Two-Phase Orthodontics

At True Smile Orthodontics, we believe in providing comprehensive orthodontic care tailored to the unique needs of each patient. For some children and adolescents, this may involve a two-phase orthodontic treatment approach. This process is designed to take advantage of your child’s growth to create an ideal alignment and bite.

Phase 1

The first phase of treatment often begins when your child still has a mix of primary and permanent teeth. The main goal during Phase 1 is to help the jaw develop in a way that can accommodate all of the permanent teeth and improve the way the upper and lower jaws fit together.

Treatments during this phase may include appliances like expanders, partial braces, or retainers. By intervening early, we can prevent more serious problems from developing and may reduce the need for tooth extraction in the future.

Resting Period

Between the two phases, there’s a resting period where no active orthodontic treatments are applied. During this time, the remaining permanent teeth are left alone to erupt naturally. A retainer may be used to maintain the improvements achieved in Phase 1.

Phase 2

Phase 2 typically involves full braces or aligners and usually begins when most or all of the permanent teeth have erupted. This phase ensures each tooth is located in the right place to harmonize with the lips, cheeks, tongue, and other teeth. The goal of Phase 2 is not just to perfect your child’s smile but also to ensure their teeth function properly.

Two-phase orthodontics at True Smile Orthodontics is about more than straight teeth; it’s about setting your child up for a lifetime of healthy, beautiful smiles. Contact us today to learn more about our two-phase treatment approach and how we can help your child achieve a healthy, confident smile.

Airway Orthodontics

At True Smile Orthodontics, we understand that orthodontic care extends beyond just straightening teeth. We are proud to offer airway orthodontics, a holistic approach that considers the impact of oral structures on the airway and overall health.

Airway Orthodontics is an innovative field that merges orthodontic principles with sleep medicine. It focuses on the development and alignment of the jaws and teeth to ensure a clear, open airway. This can improve breathing, both during the day and at night, leading to better sleep, better health, and improved quality of life.

Issues like mouth breathing, snoring, or sleep apnea in children and adults can sometimes be linked to narrow dental arches, jaw misalignment, or other orthodontic concerns. Airway Orthodontics aims to treat these conditions by correcting the underlying orthodontic issues.

Our treatment protocols may include orthodontic appliances to expand the arches, braces or aligners to correct misalignment, and myofunctional therapy to retrain the muscles of the mouth and face. The goal is not just to create a beautiful smile but also to enhance your overall well-being by improving your ability to breathe.

At True Smile Orthodontics, we believe in treating our patients as whole individuals. Our team is trained in airway orthodontics and is committed to helping you achieve not only a beautiful smile but also better health through optimal breathing.

If you or your child struggle with symptoms like chronic fatigue, difficulty concentrating, or frequent nighttime waking, it may be time to consider how airway orthodontics could help. Contact us today to learn more about this comprehensive approach to orthodontic care.

Diode Laser Gum Contouring

Orthodontic care is continually evolving, and at True Smile Orthodontics, we’re committed to staying at the forefront of technology for the benefit of our patients. One of the advanced tools we utilize is the diode laser, a device that allows us to perform a variety of soft tissue procedures with precision and ease.

Diode laser treatment can be used in conjunction with orthodontic treatments to help achieve optimal results. Sometimes, excess gum tissue can cover part of the tooth’s surface, making it difficult to place braces or aligners effectively. In such cases, a diode laser can be used to gently and safely remove this excess tissue, exposing more of the tooth so that orthodontic appliances can be appropriately placed.

The benefits of using diode laser treatment in orthodontics are many. The procedure is typically quick, often requiring just a few minutes. It’s also minimally invasive, with most patients reporting little to no discomfort during or after the procedure. Additionally, the laser cauterizes as it works, reducing bleeding and swelling, and speeding up the healing process.

At True Smile Orthodontics, patient comfort and satisfaction are our top priorities. We strive to use the latest technology, like the diode laser, to ensure your treatments are effective and comfortable. Our team is highly trained in the use of this technology and will work with you to determine if diode laser treatment could enhance your orthodontic care.

If you have any questions about diode laser treatment or would like to schedule a consultation, please don’t hesitate to contact us. At True Smile Orthodontics, we’re here to help you achieve a beautiful, healthy smile with the most advanced and comfortable treatments available.

Surgical Orthodontics

Corrective jaw surgery, also known as orthognathic surgery, is not your routine orthodontic treatment but can result in some of the most profound changes to your life.

Improperly aligned jaws and teeth can result in problems with speech, eating, appearance, and the overall function of your bite and jaws. At True Smile Orthodontics, Dr. Sutton is here to help patients achieve a beautiful, pain-free, and functional smile through the process of corrective jaw surgery.

Who needs corrective jaw surgery?

For some patients, the upper and lower jaws may not have grown at the same rate, while others might have experienced facial injuries or birth defects that resulted in asymmetrical jaw alignment. In most cases, orthodontics alone can correct the position of the teeth and improper bites, but some cases need additional correction to achieve facial harmony.

If you suffer from any of the following symptoms, corrective jaw surgery may be something to consider:

  • Difficulty biting, chewing, or swallowing your food
  • Imbalanced facial symmetry from the front or side, and excessive wear on your teeth due to jaw asymmetry
  • Open bite (when your front teeth don’t touch, even when your mouth is closed)
  • Protruding chin with anterior crossbite
  • Retruding chin with large overjet or overbite
  • Birth defects or facial injuries
  • Sleep apnea (symptoms include sleeping problems and even chronic snoring)
  • Inability to close your lips even when straining

Deciding whether corrective jaw surgery is right for you is a big commitment, not only to your long-term happiness and well-being but also to your overall health. The treatment, which includes jaw surgery and orthodontics, may take time to complete, but the results are life-changing and will last a lifetime.

