Let us show you why the MCO Downtown Toronto Invisalign, MCO Markham Orthodontist, MCO Scarborough Orthodontist, MCO Stouffville Orthodontist, and MCO Oshawa Orthodontist Teams are regarded as the top orthodontist in Richmond Hill, Toronto, Stouffville, Oshawa, Scarborough, Whitby, Bowmanville, and Markham Orthodontists for braces and Invisalign.
A lot of our Markham braces and Richmond Hill Invisalign patients often ask us about tooth whitening in Toronto, using whitening toothpastes. The question is whether they actually work, and if not, what works best?
By definition, tooth whitening means whitening teeth back to their natural shade. For many people this may not actually be "white enough". To get teeth whiter than that, bleaching is required. However, bleaching doesn't sound all that great, so dental companies also refer to their bleaching products as whitening, to make them sound more appealing. In other words, whitening toothpaste and whitening gel in trays from the dentist will do different things, even though they have similar descriptive names.
Whitening pastes, mouthwashes, and gum simply need to remove surface stains off the teeth to be certified by the American Dental Association as "whitening". Virtually toothpastes have some kind of abrasives in them that make them whitening. Mouthwashes can rinse surface stains off the teeth, and the mechanical action of chewing gum against the teeth can do the same. It is the companies who have paid the money to the ADA who receive the ADA seal to put on their packaging.
In order to truly get whiter teeth like in the commercials, you will need to do some teeth bleaching, such as gels in a tray, or some of the light-activated systems such as Zoom. Keep in mind that you may experience some transient sensitivity, and that a lot of whitening is due to increasing porosity of the enamel surface. Some dentists liken it to tanning. It may provide nicer aesthetics, it can become addictive, and is not really a healthcare-motivated decision.
After orthodontic treatment at your Markham Orthodontist, we recommend our patients wait a couple of months after braces have been removed so that the teeth can remineralize before using any bleaching method. In general, visiting the dentist for regular cleanings and polishing, as well as maintaining good brushing habits will keep your teeth quite white. Anything beyond natural white will require a visit to an oral health care professional.
Your orthodontist in Markham, was privileged to take part in this year's Hummingbird Study Club meeting at the Grand Hyatt in Dallas Texas. This is an annual event by invitation-only for some of the best orthodontists who have worked with some of the top consultants in our field. It was 3 days of intense orthodontic discussion. Dr. Tam taught orthodontists about Invisalign, office design, and social media. This mutual exchange of information benefits each office, and in turn, improves the future patient experience, so that we can always be at the forefront of our orthodontic profession.
Toronto Invisalign results for upper and lower severe spacing by Dr. Jason K. Tam, Invisalign Elite Provider. This patient was told that she cannot have Invisalign to close her spaces. Her extremely rotated lower canines were also an issue.
With proper planning and treatment, all spaces and rotations were corrected, and she now has a beautiful smile! If you are interested in finding your beautiful smile and have been told that Invisalign cannot get you great results, let MCO Orthodontics see what we can do!
We see a lot of people for free consultations who are considering braces and Invisalign in Toronto. One of the most common concerns with Richmond Hill braces is to be able to have orthodontic treatment without taking teeth out. The fear is out there. In fact, there are Damon braces, from Ormco, that make the claim that virtually all orthodontic treatment can be done without extraction, as a part of direct marketing to the public.
Some of the biggest reasons for not wanting teeth out are:
-don’t want to take out good teeth
-scared of extractions
-worried spaces won’t close
-possible caved in profile or narrow smile
-won’t have enough teeth to chew with
There are three major reasons for needing teeth out for orthodontics:
1. A non-viable tooth
-Generally, there is no debate from our patients about removing teeth when there is a huge cavity or an abscess.
2. Excessive crowding
-There is a certain amount of space required to align all of the teeth in crowding situations. In order to gain space, the teeth can be expanded out in a lateral direction, proclined in an anterior direction, distalized to the posterior, or we can do some interproximal reduction.
-There may not be enough room to distalize teeth due to the presence of wisdom teeth or lack of ridge of bone, and there may not be enough space between the roots to reduce enamel safely.
-In terms of lateral or anterior movement, the support of the teeth within the bone is important. If the expansion is too great, the teeth will be pushed out of the periodontal complex, leading to problems such as recession, mobility, and an unstable result.
3. Overly full facial profile
There are times when crowding can be alleviated without removal of teeth, but the end result would result in an overly full facial profile. This presents with individuals unable to close their lips without strain, or an appearance of bulging lips. To harmonize the appearance, it is important to retract the anterior teeth, and in order to do that, space is required. Otherwise, there is no room to move the teeth back. Keep in mind that the orthodontist can control the amount of retraction since space can be closed by moving front teeth back, or back teeth forward. This means you do not have to have a “dished-in” profile with extractions.
