Yvonne Heston is our Orthodontic Coordinator. She has worked with us for 17 years.

Many people consider orthodontic treatment, usually referred to as “braces,” as a cosmetic procedure only. It may be true that the end result of orthodontic treatment is a visibly beautiful smile, however, speaking as a dentist of 25 years, the health benefits to straight teeth and a healthy jaw relationship far out way the aesthetic results.

If an individual’s teeth are very crowded with rotated and tipped teeth, it becomes very difficult for that person to clean their teeth thoroughly. This results in an increased incidence of decay and the number of fillings that person will have over the course of their lifetime. It is very difficult to do fillings on rotated teeth, and this can often lead to the filling being replaced every several years.

Over crowded teeth very often results in periodontal (gum) disease. The over crowding of the teeth make it difficult for the patient to clean their teeth thoroughly. This can result in increased plaque and tartar build up, and the eventual loss of bone. People with crowded teeth loose their teeth to gum disease at a much higher rate than individuals with straight teeth.

The often-ignored factor in orthodontic treatment is a healthy relationship between the jaws. If the teeth are crowed the jaws may not fit together in an alignment, which is comfortable for the temporal mandibular joint. This condition is usually referred to as TMJ. This very simply means that the upper and lower jaws do not fit together properly resulting in initial popping and clicking of the jaw joint. If this is left untreated the person can develop severe pain in the head, jaw, and neck. This pain can be so intense in some people that it can adversely affect the quality of their life.