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Frost Orthodontics
06/Dec/2023
BracesCase StudiesFrost OrthodonticsOrthodonticsTreatmentUncategorized

Case Study: Stephanie (Adult Braces)

Case Study: Stephanie before braces treatment in Creve CoeurCase Study: Stephanie after braces treatment in Creve Coeur

Adult Braces Treatment in Creve Coeur

In September 2023, a 30-year-old woman, Stephanie, visited Frost Orthodontics, hoping to address dental misalignment and bite issues impacting her confidence and oral health. During her initial consultation, Dr. Frost carefully assessed Stephanie’s dental condition, recommending that she pursue braces treatment in Creve Coeur to solve these concerns most effectively.

Dental Misalignment

Dental malocclusion, also known as misalignment, is a common issue that affects how the upper and lower teeth fit together. This can lead to complications, including difficulties maintaining oral hygiene, chewing problems, and self-esteem issues due to cosmetic appearance.

A published study estimated that about 56% of people worldwide have malocclusion, also known as misaligned teeth. Despite these statistics, many adults remain untreated due to misconceptions about adult braces. We provide braces treatment in Creve Coeur to help adults like Stephanie achieve healthier and happier smiles.

Adult Braces and Their Benefits

Braces are an orthodontic tool designed to correct misaligned teeth or jaws. They are a network of small brackets glued to your teeth, connected by a thin archwire, which guides your teeth into their ideal positions. The materials used to make braces are metal, ceramic, or plastic; some braces can even go behind the teeth for a more discreet appearance.

The duration of braces treatment varies by case but ranges from one to three years. Braces are highly effective at correcting dental issues, such as overcrowding, misalignment, bite issues, and crooked teeth. We recommend braces for adults seeking a long-term solution to improve their oral health.

Frost Orthodontics’ Braces Treatment in Creve Coeur

At Frost Orthodontics, we design our braces treatment in Creve Coeur with the utmost precision and care, ensuring our patients, like Stephanie, have a comfortable journey toward a confident smile.

Initial Braces Appointment in Creve Coeur

During Stephanie’s initial appointment, Dr. Frost reviewed Stephanie’s medical and dental history, assessed her teeth and facial structure, took x-rays, and provided a comprehensive treatment plan specific to her needs.

Placement of Braces

After the finalization of the treatment plan, Stephanie received her braces. This appointment lasted about an hour and a half, during which Dr. Frost glued the brackets to Stephanie’s teeth and connected them with the archwire.

Familiarization Period

After the initial placement, Stephanie had 4-8 weeks to adapt to her new braces before her next follow-up appointment.

Follow-Up Appointments

Subsequent follow-up appointments occurred regularly, usually every month to every two months. During these sessions, Dr. Frost assessed Stephanie’s progress and made necessary adjustments to the wires and rubber bands.

Completion of Braces Treatment

Upon completing the braces treatment in Creve Coeur, Dr. Frost removed the dental appliances. This process typically involves the following steps:

  • Removing the archwire, brackets, and rubber bands.
  • Cleaning and polishing the teeth.
  • Providing retainers to maintain the new arrangement of teeth.

Improved Quality of Life

Stephanie was thrilled with her outcome from braces treatment at Frost Orthodontics. She reported feeling much more confident in her smile and overall oral health and was pleased with the results of her improved bite.

Achieving Your Dream Smile with Braces Treatment in Creve Coeur

Stephanie’s journey with adult braces at Frost Orthodontics transformed her smile, confidence, and oral health. Her success story exemplifies the positive impact that orthodontic treatment can have on adults seeking to improve their smiles.

At Frost Orthodontics, we believe everyone deserves an opportunity to feel proud of their smile and enjoy enhanced oral health. If you are considering braces treatment in Creve Coeur, we happily provide you with the highest level of care and expertise. Achieve your dream smile by scheduling your initial consultation with Dr. Frost today.

