:

• Most of the adult teeth have come in, so problems with crowding, spacing, or crooked tooth alignment can be diagnosed and corrected.
• The jawbone is still growing, and the bone is not as dense, so it can be easier to realign teeth and jaws for straighter teeth and a symmetrical bite.

Today’s treatment choices offer more options and are more effective than ever before. Depending on a teen’s orthodontic needs, Dr. Mark Webster might suggest:

• Traditional braces or aligners
• Elastics (rubber bands) used with braces to bring the upper and lower teeth into alignment.
• Functional appliances—together with braces or aligners, appliances like the Herbst® appliance, the Forsus™ device, the twin-block appliance, and headgear can work inside and/or outside the mouth to help correct problems with tooth and jaw alignment.

It’s no longer just the middle school and high school crowd you might meet in your orthodontist’s waiting room. Children, teenagers, and adults can all benefit from orthodontic treatment at our Cedar City or Kanab, UT office. If someone in your family is one of those people, give your orthodontist a call to see just what orthodontic treatment can offer. Welcome in!

As a patient at Webster Orthodontics, your opinion matters! Dr. Mark Webster and our team love hearing what our patients think about our practice and the services we provide, and now we want to know, what do you think we should blog about?

Perhaps there’s a treatment you’ve always wanted to know about, or you’d like to learn about a specific way to improve your health and smile. Whatever your idea, we’d love to hear about it! You can let us know by posting here or on our Facebook page!

The goal of orthodontic treatment at Webster Orthodontics, which may include the use of braces, retainers, and aligners, is to straighten your teeth. Treatment often starts in the pre-teen or teenage years, but adults may also need orthodontic treatment. The treatment can feel like a chore that lasts for several months or a couple of years, but it can fix important problems. These include:

• Crowded teeth spaced too close together
• Gaps between your teeth
• Crooked teeth
• Overbite or underbite
• Upper and lower teeth that do not meet

Straight Teeth are More Attractive

You are more likely to be proud of your smile when your teeth are straight and evenly spaced. Pride in your appearance can give you more confidence and encourage you to try new things. This can be particularly important for adolescents. In addition, people often judge others based on first impressions. A smile that shows straight teeth is more attractive.

Better Oral Health is Easier

Brushing and flossing your teeth are two basic components of an oral health routine to protect your teeth from conditions such as tooth decay, gingivitis, and plaque build-up. As Dr. Mark Webster and our staff know, caring for your mouth is easier when your teeth are straight. The American Dental Association says the following conditions are less likely to occur if you have the proper orthodontic treatment.

• Dental caries
• Gum disease or gingivitis
• Tooth loss
• Impaired speech
• Worn tooth enamel

Orthodontic Treatment Improves Nutrition

Poorly aligned teeth can reduce your ability to chew properly or make certain foods more difficult to eat. Many of these more challenging foods are healthy, and avoiding them can cause you to limit your diet to softer, often less-nutritious foods, such as ice cream and canned soup. Straighter teeth and a better ability to chew let you eat crunchy foods, such as apples and carrots; stringy foods, such as asparagus and chicken; and chewy foods, such as raisins.

The “Back to School” ads are out already? Halloween candy’s showing up in stores? Just a minute—summer isn’t quite over yet! While the days are still sunny and warm, let’s look at a few cool ways to keep your smile bright with some healthy dental options:

• Healthy Drinks

Hot summer days mean it’s time to hydrate. But sodas, fruit drinks, and sports drinks can have a lot of added sugars, which can mean added cavities. They can also be quite acidic, and acids break down tooth enamel. So, what to reach for on a hot day? Water!

Water is a good choice whenever you’re thirsty. Water is essential for healthy bodies and for healthy teeth and gums, too. Water helps wash away food particles which feed the cavity-causing bacteria in plaque. Acids in our foods and drinks break down tooth enamel, and water helps balance out those acids. If you have fluoridated water, fluoride makes enamel stronger and even helps reverse early decay.

• Healthy Gear

It’s great to get outdoors again for sports like biking, water skiing, baseball, or hoops. And it’s great to keep your teeth safe while you’re active. A mouthguard will help protect your teeth and mouth from contact when you’re playing contact sports. If you wear braces, Dr. Mark Webster can craft a mouthguard that will protect both your mouth and your braces!

If you’re just out of braces or aligners, don’t forget to wear your retainer. Retainers keep your teeth from moving out of position while your jawbones rebuild strong bone tissue around them. Make sure that healthy smile you worked so hard for stays looking its best.

Your appliances protect you, so return the favor and make sure your appliances stay healthy by cleaning them after use and storing them in their protective cases.

And remember to replace another piece of protective equipment regularly—your toothbrush. If you haven’t replaced your toothbrush for several months, it’s time to go shopping. Toothbrushes wear down over time, especially if you wear braces, and, after three months or so, can’t clean plaque as effectively. Which reminds us . . .

• Healthy Habits

Even as we take advantage of the end of summer with last minute camping, or travel, or action-filled weekends, one thing should stay on schedule—regular brushing and flossing.

You should be brushing twice a day, for two minutes each time. If it’s hard to time yourself, try playing a favorite two-minute song or using a timer or even a brushing app. And don’t forget to floss! Floss gets into spaces where bushes can’t to remove plaque. Floss once a day to keep your teeth their cleanest. Be proactive if your orthodontist suggests more frequent brushing and flossing while you’re wearing braces.

Finally, don’t neglect your orthodontic care. Keep up with appointments at our Cedar City or Kanab, UT office. If you wear aligners, wear them all the hours recommended. If you have bands, replace them daily and whenever they start to feel loose. If you have an appliance, use it as directed. The more you keep to your orthodontic schedule, the faster you’ll be enjoying your healthy, beautifully aligned smile.

Summer’s almost over, but these healthy tips work in fall, winter, and spring, too—for a smile that’s sunny and bright all year long!