While some conditions cannot be fully corrected with orthodontics alone, everyone deserves to feel confident and your smile is a key component. So, if corrective jaw surgery isn’t an option for you, there are still ways to improve your smile. These techniques include camouflage treatments or the use of less-invasive surgical procedures such as TADs (temporary anchorage devices, mini plates, and mini-screws).

The most important thing is to make sure you are fully informed about all the possible treatment options. When you have all the proper information, you can feel confident that you are making the right decision for yourself. At True Smile Orthodontics, Dr. Sutton can help guide you to the right treatment plan to fit your lifestyle.

Impacted Teeth

Feel like you are short a few teeth? Well, it could be they are missing or they might just be stuck under the gums. This is what is called an “impacted” or blocked tooth. In most cases, these teeth will not erupt into their normal position without some help, and that is where orthodontics comes in to help.

Common teeth that are impacted are wisdom teeth, but it can happen to any teeth, such as canines, premolars, or even incisors (AKA the teeth in the front). Most of the time, you will never know you have an impacted tooth until an X-ray is taken to assess the position of all your teeth.

At True Smile Orthodontics, Dr. Sutton has all the tools to assess and treat impacted teeth. Equipped with CBCT 3D X-rays, we are able not only to diagnose impacted teeth but using 3D imaging technology we can also pinpoint the exact location, shape, and health of the impacted tooth. This allows us to better treat the impaction and safely bring it into its proper position.

Once we determine that a tooth is truly impacted, we use a combination of braces and a surgical exposure of the tooth to safely bring it into position.

Does my child have an impacted tooth?

The best way to diagnose and treat impacted teeth is to find them early when the problem is just starting to develop. That is why the American Association of Orthodontics recommends children start being seen by an orthodontist as early as age 7.

This way, if a tooth is impacted or may become impacted, we are able to build a treatment plan to address the problem before it gets worse and save the tooth from becoming impacted using less invasive procedures.

Custom Mouthguards

We only have one set of teeth and if you or anyone you know has ever been involved in an accident that involved broken teeth, you can appreciate how painful and expensive it can be to restore your smile. If your children play sports, you may want to think about a custom mouthguard. If someone in your family plays football, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, wrestling, boxing, martial arts, or one of the many other contact sports our children are involved in, he or she is going to need a mouthguard. It may even be required.

Though you can buy “off the shelf” or one-size-fits-all mouthguards online or at a sporting goods store and it will possibly cost less, at True Smile Orthodontics, Dr. Sutton is able to create a custom-fit mouthguard that’s designed specifically to fit the athlete’s teeth. Not only is it more comfortable to wear, which may result in the player actually wearing it for its intended use, but it is also much safer and more protective against potential tooth fractures or possible concussions.

So if you or your child are trying out for the local soccer team, come see us for any custom mouthguard needs. Your teeth will thank you!

Retainers

Finally, the big day has arrived on the journey to your True Smile and you have completed your braces or Invisalign® clear aligner treatment. No more appointments, no more carrying a toothbrush around in your back pocket, and no more sneaking off to eat your favorite foods.

Finishing your orthodontic treatment is truly a reason to celebrate. But getting your braces off or finishing your last Invisalign clear aligner isn’t the end of your orthodontic treatment; there is one final piece and it is very important: orthodontic retainers.

Are Retainers Necessary?

Without properly retaining your teeth and bite in their newly minted positions, your orthodontic treatment could be all for nothing. Orthodontic reviews have noted that up to 25% of previous orthodontic patients require re-treatment due to improper retainer wear or simply just not wearing their retainers at all.

At True Smile Orthodontics, Dr. Peter Sutton gives his patients several different options when it comes to retainers: fixed and removable. Although all patients will receive a clear plastic retainer called an Essix that snaps over all their teeth, certain patients may benefit from a permanent retainer that is glued to the back side of their lower front teeth, for a little extra protection if needed.

After your orthodontic treatment, your retainer will become one of your best friends. You will start by wearing it every night (and sometimes more based on your particular case), and then over time, you will slowly reduce the number of nights per week you need to sleep in your retainer. But you should never abandon it, even years down the road, because shifting can occur if you decide to ditch the retainer or it breaks.

How Long Will My Retainer Last?

With proper wear and care, your retainers can last up to 10 years. Dr. Sutton always compares them to a pair of glasses or a new pair of shoes. If you treat them well and protect them, they will last you a very long time and work great the whole time.

But if you have a tendency to lose or be rough with them, then they may only make it a year or so until it’s time to get a new pair. Following our instructions for cleaning and care will help prolong the life of your retainers, and, most importantly, proper storage in your retainer case is vital.

Retainers for Life Program

At True Smile Orthodontics, we understand that maintaining your newly aligned smile is just as important as achieving it. That’s why we’ve introduced our Retainers For Life program — a convenient and cost-effective way to ensure your smile remains flawless for years to come.

For an additional $500, payable before the end of your treatment, our Retainers For Life program offers you up to three sets of replacement retainers per year, whenever you need them. Simply bring your 3D-printed models into our office, and we’ll provide you with a new set of custom-made retainers.

In addition to providing replacements, we also offer discounts on re-treatment if your teeth have shifted due to not wearing your retainer. Alternatively, we can create a new retainer to fit the new position of your teeth. Please note, a re-printing fee will apply if you don’t bring in your 3D models.

Our Retainers For Life program is designed to give you peace of mind and keep your smile looking its best. Invest in your smile’s future with our Retainers For Life program at True Smile Orthodontics.