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Barrie dentist – orthodontics, or “We’ll straighten you out!”

First off, crooked teeth are not a disease, so in answer to the question: “Do I or my child need braces?”, the strict answer is “No”.  But perhaps the question should be phrased differently – after all, technically, people don’t “need” all their front teeth.  In this day and age, people do not need teeth at all!

A better question would be:  Would I or my child benefit from braces?  And the answer to that, would be: Possibly

Appearances are important, whether it is in seeking employment, or just plain old self confidence.  If you have crooked teeth that are stopping you from smiling, you are not alone!  Orthodontics may be the solution for you.  A completed orthodontic case from our Barrie dental office follows, along with pictures.

Age at start of treatment: 20 years 5 months
Age at completion of treatment: 22 years 11 months
Total orthodontic treatment time: 2 years 4 months

Pre-orthodontic condition

This patient wanted correction of the alignment of the upper front teeth.  In addition, she disliked the large distance between her upper and lower front teeth.  Commonly referred to as overbite, it is technically the overjet that she found excessive.  Upon oral and radiographic examination, we found that she had an overjet of  4 mm, an overbite of 55%, and a Class II  division 2 skeletal malocclusion.  She did not report any TMJ (jaw joint) problems and her mouth was free of dental problems or gum disease.  Furthermore, her oral hygiene was good.  Her photos, cephalometric, and panoramic radiographs are below:

Front view of the patient's smile prior to orthodontics
Front view of the patient’s smile prior to orthodontics. She was unhappy with the alignment as well as the distance between upper and lower front teeth.

 

A view from the front with cheek retractors in place.
A view from the front with cheek retractors in place.

 

Pre-orthodontic view of right side with retractors in place.
Pre-orthodontic view of right side with cheek retractors in place.

 

Pre-orthodontic view of left side with cheek retractors in place.
Pre-orthodontic view of left side with cheek retractors in place.

 

Pre-orthodontic view of the upper arch.
Pre-orthodontic view of the upper arch.

 

Pre-orthodontic view of the lower arch of teeth.
Pre-orthodontic view of the lower arch of teeth.
Pre-orthodontic panoramic radiograph with wisdom teeth removed.
Pre-orthodontic panoramic radiograph. Wisdom teeth have been removed.
Pre-treatment lateral cephalometric radiograph
Pre-treatment lateral cephalometric radiograph showing mandibular retrognathism but normal vertical height.

(The above lateral head x-ray was done for us by Huronia Maxillofacial Radiology.  Check them out for all your Huronian Maxillofacian Radiology needs!  Great service with friendly staff!  We’ve had only good experiences with them, with two convenient locations!  Seriously, they take a mean CBCT too.)

 

Our orthodontic treatment plan involved the removal of the two upper first premolars (teeth 14 and 24, or teeth 5 and 12 for the Americans) and some slenderizing of the lower front teeth.  Following that, upper and lower braces were placed.  Brackets and wires were from Ormco.  The upper transpalatal arch was placed to preserve as much anchorage as possible (i.e.: to prevent the back teeth from slipping forward).  Once the upper and lower arches were aligned, the patient wore interarch elastics to correct the distance between upper and lower teeth.

Here are some in-progress photos with the appliances in the mouth:

Upper arch orthodontic treatment in progress
Orthodontic treatment in progress – upper arch shows two upper teeth extracted and the front six teeth being retracted. The wire across the roof of the mouth serves as anchorage so the posterior teeth do not slip forward (appliance fabricated by Caledonian Orthodontics).

 

Lower arch orthodontic treatment in progress
Orthodontic treatment in progress – the lower front teeth have been slenderized in order to allow them to fit into the available space in the arch. Purple resin has been added to the back teeth in order to open up the bite.

Post orthodontic results

And finally, here are the photos of the completed case!

Postorthodontic view with cheek retractors in place.
Postorthodontic view with cheek retractors in place.
Post-orthodontic view of the right side teeth with cheek retractors in place.
Post-orthodontic view of the right side teeth with cheek retractors in place.

 

Left view of the teeth after orthodontic treatment.
Left view of the teeth after orthodontic treatment.

 

Post orthodontic view of the upper arch
Post orthodontic view of the upper arch. A clear plastic vacuum-formed tray was given as a retainer.
View of the lower arch after treatment with a lower retainer bonded
View of the lower arch after orthodontic treatment. A lower retainer was bonded to the inside of the front teeth.

 

View of the patient's smile after orthodontic treatment
View of the patient’s smile after orthodontic treatment. ‘Dem braces was totes worth it.

That’s it!  We are quite proud of this result, hence the posting here.  If you are interested in some orthodontics, please note that we are a general dental office in Barrie that does some orthodontics; we are not an orthodontic specialty office.  For a complete assessment of your oral condition, please contact us!  We’d love to be your dentist in Barrie.

Dr. Elston Wong Portrait

About Dr. Elston Wong

Dr. Elston Wong completed his dental degree at The University of Toronto in 1999 before arriving in Barrie in 2002. After graduating, he continued to learn everything he could about dentistry. Now he has taken the time to share important information for anyone to read.

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