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PATIENT REFERRAL CONTEST
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Our best referrals come from our most satisfied patients and parents.

Have friends that are looking for an orthodontist? Tell them about your great experience at Lakewood Park Orthodontics. If your referral starts treatment you will be entered into a raffle to win an I-Pad Mini!

Grab some referral cards at the office and start spreading the word!

Contest will run from May 1st until October 31st
(Referral must start treatment by October 31st to be entered into the raffel)

Do braces make the roots of your teeth shorter? How serious is root resorption? Can it be prevented or treated? These are all important questions and each orthodontic patient should be informed on the risks and limitations associated with orthodontic treatment, including root resorption. That is why we have each patient/guardian read and sign the ‘Informed Consent for the orthodontic patient’.
Braces work by creating little cramps around each tooth. The enzymes that are summoned by orthodontic forces cause old bone to dissolve where there is pressure and new bone to be formed where there is a void. These responses are normal and are the basis for orthodontic tooth movement. Research has shown that tooth movement causes at least small changes in the shape and length of the roots in ALL patients. In 98% these changes are undetectable with the naked eye.
In 1-2% of patients, however, obvious root shortening occurs during routine orthodontic treatment. These patients are just more genetically susceptible to root resorption. Root shortening can even run in families. This genetic predisposition is important and should be communicated to your orthodontist if you are aware that it has been noticed in your family.
Are there things an orthodontist can do to cause or prevent root resorption? Some have theorized that root resorption happens if the teeth are moved too quickly or too slowly. Teeth that are moved too quickly may be subject to too much force they say. However, in many cases where a patient has experienced resorption the same amount of force was used for exactly the same amount of time as patients who did not experience resorption. Braces that are on longer logically have more time to cause a problem. However, there have been transfer cases that have had braces on for more than 5 years with no signs of root change. There really is neither documented cause of nor protocol to follow to prevent this shortening.
So what can be done about root shortening during treatment? About the only thing an orthodontist can do is to monitor each patient during treatment using routine x-rays. These should be taken at least annually as long as the braces are on. If root shortening is noticed, it should be pointed out and discussed with the patient and their family. Depending upon the amount of shortening, treatment may be continued as normal, the treatment time shortened (stopping after spaces close for example), or the braces immediately removed. It is generally believed however that a tooth can lose up to half of its root length and never have a problem.
Root resorption is a normal consequence of orthodontic treatment. Hundreds of cases are treated exactly the same way without incident while a handful may experience obvious root shortening. Be sure to allow your orthodontist to take x-rays on a regular basis to monitor your progress and screen for problems during treatment. Ask her to specifically look for root shortening if she does not bring it up herself.

Over the past couple of decades there has been a shift in orthodontics from extracting teeth to expanding the arches when there is crowding present. Expanders work great, but there are some side effects that catch parents by surprise. One of them is the appearance and disappearance of a gap between the front teeth.
The palate or roof of the mouth is made up of two bones joined together down the center by a junction called a suture. When a patient is young, this suture is made up of stretchable cartilage that is the area where growth takes place (a “growth plate”). After skeletal maturation somewhere between 14 and 17 years of age, this suture fuses and the palate becomes a single solid structure. Expanders take advantage of the presence of the growth plate if they are used before it is fused. One sign that the expander has actually moved the two halves of the palate apart is the appearance of a space between the front teeth. The central incisors are located on different sides of the growth plate and they spread apart as the palate is expanded. The result is a visible gap between the teeth. This gap is normal and desirable.
After the expander has provided the desired amount of expansion, the orthodontist will typically leave it in place for several months holding the two halves of the palate apart while new bone develops between them. Upon removal of the expander, there is always some relapse or loss of arch width. Most orthodontists over-correct by a few millimeters in anticipation of this change.
During this stabilization period, the gap created during expansion tends to close on its own. This happens slowly over time, but it shocks many parents the first time they notice it is smaller or gone altogether. Understandably, many parents call our office worried that the expander has slipped and that the benefits achieved during the activation phase have been lost.
During palatal expansion there are two forces on the teeth. The force created by the expander pushes the palate apart and a gap appears between the teeth. At the same time there is an opposite force acting on the teeth produced by the gum tissues. Just like other soft tissues in the body, the gums are elastic. As the expander pushes outward, the gum tissue starts pulling the teeth back together. You can tell this is happening by comparing the size of the gap between the teeth with the amount of expansion visible on the expander. Rarely will the size of the gap between the teeth ever get as large as the distance between the two sides of the expander because the teeth start moving back together even before expansion is complete. Another sign that the front teeth are being pulled back together is that they get sore and feel a little loose during expansion for no obvious reason (just like when braces are moving them). Now you know that they are being pulled back together by the elastic fibers in your gum tissue. In fact, it is not uncommon for the gap between the two front teeth to be completely closed by the time the expander is removed.
Knowing ahead of time that an expander will create a gap between the front teeth and that it will go away on its own is reassuring when it happens. Understanding what is normal will save you some worry and an unnecessary phone call to your orthodontist. If what you see in your mouth or in the mouth of your child does not seem to follow the pattern described however, give your orthodontic office a call and let them know. It is better to be safe than sorry!

Hannah was the winner of our Valentine's Candy Corn Counting Contest. She won a $25 itunes gift card! Congratulations Hannah and we will see you soon at your next appointment!