What You Need To Know About Braces

An orthodontist is a dental specialist who has completed 2-3 years of advanced training following dental school to learn the special skills required to diagnose and treat dental and jaw abnormalities. An orthodontist is able to straighten your teeth, guide jaw growth, correct your bite and improve your smile. In addition, an orthodontist has to pass both written and oral orthodontic examinations to be licensed as a specialist to practice in the State of Illinois.

Orthodontics is the specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of dental and facial irregularities and improving your bite and smile

To get the best care possible! Orthodontists have extensive and specialized training that enables them to provide the most effective and efficient treatment

Although braces are optional, they prevent more serious problems from occurring later in life.

You need to examine your child’s teeth during the time of permanent teeth growth.

If your child lost his/her baby teeth early or late, had pacifier or finger sucking habits beyond 6 years of age, and developed jaws, teeth and chin out of proportion with the rest of the face. Also, if your child chews or bites with difficulty, exhibits excessive spacing between the teeth, and makes sounds with jaw movement.

The American Association of Orthodontists advises to schedule first orthodontic consultation when your child is no older than 7. By that time he/she has a sufficient number of permanent teeth and jaw growth to allow thorough examination and problem identification. It is not advisable to wait until all permanent teeth have grown in because early treatment is usually less extensive and does not take as long.

Early treatment allows easier correction of future problems. It helps erupting permanent teeth not to get stuck under the gums, and it helps them to take optimal positions. It also assists with getting enough space for emerging permanent teeth.

At the initial orthodontic consultation in our Arlington Heights office, Dr. Yaroslav Yarmolyuk will discuss with you the need for treatment as well as treatment options (braces, Invisalign) with their pros and cons. He will also discuss the treatment timeline, cost, and financing options.

Unfortunately, it does not. After permanent molar teeth erupt at around 6, the space available for the front teeth stays the same or diminishes with age.

It is mostly caused by genetics. Other contributing factors could be finger and pacifier sucking, the presence of gum disease, high number of cavities, and early loss of baby teeth.

Braces and arch wires apply consistent gentle pressure over a period of time to shift teeth in the proper place. The main parts of the braces are the brackets and the wire. The brackets are specially designed pieces of metal or ceramic that get attached to the teeth. The wire that connects the brackets is bended in a special way that applies pressure to the teeth in order to move them into the optimal position.

Yes, it can, because the tooth movement can vary as the overall straightening process takes place. It is possible for you to see a new space between the front teeth, or new misalignment of other teeth before things begin to improve. However, it is temporary, and, as the treatment gets close to an end, the teeth will align and the spaces will close.

In some cases it is possible. In our Arlington Heights office, we offer orthodontic treatment with Invisalign and Invisalign Teen clear aligners for appropriate cases. Sometimes, a combination of a short period of braces followed by Invisalign can be used to correct the problem. In other cases, patients have to wear traditional braces.

Generally, braces do not hurt. After certain visits, teeth may be sore for a few days. In these situations, pain medications such as Advil or Tylenol will ease the discomfort. However, after most visits, patients do not feel any soreness at all! We often remind our patients, “It does not have to hurt to work!”

No. Shots are not necessary for orthodontic treatment.

Absolutely. Arlington Heights Orthodontist Dr. Yarmolyuk recommends use of a mouth guard for all contact sports.

Yes. There is no reason to miss school because of an orthodontic appointment.

Yes. Regular checkups with your family dentist are very important while in braces. We recommend that you get dental cleanings every 4-5 months, while in braces. However, your family dentist will determine the intervals between cleaning appointments.

Once treatment begins, we will explain the complete instructions and provide a comprehensive list of foods to avoid during orthodontic treatment. Those foods include: hard foods (nuts, hard candy, raw vegetables, French bread, pizza crust) and sticky foods (caramel and taffy). You can avoid most emergency appointments to repair broken or damaged braces by carefully following our instructions.

You should brush your teeth at least three times each day – after each meal and before going to bed. It is very important to floss with braces at least once a day, to avoid gum disease and cavities between teeth.

Rubber bands or elastics make a big difference with respect to the length and the results of your treatment. When they are attached to your braces they help move the teeth in their proper positions in a way that the braces can’t. But, you have to be proactive in wearing the rubber bands consistently and according to the directions prescribed for you. Otherwise, the treatment can slow down considerably.

