Stouffville Orthodontist Discusses the Secrets for Success and Great Results with Toronto Invisalign

Your Stouffville Orthodontist and Markham Invisalign braces orthodontist is always talking about successful Invisalign treatment, and pushing the boundaries of Invisalign treatment with some of the best Invisalign doctors in North America.

Three things they agreed upon for the best Invisalign results:

1.        Patient compliance with 22 hour wear is required and may minimize the need for refinement stages.

2.        Use of judicious IPR (interproximal reduction) to create space for teeth to move can improve the success of Invisalign treatment.

3.        Invisalign treatment planning may be more difficult than that of traditional fixed braces.  A firm understanding of how teeth move with Invisalign and the ability to detect improper movements in ClinCheck simulations are essential.

Dr. Tam is recognized as an Elite Premier Invisalign Provider and Invisalign Teen orthodontist in the Greater Toronto area, serving Markham, Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Ajax, Pickering, and Stouffville.  He teaches Invisalign nationally and helps dentists and orthodontists with planning Invisalign treatment for their patients.  Contact your MCO Stouffville Orthodontist to get started on your way to a beautiful smile!

Ask your Richmond Hill Orthodontist... Should I Expect White Spots on the Teeth After Braces?

With our free consultations at your Markham Orthodontist, we often get questions about whether there will be spots, squares, or scars on teeth after braces.  The answer is:  Absolutely not.  Braces are bonded onto the teeth using a system of adhesives and resins.  They are removed easily from the teeth using a combination of instruments and fine bur to take away any residual resin left on the teeth.

White spots are the result of poor oral hygiene.  If plaque is allowed to accumulate around the braces, they will produce an acid that leeches the teeth, causing a white spot.  The shape of the spotting is usually a square, because of the shape of the area around the brace that was not cleaned properly during treatment.  While there are some pastes that may improve the mineral content and appearance of white spotting on the teeth after poor oral hygiene with braces, most aesthetic corrections will require the use of veneers or crowns.  Fortunately, these areas of decalcification can be completely avoided by practicing good oral hygiene.

At your Stouffville Orthodontist, our team emphasizes proper braces care.  We provide you with everything you need to take care of your braces, spend time at your initial visit going over a hands on demonstration on proper cleaning, refer you to your dentist whenever an extra cleaning is required, provide you with additional supplies as needed, and will actually remove braces before treatment is complete if required, to avoid these spots.  There is the opportunity to brush and floss without your wires in at each appointment in our toothbrushing area.  We also have video on our Markham Braces YouTube page to show you how to clean your teeth properly.  We feel very strongly, and most parents agree, that healthy teeth that are crooked are better than straight, spotted teeth with cavities.

As such, with proper oral hygiene, you should expect straight teeth without the formation of white spots on the teeth!  Contact us if you would like to schedule your complimentary consultation or have any additional questions.

Markham Orthodontist Discusses Tooth Whitening Pastes: Do They Work?

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.

Toronto Orthodontist Attends Study Club of Top Orthodontists in Dallas

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 Before and After- Severe Spacing and Rotations Corrected!

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!

BEFORE





AFTER

Extraction with braces vs Non-Extraction Orthodontist in Markham

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.

Retainers and Vivera: Information from your Markham Orthodontist

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.