At Elko Dental Specialists, we’re experts at giving people the smile they deserve, which provides them with confidence that will last a lifetime. Of course, we can enhance your smile at any age, but there is an optimal time to begin your orthodontic journey to achieve the most efficient results possible. Our office provides complimentary initial examinations to determine the best course of treatment. We know that every case is unique, and requires an individual approach, so that you’re calm and comfortable throughout the entire experience.

The American Association of Orthodontics recommends that parents schedule their child’s first examination no later than age 7, to screen for early orthodontic growth or development issues. At or around this age, most children have developed their first permanent incisors and back molars, which will allow Dr. Gardner to examine the front-to-back and side-to-side tooth relationships. Then, x-rays and diagnostic photographs of your child’s mouth will be taken, in order to create a personalized plan for treatment.

For some treatment, early intervention isn’t necessary. Other children may require orthodontic appliances, to prepare their jaw, teeth, and mouth for upcoming treatment. There are physical and behavioral indicators that your child may require early intervention including:

Early or late loss of teeth
Difficulty chewing or eating
An unbalanced facial appearance, such as a misaligned jaw
Crowded, misplaced, or hidden teeth
Persistent breathing through the mouth
Thumb or finger sucking late in childhood
Getting an orthodontic screening can drastically improve the quality of your child’s life if they do require early intervention. If not, it still provides you with the peace of mind and knowledge you need moving forward.

If your child has crooked teeth, a misaligned jaw, or another type of malocclusion, they are much more susceptible to unpleasant dental issues. An orthodontic consultation and subsequent treatment can reduce the risk of premature tooth loss, tooth decay, and gum disease. There are other benefits to starting treatment, such as:

Creating room for overcrowded teeth
Preserving room for unerupted teeth
Reducing the risk of trauma or chipping to protruding front teeth
Limiting treatment time with braces
Guiding jaw growth to create facial symmetry

Metal Braces – When people think of orthodontic treatment, they typically picture someone with a big smile, full of metal. Metal braces are the most common type of orthodontic treatment people choose to undergo, as it is both effective and economically friendly. One metal bracket is attached to each tooth and all are linked together with an arch wire. This arch wire is what helps move the teeth into their ideal position to help our patients achieve a straight smile.

Damon® Brackets – Damon® Braces is a self-ligating braces system. Unlike traditional braces, the Damon® System does not require elastics or metal ties to hold the arch wire in place, which eliminates the need for “tightening” and requires less adjustments. This system is designed to be comfortable, discreet and easy to clean. This self-ligating system allows teeth to move to their ideal positions faster, which may allow for a shorter treatment time when compared to other orthodontic treatments.

Ceramic Braces – Ceramic braces are made of a translucent, ceramic material that camouflages to the natural color of your teeth. They are designed to function like traditional metal braces, but since the brackets are able to blend in with the color of the teeth, this treatment is mostly invisible to the naked eye. Ceramic braces are very popular with adults since it is cosmetically appealing, however, can be used by teens as well.

Invisalign® – The Invisalign® is a clear alternative to traditional braces that is available for adults and some teenagers. It consists of a series of custom-made clear aligners that help move teeth into their ideal positions. The aligners are to be worn like a mouth guard and should only be taken off to eat, brush, and floss. Each aligner is worn for two weeks before moving onto the next aligner in the treatment plan. Treatment time for Invisalign is, on average, shorter than that of metal braces.

Countless ways! While the most obvious benefit is a straighter, more beautiful smile, orthodontic treatment can also improve bite function, make oral hygiene easier, reduce tooth wear, and even improve your confidence and self-esteem.

While only a trained dentist or orthodontist can determine if you need braces, there are a few warning signs to watch out for:

• Protruding upper or lower front teeth
• Upper teeth sit inside the lower teeth
• Crowded, misaligned, or overlapping teeth
• Problems chewing
• TMJ (jaw joint) pain
• Difficulty chewing
• Difficulty covering the teeth with the lips

This varies from patient to patient, but in keeping with the American Association of Orthodontists, we recommend patients have their initial screening by age 7. At this age, the back bite is established, so we can easily spot any current or developing problems and treat them before they become severe. It’s important to note that we may or may not begin treatment at this age – but screening early lets us monitor any problems and decide on the best time to start.

Trust us: orthodontic problems get worse with age, not better. Starting orthodontic treatment early is critical to ensuring a healthy, beautiful smile that’ll last the rest of your life.

Two-phase treatment refers to the practice of treating orthodontic problems in two distinct treatment phases. The first phase, Phase I, occurs before all permanent teeth have erupted and generally corrects problems like cross-bite, overbite, underbite, or severe crowding. We can even use a device called a palatal expander to widen the jaw during this phase and make more room for teeth. Phase II occurs during adolescence and is used to fine-tune the teeth into a beautiful smile.

Of course! We can move healthy teeth at any age, and more and more adults are discovering the magic of orthodontic treatment. In fact, almost a quarter of our patients are adults!

This varies greatly from patient to patient, but on average, treatment lasts somewhere between 12-24 months.

Yes! We just ask that you wear a mouth guard when playing. If you want one, let us know and we can custom-make one to fit around your orthodontics.

Absolutely. Oral hygiene is critical to successful treatment, so you’ll need to continue your regular dental checkups and cleanings during orthodontic treatment.

Unless you’re using Invisalign®, you’ll need to avoid any foods that are hard, sticky, or high in sugar, as these foods can break brackets and wires or lead to serious tooth decay, extending your treatment time and necessitating costly repairs.

We know you’ll be excited, but you’re not quite out of the woods yet. After you get your braces off, you’ll enter the retention phase. We will place permanent bonded retainers behind your front teeth to maintain all the changes we have made. You will also receive a clear overlay retainer to sleep with at night. No one will see anything other than your Great Smile!

The doctors and team at Elko Dental Specialists understand that while rare, orthodontic emergencies do happen at home. In the event that you experience any of the following issues, please read how to manage them below and contact us if you have any further questions. We recommend calling our office as soon as possible to get an appointment scheduled (rather than driving directly to our office without an appointment).

This is a very common occurrence among orthodontic patients. If you recently had braces put on for the first time, you may experience soreness of your teeth, jaw and gums. This is completely normal and can be offset by using non-aspirin pain relievers or a warm wash cloth/heating pad applied to the sore area. Similarly if you are experiencing sore teeth after an orthodontic visit, you may try taking acetaminophen, heating pads, or salt-water rinses to reduce swelling and inflammation.

Sometimes our patients experience discomfort caused by a wire that irritates their gums, tongue, or sometimes cuts into the inside of their cheeks. If this happens, we recommend trying to move the wire away using an eraser or cotton swab. If you aren’t finding success with this, try covering the end with a piece of wax that will keep you comfortable until we can schedule an appointment to see you at our Elko dental office.

In the event that a bracket becomes loose but is not irritating you, please call us to determine if you need to be seen right away. However if the band that wraps around your tooth becomes loose, it is important to be seen immediately. If this occurs, we will need to remove the band right away to avoid food becoming wedged between your tooth and the loose band. If time allows, we will attempt to repair the loose band on the same visit. If not, we will need to reschedule you to another time to have the band re-cemented.

It is very common for patients to lose separators during the course of treatment. If your happen to lose a separator, please give us a call to see if it needs to be replaced. We should be able to determine this over the phone.