As seen with Patient #2's Before and After Extractions, there is no problem with closing up space, and as described above, sometimes it is actually healthier and will provide better results when taking teeth out than trying to fit teeth where they will not be stable. In this case, the arch is actually wider after tooth removal than prior. There are a lot of celebs with beautiful smiles, and they have had teeth taken out too!
There are many people who do not have full function of all of their teeth, due to malocclusions, or extractions, and they function well. A proper bite with teeth that are in good occlusion with fewer teeth is better than more teeth that do not fit well together.
Each individual situation is different. At MCO Orthodontics, whenever possible, we do not extract teeth. However, there are instances as described above, when tooth removal is indicated and will produce better long term outcomes. To book your own complimentary evaluation, please visit us here.
One of the most important aspects of your Toronto Invisalign or braces treatment is going to be your retainers. Following any orthodontic care at your Markham Orthodontist, you will need to do something to maintain that beautiful smile. The answer to the amount of time retainers need to be worn is "as long as you want your teeth to stay straight" :).
Our patients have a number of different options for retainers. For our Invisalign patients, we generally recommend Vivera retainers or Invisalign retainers. For our fixed braces patients, we usually recommend a combination of fixed retainers with a removable retainer. Here are some of the options:
Fixed lingual wires
Pros
-don't have to think about taking retainers in and out
-teeth attached to intact wires will not move
-no one can see them
Cons
-only holds teeth they are attached to
-wires require flossing with a floss threader, ie more difficult to maintain
-cannot bite down on front teeth without risk of breaking retainer; if broken, teeth may shift without knowing
-still need removable retainer nightly to maintain posterior teeth
Invisalign aligner retainers or Essix Style retainers
Pros
-excellent aesthetics
-retain all teeth in the arch
-made off your ClinCheck without need for a new impression if you had Invisalign treatment
-no adjustment period since they are the same as all aligners during treatment
Cons
-may need to replace every 3-6 months
-must remember to wear nightly
Traditional Hawley or Circumferential retainers
Pros
-longevity- can last several years
-ability to make small movements by bending wire in certain situations
Cons
-bulkiness
-poor aesthetics
-nightly wear required
-cost of replacement if lost or broken
Vivera retainers
Pros
-can be made off last Clincheck stage or with new impressions
-sturdiness
-superior aesthetics
-minor relapse can be corrected by wearing this retainer full time
-subscriptions can be ordered to defray cost of ordering individual retainers, and after the first retainer, the rest can be mailed to you
-reordering is as simple as a phone call to the orthodontic office as digital impressions are stored
Cons
-replacement required after 9-12 months
-need for nightly wear
Take a look at Dr. Tam's video on Vivera for more information.
As of January 2011, Dr. Jason K. Tam, your top Invisalign Orthodontist in Toronto, has been recognized with Elite Preferred Invisalign status. You may have seen Dr. Tam's Invisalign videos on YouTube
as well as information on the most comprehensive Invisalign website around, at Toronto Braces. There you can compare Invisalign vs Braces, see before and after Invisalign, and how to choose an Invisalign doctor. He also travels nationally to teach dentists and orthodontists on how to use Invisalign.
Elite Preferred Invisalign Status recognizes doctors that have achieved an experience level of the top 1% of all Invisalign providers in the world. It is a designation of the number of patients treated, but there can be still be significant variation between the quality and difficulty level of patients treated. Dr. Tam uses Invisalign as a technique, treated overbites, underbites, extraction cases, combined surgical orthodontics, as well as crowding and spacing. He firmly believes that Invisalign, when used properly can produce beautiful results on par with, and in some cases, better than with fixed braces.
If you have questions about Invisalign and would like to schedule your complimentary consultation with your Elite Richmond Hill Invisalign Orthodontist, please click here.
When potential new patients come to see us at MCO Markham Orthodontics, they have a lot of questions about their future experience with braces and Invisalign. We have a lot of information on our website, including how to take care of your braces, various treatment modalities, as well as before and afters!
Would you like to learn more about what to expect during orthodontic treatment, from someone with firsthand experience? Well, our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recently developed the Braces Brigade Blog where past, present, as well as future orthodontic patients from coast to coast document their (or their child’s) orthodontic journeys. The blog will serve as a source of guidance for others as the patients undergo orthodontic care.
Our Markham Orthodontist Team encourages you to visit the Braces Brigade blog to read these great and informative blogs—who knows, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two! As always, don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the Braces Brigade or your own orthodontic treatment!
