What is Dentofacial Orthopedics?

 

You may have noticed that we specialize in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. And while most people we talk to have heard about orthodontics, many are confused by what "dentofacial orthopedics" means. Today, our team thought we would explain the difference.

While orthodontics entails the management of tooth movement, dentofacial orthopedics involves the guidance of jaw growth and facial development. This growth occurs during childhood, and is the reason why children between the ages of 7 and 12 are often the best candidates for receiving dentofacial orthopedic therapy. Dr. Sondhi and Dr. Biggs will examine and monitor your child's growth to determine the right age for starting treatment. During this phase, Dr. Sondhi and Dr. Biggs will use treatments designed to correct your child's jaw growth and make sure that the jaw bones are properly aligned before evaluating for the next phase of treatment, which involves braces to straighten the teeth.

With our younger patients, we know that the jaw bones are still forming, making it easier for our team at Sondhi-Biggs Orthodontics to modify bone growth and tooth movement. Adults, however, are a different story; their bones are no longer growing, and their jaw bones have matured, so it requires different treatment to adjust the bite and move teeth into proper alignment. Adults may also require some jaw surgery.

Because our team at Sondhi-Biggs Orthodontics is skilled in both areas, we are able to diagnose misalignments in the teeth and jaws as well as the facial structure, and can develop a treatment plan that integrates both orthodontic and dentofacial orthopedic treatments.

We hope that helps! To learn more about dentofacial orthopedics, and to find out if this type of treatment is right for your child, please contact our office and schedule and initial consultation for your child. It's never too late to get a great smile, and we can't wait to help you or your child get started.

What's your bottled water missing?

As more people turn to bottled water and away from the tap, they may be missing out on one important ingredient that most brands of bottled water fail to include: fluoride! Because fluoride helps strengthen teeth, it is an important component of maintaining good oral health. Our friends at the American Dental Association have endorsed both community water fluoridation and the use of fluoride-containing products as a safe means of preventing tooth decay.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also warned that "bottled water may not have a sufficient amount of fluoride, which is important for preventing tooth decay and promoting oral health." One 2012 study in the Journal of Pediatric Dentistry found that more than 65% of parents using bottled water did not know what levels of fluoride were contained in bottled water.

If bottled water happens to be the beverage of choice for you or your family, check the label to make sure your selected brand contains fluoride.  Of course, simply drinking fluoridated water is not a magic ticket to perfectly healthy teeth. To keep your pearly whites in tip-top shape, it's important to brush and floss daily while avoid sugary sweets, in addition to maintaining your fluoride intake.

Questions about fluoride? Give any of our Sondhi-Biggs Orthodontics team members a call. We look forward to hearing from you soon!