235 North Northwest Highway
Palatine, IL 60067
M M & M Dental Assoc
649 N 1st Bank Dr
Palatine, IL, 60067-8111
Dr. Richard Maddalozzo D.D.S.
649 First Bank Dr
Palatine, IL, 60067
Dr. Michael Higgins, D.D.S. DMD PC
600 N North Ct
Palatine , IL, 60067
(847) 934-7400
Northwest Periodontics & Dental Implants
553 N North Ct
Palatine, IL, 60067
Your orthodontist knows you probably have plenty of questions about getting braces. Here are a few that prospective patients often ask.
In order to determine your specific needs, the orthodontist will completely evaluate your mouth. This will likely include:
Your orthodontist will then carefully evaluate your specific needs and provide you with a treatment plan for correction. Following the recommended plan is important for proper correction.
Teeth normally fit tightly against one another. Your orthodontist will insert before placement of your braces to provide some space between teeth for attaching the bands. There are two types of spacers, small springs or plastic modules. In just a few days they gently move desired teeth slightly apart.
Spacers often cause some soreness, but this goes away in a few days. Rinse your mouth with warm salt water to relieve the irritation. Your normal chewing also helps to get your mouth feeling better.
Call your orthodontist immediately for a replacement. That little spacer is making just enough room for a comfortable fit for your braces and plays an important role.
You can eat just about anything, but there are some exceptions. Getting used to braces also usually means making a few adjustments in your eating habits. This is because some food might damage your orthodontic braces or cause problems for your teeth. Here's a list of items your orthodontist will suggest you avoid (or some ways they can still be enjoyed with caution):
By Brian J. Gray, DDS, MAGD, FICO
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
When asked what their orthodontist does, most people will answer "straightens crooked teeth." Yet there's a good deal more to it than that.
To practice in the field of orthodontics, a dentist must be trained not only in dentistry, medicine, and pharmacy, but in physics and engineering. They must have the touch of a master craftsman, and the eye of an artist. To fully serve their patients, orthodontists must be part scientist, part psychologist, part detective, and part businessman. Becoming an orthodontist requires four years of formal postgraduate training leading to a dental degree, and two more years of graduate studies in orthodontics. But their education doesn't end with a diploma. In many ways, that's where it begins.
Though it may not be obvious from the casual office visit, the practice of orthodontics has changed dramatically in just the last few years. With ongoing research have come continuing advances in ceramic, clear and invisible braces. There are more sophisticated tools to diagnose orthodontic problems, plus innovative materials and techniques to treat them. There are new drugs to control pain, and cosmetic dentistry procedures no one had heard of 10 years ago. Plus, the number of adults getting braces has risen dramatically. This means that now orthodontists must practice adult orthodontics which presents different challenges.
The field continues to change so rapidly that it's estimated orthodontists must acquire an entirely new set of knowledge every two to four years. In fact, in many states, meeting minimum standards for continuing education is mandatory for orthodontists to retain their licenses. In addition to the formal courses is all the time spent reading professional journals and reviewing new products. Fortunately, orthodontists have no lack of opportunity to learn. By the American Dental Association's count, some 3,000 to 5,000 organizations offer continuing education courses to those in the dental profession.
From the hundreds of thousands of hours of specialized training offered annually, each orthodontic professional can choose the courses he or she feels are most needed to expand and update his or her skills.
The practice of orthodontics is a profession, a science, an art, and a lifelong commitment to provide the best and most advanced possible care for your teeth.
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
