Early Orthodontics May Mean Less Treatment Later

Look at yearbook or prom pictures from the 1950s or '60s and you'll see many smiles framed with heavy metal braces, a sight that's increasingly rare on today's high school campuses. Why the change? Children today tend to get braces at a much earlier age. It's not uncommon for a patient as young as 7 or earlier to begin orthodontic treatment.

"The American Association of Orthodontics (AAO) recommends that all children receive an orthodontic screening by age 7," says Thomas Cangialosi, D.D.S., chairman of the Section of Growth and Development and director of the Division of Orthodontics at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. "Permanent teeth generally begin to com in at age 6 or 7, and it is at this point in a child's oral development that orthodontic problems become apparent.

"Because bones are still growing, it's an ideal time to evaluate a child and determine what orthodontic treatment, if any, may be needed either now or in the future," Dr. Cangialosi says.

Bring your child to Artiste Studios - L'Orthodontiste for interceptive orthodontics screening today. It is never too early or late.

Children’s Facial Harmony, Achieved through Functional Orthodontics or Orthopaedic Orthodontics

Functional orthopaedic orthodontics means treating the jaw posture, tooth relationship, muscle relationship and head and neck posture as a whole. When evaluating each patient the upper and lower dental arch development is examined carefully with the aid of our fully digitilised panoramic and cephalometric radiographic systems.

What Does My Smile Say About Me?

Did you know that a smile is what both men and women find more attractive in another person? A healthy, bright, straight smile will give you confidence and boost your professional and social life and also allow you to clean more effectively at home. This article will help you assess your smile and find out what it says about you? If you are not happy with your smile you can visit us at Artiste Studios – L’Orthodontiste where we will help you achieve the smile that you are after.

Lip Line: When you smile lightly your lips should allow your front teeth edges to show. If that is not the case it may appear as if you have no teeth giving you an older looking smile. Why has that happened? Our teeth wear with age but this can also be accelerated by grinding and clenching.

Length and Width of central teeth: A youthful smile is one where the two central incisors are longer than the laterals and the canines are at the same length as the centrals. However having central incisors that are a lot longer than the laterals creates a “bunny look”. An older looking smile is one where all the front teeth appear to have the same length.

Wide central incisors or narrow lateral incisors can make the face look fatter whereas overall narrow front teeth can create the illusion of a longer face.

Spacing Vs Crowding: Gaps, especially between front teeth can create a distraction making people look at your teeth more than your face. Closing the gap between your teeth can therefore have an effect in your appearance as the distraction will no longer be there allowing people to look at the whole of your face without focusing at the gap. Similarly, crowded teeth can also be the centre of attention. In addition crowded teeth are more difficult to clean making your dentition more susceptible to decay, gum disease, discolouration and even tooth loss. Read more...

No Drilling - No Pain Dental Care

Going to the dentist is often associated with painful tooth drilling. But with our new innovative decay treatment this is no longer the case. So far, regular dental visits have allowed for decay to be detected early but that doesn’t mean that the drilling was avoided. However now, early decay can be treated painlessly and drill free too.

What is tooth decay?

Tooth decay is the progressive destruction of the tooth enamel which if left untreated can lead to cavity formation. Regular dental visits ensure early diagnosis and treatment of decay while effective tooth brushing acts as a preventing measure against it.  But there are areas that are difficult to clean making them more susceptible to tooth decay and these are the interdental spaces of our teeth. It is therefore essential to use interdental aids when brushing and have a professional Diamond Clean every six months.

Demineralisation is the start of early decay

The first indication of decay is a whitish-brown area on the enamel surface of the tooth which is an area of demineralisation ultimately leading to cavity formation. This area is a pore system that allows bacterial acids to penetrate further into the tissues. Our new innovative treatment stops bacterial penetration by filling the pores with a special resin ensuring that early decay is arrested without having to drill the tooth and compromising healthy tooth tissue.