Straighten Your Smile With Orthodontics at Broadway Dentistry
Living with a misaligned smile not only affects your confidence but also impacts your oral health. At Broadway Dentistry, Dr. Kneib and our dental team provide orthodontic treatments to ensure you can achieve a beautifully straight smile that won’t cause unwanted problems in the future. Our Broadway, VA dentist offers various orthodontic solutions, allowing all patients to correct their crowded or crooked teeth.
We want every patient to achieve their dream smile accompanied by pristine oral health. If your teeth aren’t aligned properly, call our Broadway dental office at (540) 896-8151 to schedule your appointment with Dr. Kneib.
What Is Orthodontics?
Orthodontics focuses on diagnosing and treating dental abnormalities. The goal is to improve a patient’s bite to ensure they can eat, chew, and speak properly and comfortably. While orthodontics is typically viewed as a treatment for children and teenagers, Dr. Kneib can help patients of any age correct their bite with various orthodontic solutions.
At Broadway Dentistry, orthodontics can help treat the following abnormalities:
- Crooked teeth
- Crowded teeth, or teeth that are too far apart
- Jaw misalignment
- Bite problems, such as an underbite or overbite
Orthodontic Treatments
Clear Aligners
Our Broadway, VA, dentist offers both SureSmile® and Invisalign® as alternatives to metal braces. For patients with mild to moderate orthodontic issues, Dr. Kneib may recommend a clear aligner treatment. Both options are quicker, more comfortable, and require fewer food restrictions than metal braces. You can straighten your smile without anyone knowing with clear aligners!
Traditional Braces
Traditional braces are composed of individual brackets that we attach to the front surfaces of teeth. The brackets are held together by an archwire that stretches across the teeth. In some cases, additional support will be provided with the use of rubber bands that help to adjust the position of your bite. Braces require tightening appointments every 4 to 6 weeks so steady pressure can gradually straighten the teeth and align the jaw.
Pediatric Orthodontics
At Broadway Dentistry, Dr. Kneib offers early intervention and children’s palatal expansion services. Early orthodontic intervention refers to treatments that begin before a child’s baby teeth fall out. Some conditions are easy to treat before permanent teeth erupt and can help decrease the need for future treatment.
Children’s palatal expansion treatment is designed to create more space in a child’s mouth by gradually widening the upper jaw. This treatment is typically performed on children ages five to seven who have a cleft lip and palate, isolated cleft palate, or alveolar cleft.
Class II and Class III Correction
Dr. Kneib helps patients suffering from class II and class III malocclusions. Class II is where the lower first molar is posterior (more towards the back of the mouth) than the upper first molar. These cases can be corrected through growth redirection to bring the upper teeth, lower teeth, and jaws into alignment harmony.
Class III is where the lower first molar is anterior (more towards the front of the mouth) than the upper first molar. These problems are largely caused due to an overgrowth of the lower jaw, an undergrowth of the upper jaw, or a combination of the two.
Orthodontic Retainers
Orthodontic retainers are necessary for patients once their treatment is complete. When orthodontic treatment is complete, nothing is keeping the teeth from moving back to their previous position. This is where a custom retainer comes in. Retainers help keep teeth in their correct place. They’re custom-made dental appliances that fit perfectly in your mouth. Depending on your case, you’ll need to wear the retainer day and night for the first four to six months after treatment. Then, you’ll most likely only need to wear it at night.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cause of most orthodontic problems is due to genetics. The following malocclusions are predetermined by genetic makeup:
- Spacing issues
- Crowded teeth
- Extra teeth
- Misalignment issues
- Jaw formation and growth problems
In certain cases, behaviors such as thumb sucking may also cause orthodontic problems to arise. You may also develop jaw issues due to injuries, accidents, or other mouth trauma.
Orthodontic treatment is important for both the appearance and function of your smile. If you’ve been living with misaligned teeth or jaw problems, you may not realize how they can impact your eating and speaking abilities. Braces or other orthodontic alternatives can fix these issues to help improve your day-to-day activities and your oral health.