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Frost Orthodontics
06/Dec/2023
BracesFrost OrthodonticsMiscellaneousSportsUncategorized

How Custom Fit Mouthguards Offer Better Protection

 

For all types of sports, athletes depend on mouthguards to protect their teeth. Whether you’re playing basketball or a high contact sport like football, a mouthguard is a good investment. However, many athletes choose standard mouthguards they can boil and bite to fit to their mouth, and while they work well if you’re on a budget, they don’t offer the same benefits as a custom mouthguard.

Here are some reasons a custom fit mouthguard provides you an advantage as an athlete and an individual looking to protect their teeth.

More Comfort

The problem with a mouthguard you form fit at home is that it might fit better than a standard guard you simply take off the shelf and wear, but it still may not fit as well as custom fit mouthguards that a dental professional can fit for you in an office.

Moreover, the process involved in creating a boil and bite mouthguard uses thermoplastic materials that may thin out, compromising the protection the mouthguard is designed to provide as you fit it to your teeth. A custom fit mouthguard doesn’t have the same problems.

Better Oxygen Flow

Maximizing your breathing is important to every athlete regardless if your sport requires endurance fitness like soccer or short bursts of energy like football. Wearing a mouthguard custom fit to your tooth structure will help you breathe better than a standard mouthguard or a boil and bite guard because it’s designed to protect your teeth, not constrict your activity.

Customized for the Sport

While many mouthguards protect the top teeth only, a custom fit mouthguard a dentist fits to your bite can also provide a guard for your lower teeth. Depending on the sport, it might be necessary to protect the lower and upper teeth. Additionally, if you have braces or other dental appliance on your lower teeth, a mouthguard on your lower jaw might be necessary.

A dental professional such as an orthodontist or dentist will be able to talk to you about the options and determine what’s best for your sport.

Can Work with Braces

Unlike boil and bite mouthguards, a custom fit mouthguard an orthodontist can fit to your individual mouth can be fitted for athletes with braces.

More Durable

Thermoplastic materials are great if you want a quick mouthguard that fits your teeth to a point, but because of the heating process the materials go through, the materials are not as strong or durable. A custom fit mouthguard made by a dental professional uses the highest quality materials that are strong and long-lasting, providing the best protection today’s technology can provide.

Athletes on the go who make an investment in a custom fitted mouthguard know the value of what they’re getting. Protect your teeth and worry less about – contact Dr. Frost today at (314) 567-1888 for your consultation.

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Frost Orthodontics
06/Dec/2023
BracesFrost OrthodonticsOrthodonticsTreatment

X-Rays Reveal Potential Treatment Problems

It is interesting how often unusual orthodontic situations can be discovered with a simple exam and X-ray. Just this week I have diagnosed young children (8 to 10 years of age) with multiple missing permanent teeth and/or supernumerary (extra) teeth.

Both missing permanent teeth and supernumerary teeth are common conditions, and they can only be first seen with an X-ray. This is because permanent teeth form underneath baby teeth long before they ‘push up’ to the surface of the gums. By seeing where and how teeth are forming (as well as how many), an orthodontist can adjust a patient’s treatment plan accordingly.

In the X-ray image below, you can see how clear it is that this patient has several extra teeth coming in below the permanent teeth:

x-ray orthodontist 63141
(Image credit: http://www.cda-adc.ca/)

Supernumerary teeth can mean crowding for existing or future permanent teeth, or these teeth could possibly come in at other places in the mouth. A lack of permanent teeth, on the other hand, results in gaps and spaces.

Fortunately, there are many treatment options available whether a patient will have too many–or not enough–permanent teeth. A combination of timely extractions, oral surgery, orthodontic treatment, or cosmetic treatments will make sure a child will have a great looking smile as an adult.

In both cases I saw this week, these diagnoses made a significant impact on the patients’ treatment plans. Although their treatment (braces) will not happen for a year or two, we were able to make sure the treatment works best at that time through the use of X-rays.

Treating a patient whose permanent teeth are still coming in and changing makes this process more difficult. So if your child has not seen an orthodontist by 8 or 9 years of age, please schedule a consultation soon. The earlier your child’s orthodontist knows how his or her teeth will come in, the easier the treatment process will be. It can really make a difference.

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