Early Treatment
Early treatment may prevent or intercept more serious problems from developing and help make treatment at a later age shorter and less complicated. In some cases, Dr. Meyer will be able to achieve results that may not be possible once the face and jaws have finished growing.
Early treatment may give your orthodontist the chance to:
Guide jaw growth
Lower the risk of trauma to protruded front teeth
Correct harmful oral habits including thumb and finger sucking
Improve appearance
Guide permanent teeth into a more favorable position
Create a more pleasing arrangement of teeth, lips and face
Dr. Meyer can spot subtle problems with jaw growth and emerging teeth while some baby teeth are still present. While your child’s teeth may appear to be straight, there could be a problem with facial growth, development, or tooth eruption that may not be obvious to the untrained eye. A check-up can allow Dr. Meyer to assess a child’s bite, growth, and development to determine the appropriate time for the child to begin treatment. The best time for an Orthodontic Check-up is around age 7 or when the permanent top front teeth are emerging.
Through an early orthodontic evaluation, you’ll be giving your child the best opportunity for a healthy, beautiful smile. If your child is older than 7, it’s certainly not too late for a check-up. Because patients differ in both physiological development and treatment needs, Dr. Meyer’s goal is to provide each patient with the most appropriate treatment at the most appropriate time.
Lingual Arch
What is a Lingual Arch?
A lingual arch is a fixed appliance that attaches to the lower permanent molars and rests passively along the inside (lingual) of the lower front teeth.
What does it do?
A lingual arch is used up to a year prior to braces to help fit all of the permanent teeth in the lower jaw. It is the lower teeth that most often determine whether extractions are needed during orthodontics. A lingual arch does not prevent braces later, but it often allows us to correct the crooked teeth (using braces) without having to extract permanent teeth.
A lingual arch also maintains space for prematurely lost baby teeth. This prevents the remaining teeth from drifting into undesirable positions that may block the eruption of permanent teeth.
How does it work?
The baby teeth in the back of the mouth are much bigger than the permanent teeth that take their place (Fig. 1). Normally, when the baby teeth are lost, the permanent molars drift forward into the extra space, and the front teeth stay crooked. By placing a lingual arch, the permanent molars cannot drift forward and, instead, the crooked front teeth drift backward into the extra space to “self correct.” (See Fig 2)
Palate Expander
What is a Palate Expander?
It is an orthodontic appliance that is cemented to the upper molars and expands the palate, or the roof of the mouth. The Palate Expander consists of orthodontic bands which rigidly connect to a midline jack-screw. When the screw is turned with a special key, the appliance expands 1/4 of a millimeter per turn. We teach patients how to turn the key so that at home, they can turn it one time each day until the desired expansion is achieved.
Why is it used?
The palate expander is, without a doubt, the most versatile and reproducible appliance used in clinical orthodontics today. It is primarily used to correct a crossbite of the back teeth, but it is also used to make room for crowded teeth, broaden the smile, and improve the profile by allowing the jaws to fit together in conjunction with other treatment. Lastly, palate expansion can also aid in the eruption of impacted canines and other permanent teeth.
How does it work?
In growing children, the two palatal shelves on the roof of the mouth meet in the middle but are not connected. As the palate expander is turned by the key, the two shelves move apart creating a void between them. Since the two front teeth are on different sides of the palate, the two front teeth usually spread apart as well. Turning the key usually takes 2-4 weeks, but the expander needs to stay inside the mouth for an additional 4-6 months to allow the bone to grow and fill the void that was created. The gap between the two front teeth tends to self-correct during this time.
Does it hurt?
No! But the appliance feels somewhat bulky at first and requires a brief period of adjustment. Turning the key never results in pain; instead, most patients describe a mild pressure in the roof of their mouth (or nose!) and will often feel some pressure on the teeth to which the expander is cemented. Initially, talking and eating feel different but are back to normal within a few days.
