Bet she's got a perfect bite!

Check out this link...amazing acrobatic feat .... spinning on her teeth!

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!

Why do I need a good “bite”?

Why do I need a good “bite”?

Orthodontic treatment has two major components: getting the teeth straight so they look good, and getting the “bite” correct so that they function as they should.  Now, in general, it is much easier to just straighten the teeth than it is to fix a bite, and often we have the teeth “straight” very early in orthodontic treatment, yet spend months more doing things to fix the bite.

So the question we often get is: “Doc, how important is it to fix the bite”

Our answer runs something like this:

Say you go to your regular doctor for a checkup.  The doctor checks your blood pressure, studies your blood profile, exams you and finally says: “Well everything checks out fine EXCEPT the fact that you are slightly overweight.  Now it is your turn to ask: “doc, what does that mean to my health to be overweight?  Does it mean I will get diabetes, have an early heart attack? Should I be worried?

Now, if your doctor is honest, she should answer you like this: “NO, it doesn’t necessarily mean anything bad will happen, but, all things being equal; it would be BETTER if you weren’t overweight”

And this is the same answer we give for the question: “do I need my bite fixed?”

Of course everything is relative, so you should watch your diet and lose the weight, but should you get your stomach stapled if you are 20 pounds overweight?….we don’t think so!  By the same reasoning, if we can fix your bite with a reasonable degree of effort, we think it is worth it.  If it would take 3 years or jaw surgery…maybe the “cure is worse than the disease” and we should settle for straight teeth and a less than ideal bite.  In these situations, we are happy to spend whatever time is necessary to help you make the right decision!