When your child begins to lose their baby teeth around the age of 6, you should schedule their first orthodontic appointment no later than their 7th birthday. We’ll check for signs of problems with your child’s jaw or tooth development that can be more easily addressed at this age. Phase 1 Pediatric Orthodontics might be used to correct minor issues, which in the long term will mean spending less time and money on traditional orthodontics.
Orthodontic Services – Palm Harbor, FL
A Holistic Path to Straighter Teeth
Dr. Alex Johnson takes a holistic approach to orthodontics. That means that the services offered at our orthodontic office focus on more than just straightening your teeth and correcting your bite; there’s also an emphasis on improving your overall wellbeing by addressing the ultimate cause of your orthodontic problems. Schedule an appointment with us today to discuss our available orthodontic services in Palm Harbor, FL in more detail and learn how our unique approach to orthodontic care can benefit so much more than just your smile.
Phase 1 Pediatric
Orthodontics
Adult
Orthodontics
One in four orthodontic patients is an adult. In other words, even if you didn’t wear braces as a child, you don’t have to be stuck with an imperfectly aligned smile for the rest of your life. Orthodontic treatments typically take longer for adults since the jaw has already finished growing, but you can still expect the same excellent results.
Integrative
Orthodontics
Integrative Orthodontics is a holistic approach to orthodontic treatment, in which the goal isn’t to simply straighten a patient’s teeth, but improve their overall health. This may involve using braces and dentofacial orthopedics to open a person’s airway, allowing them to breathe better while sleeping. Or, Dr. Johnson can correct the underlying causes of a misaligned bite, which can often put a stop to persistent orofacial pain.
Airway
Orthodontics
Listen in on your child’s breathing while they sleep. Are there frequent pauses, or do they typically snore? Your child might have obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder that can cause them to feel tired during the day and affect their behavior at school. Special orthodontic appliances can be used to correct issues that can contribute to sleep apnea, such as a misaligned jaw or narrow upper airway.
Invisalign
Clear Aligners
Metal appliances may jump immediately to mind when you hear the word “orthodontics,” but in recent years, Invisalign has served as an alternative for adults and teens who need mild to moderate teeth or bite corrections. The plastic used to make Invisalign is virtually invisible, making it easy to talk confidently in public and smile in front of others even while you are wearing it.
Nyce Smile
Aligners
Similar to Invisalign, Nyce Smile Aligners utilizes a nearly invisible series of trays to discreetly and gently straighten the teeth. They practically disappear when worn, and a patient can easily take them out whenever they want to eat. The technology used to create Nyce Smile Aligners allows Dr. Johnson to plan a treatment down to the smallest detail and make fewer refinements throughout the process, helping a patient achieve their final results months faster compared to Invisalign.
Traditional
Braces
Even if you never wore braces yourself as a child, you probably had friends who did. Orthodontics may have changed quite a bit in the last few decades, but metal brackets and wires remain as effective as ever. In fact, they’re even smaller, lighter, and more comfortable than before, making the overall treatment process much more enjoyable for you or your loved one. When your teeth or your bite are severely misaligned, traditional braces are likely to be our first choice.
Clear Ceramic
Braces
If you need braces, you might be worried that the brackets and wires will draw too much attention and distract from your natural smile. Today, there are options for helping your braces blend in much better with the rest of your mouth. Ceramic braces work the same as traditional braces, but the brackets are made of a translucent ceramic material. Such braces are so subtle that many people will overlook them unless they’re examining your smile closely.
Orthodontic
Appliances
Even after braces come off, orthodontic treatment is not necessarily complete. You or your child will have to wear a retainer in order to make sure the changes in the mouth stick. We offer a number of different orthodontic appliances to accomplish this, and we will be sure to thoroughly explain how they work and why they’re necessary. Your appliance will be uniquely designed for your specific mouth so that it fits as comfortably as possible.
Dentofacial
Orthopedics
Orthodontics is concerned with tooth movement while dentofacial orthopedics instead focuses on facial growth. Is your child’s jaw developing correctly? Is it properly aligned? We can check for issues; if we discover a problem, we can use special orthopedic treatments to guide the growth of the jaw from that point forward so that your child eventually develops a healthy, well-adjusted bite. We can check for orthopedic issues during your child’s first orthodontic consultation.
Sleep Apnea
Treatment
Sleep apnea is a condition that affects countless adults and children here in the United States, and often, the root cause is a restricted upper airway due to how the jaws have developed. Dr. Johnson can correct these types of problems with oral appliance therapy in order to help a patient stop snoring, sleep deeply, and enjoy better health for decades to come.
Orthodontic Emergencies
Fortunately, orthodontic emergencies are somewhat uncommon. Nonetheless, should you encounter one of these scary situations, we want you to feel prepared! First and foremost, give us a call. We’ll be able to walk you through how to handle your orthodontic emergency over the phone. If needed, we’ll schedule you for an emergency appointment, oftentimes on the same day if needed, so we can get your smile back on track.
