The Ever-Evolving Field of Orthodontics

When you think about orthodontics, what is the first thing you think of?  Braces, right?  In fact, for many people, braces are the only thing they associate with orthodontics.

But the truth is that orthodontics encompasses many aspects of oral health treatment and maintenance, and braces are just one part.  And as each year goes by, we add more and more treatments to the field while also reworking older forms of treatment to make them better for our patients.

Because of this, orthodontics is always evolving.  The easiest way to see this is to look at what we are best known for: braces.

Once upon a time, the only braces available to patients were clunky metal braces that fit oddly and irritated the mouth.  Now, we offer many different types of braces and braces alternatives.  Traditional metal braces have been streamlined and are now made of better materials.  For those wanting a different look, we offer gold braces and WildSmiles brackets.  To help patients who dislike the look of braces, we have ceramic braces, lingual braces, and Invisalign.

There are so many options out there, and there will be many more in the years to come.  If you have opted out of treatment in the past, we urge you to reconsider.  We are confident that we have a form of treatment that will work well for you.

To learn more about Orthodontics in Tehachapi, visit our website.

Can Braces Be Fashionable?

Teens have always cared about how they look, and about fitting in with their peers.  However, we have seen an increase in concerns amongst our teen patients in recent years, mostly due to the popularity of social media and YouTube fashion and makeup vloggers.  Because of this, teens are more hesitant than ever to correct their smiles.

However, it is vital that when orthodontic care is recommended, you get the treatment you need.  We firmly believe that braces can be fashionable when you take the right approach.  Below are some of our recommendations.

Show Your Personality 

For many teens, worse than having something ugly is having something boring.  In fact, a lot of current fashion is about embracing the ugly and the awkward.  Because of this, one way to make braces fashionable is to customize them in fun and funky ways.  This can be done by using WildSmiles and other unusual brackets and by using colored elastics.  With the brackets, you will need to stick to the design you choose throughout treatment, but elastics can be changed at every visit if you want.

Use Lingual Braces 

These braces are more expensive and more complicated than traditional braces.  However, they are placed on the tongue side of the teeth, rendering them invisible.  Because of this, many teens are interested in using them.  We do recommend they only be used by responsible teens since they can be harder to brush around and floss around.

Try Invisalign 

Invisalign is a braces alternative that uses clear aligners instead of metal wires and brackets.  Because of this, many teens want Invisalign in Agoura Hills and Valencia.  Because Invisalign is removable, we only choose it with teens who can be responsible for their treatment and ensure they wear their aligners 22 hours a day or more.  For those who can keep up with their treatment, we offer Invisalign Teen.

There are also other forms of treatment that may work well for teens concerned about how they will look while straightening their teeth.  To learn more, visit our website.