Why are my braces still on? A short skit with 5 Questions!

Those of you who have been in braces at our office may have experienced my “Are your teeth straight” stand-up comedy  act!  It goes something like this:

Q. Are your teeth straight?          (I never ask this question unless they really are pretty much straight!)
              A.  Yes they are…(sometimes we have to give the patient a mirror to look at their own teeth)

Q. So if your teeth are straight?: “Why are your braces still on?”

              A. Because my “bite” is off (sometimes we have to explain to our patients that you can have straight upper and lower arches but still have some type of overbite, overjet, openbite, etc.)

Q. So what do you think fixes your “bite”?

              A. Rubber bands!

Q. What happens if you do not wear your rubber bands as we instructed?

             A. My bite will not get fix and MY BRACES WILL NOT COME OFF.

Q. So who is in charge of how much longer the braces are on?

             A. You… the patient, is in charge, not the doctor, not your parents!

Early Orthodontic Treatment

Q.  All the young children in the neighborhood already are wearing “braces” and “retainers”, why should my child wait until he is older?

A.  Although there are some orthodontic problems that should be corrected early (interceptive treatment) this in no guarantee that future treatment will not be necessary when all of the permanent teeth erupt at around age 12.  Sometimes early treatment just costs more and takes longer.  Recent studies have shown that for many patients, the final result of two phase treatment is no better than waiting and doing a straightforward one phase treatment.  This is not to say that parents should wait until all the baby teeth fall out before bringing in their child for a consultation.  Often there are some timely and simple things we may recommend, and it is always better to be a little early than to miss the appropriate time to treat.

Bottom line: We like to think that, at Century Orthodontics, we are right where we should be.  Doing things when and if they are needed…no more, no less!