Clear braces can definitely help in this situation. In addition, the least noticible alternative is lingual braces that go behind the teeth. Or, you can redirect attention from your mouth to your eyes by using makeup (accentuate the eyes more and use little or no makeup for your lips). Be aware that lip gloss makes the metal parts of braces more visible.

Juices or soda are high in acid and sugar. The acid in the drinks can erode protective covering of your teeth with time, especially if you like to sip such drinks frequently during the day. In addition, juices or soda have high sugar contents which are a perfect food for acid-producing bacteria that live on the teeth.

Space maintainers keep adjacent teeth from moving when some of the baby teeth are prematurely lost or removed. It is important to have space maintainers in place after premature loss of the baby teeth because the shifting of the neighboring teeth can make permanent teeth become stuck under the bone.

If you have no problem with your gums and the bone tissue around your teeth, it is never too late to get orthodontic treatment to correct your bite and make your appearance younger and more attractive. We see a high number of adult orthodontic patients at our Skokie office.

In order for your orthodontic treatment to be successful, you need to abstain from foods and drinks high in sugar, and those foods that are hard or stick to your teeth. Such foods can get trapped on the braces, bend them, and even pull them off. They can also cause cavities and teeth discoloration. You also need to spend a little time cleaning your braces after you eat.

That depends on a couple of things. First is the initial state of your bite: more complicated cases take longer than milder cases. The nationwide average is 27 months. Second, the better you are following the directions and prescriptions, the sooner the treatment will be over.

Usually, Phase One treatment is followed by Phase Two treatment. Phase One treatment creates a better environment for the growth of the permanent teeth. After the emergence of the permanent teeth, Phase Two treatment finishes the work that began in Phase One with full braces. During the time between Phase One and Two, orthodontist Dr. Yarmolyuk will keep your child under close monitoring in order to retain the correction that has been achieved in Phase One and to ensure more favorable growth of the permanent teeth.

A headgear is one of the appliances that are used to make more space for permanent teeth by putting pressure to the upper teeth and jaw. Lib bumpers, expanders, and Herbst are other devices that can be used for the same purpose.

It could be a necessary step in case if it is not possible to create enough space for all of your teeth. However, recovery from teeth extraction will take a couple of days at the most. And, all of the spaces will be closed at the end of the treatment.

On occasion, a child’s permanent teeth do not have enough space to grow in properly. In that case, it is sometimes recommended to take out certain baby teeth in sequence.

The length of orthodontic treatment could vary depending on how fast a child grows and the speed at which his/her teeth can shift. Another factor that could slow down the orthodontic treatment is poor patient compliance with the orthodontist’s directions.

Your teeth can move to some extent throughout your lifetime. However, wearing your retainers helps minimize this problem.

Ask your child the reasons why he/she does not want braces. Then, ask the orthodontist to resolve the issues with offering explanations and giving options. If the child still does not want the braces, don’t force him/her to start the treatment right away. Usually, children that initially don’t want the treatment have poor compliance with the orthodontist’s directions and prescriptions. This can jeopardize or slow down the treatment. Children can change their mind about wearing braces as they continue to grow.

Our initial orthodontic consultation is free of charge. The fee for your orthodontic treatment will depend on a number of factors, for example the severity of the problem, the kind of treatment required, and the length of the treatment. We offer several financing options, in our Skokie office, that make your payments affordable.

Referral from your family dentist is not required. However, bringing a referral form from your family dentist can help ensure better communication about your needs between Dr. Yarmolyuk and your family dentist.

Absolutely not! Although some other orthodontic practices use recycled braces, at Orthodontic Experts of Arlington Heights we belief that each patient should be provided with their own braces to achieve the best orthodontic result possible. We use the highest quality 3M Unitek braces that are individually sterilized and packaged at the factory before being shipped to our Arlington Heights office.

Instant Orthodontics cannot be called orthodontics for two reasons. First, it is performed by someone with no formal orthodontic training. Second, it does not move teeth to straighten them. Instead, the top half of the teeth is covered with crowns or veneers to make them look straight, whereas the roots of the teeth remain crooked. Veneers or crowns placed on the teeth might need more than one replacement during the patient’s lifetime with the accompanying damage to the tooth structure underneath.