Two-Phase Treatment

What Is the Advantage of Two-Phase Orthodontic Treatment in children?

Two-phase orthodontic treatment is a specialized process that combines tooth straightening and skeletal facial changes. The purpose of two-phase treatment is to maximize the opportunity to accomplish the ideal healthy, functional, and aesthetic result that will remain stable throughout your child’s life and in many cases to alleviate the need for more invasive treatment options like jaw surgery or the removal of permanent teeth. Not every person will need two phase treatment so it is important for your child to be evaluated by the Top Mckinney Orthodontics by age 8 or 9 years of age and at Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics your orthodontic smile evaluation is free!

Early Orthodontic Treatment – An Important Head Start for a Great Smile!

Did you know that the growth of the bones in the face slow dramatically by the age of puberty at around age 11 to age 13? Therefore, the best time for your child to be seen by the Top Mckinney Orthodontics is between ages 7 and 8, when the bones are growing rapidly. In fact, the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all children get a check-up with an orthodontist no later than age 7. With early orthodontic treatment, major orthodontic problems, extractions, and jaw surgery can be avoided or minimized.

What if Treatment Is Put Off?

Putting off treatment can result in a need for more invasive treatment like jaw surgery or permanent tooth removals later in the teen years during the Phase Two full braces stage. Early treatment is most effective for achieving lasting, stable results, when we are able to start on the smile earlier rather than later.

Phase One Braces (for ages 7 – 11 years)

A Foundation for a Lifetime of Beautiful Smiles

The goal of Phase One treatment is to help the jaw develop in a way that will accommodate all of the permanent teeth and improve the way the upper and lower jaws fit together. Phase One is the “skeletal” part of treatment. Children ages 7 to 11 years old often exhibit early signs of jaw problems as they grow and develop. An upper jaw that is growing too far forward or is too narrow can be recognized at an early age and can be easily corrected in Phase One orthodontic treatment. This treatment can help to correct skeletal problems by redirecting bone growth during this rapid skeletal growing phase and often prevents the need to extract permanent teeth later. Other orthodontic problems such as severe crowding, overbite or overjet, thumb sucking or tongue thrusting habits are also addressed in Phase One treatment.

• Come in for a free Phase One orthodontic evaluation! Planning now can save your child’s smile later.
• Children benefit tremendously from early-phase treatment. Receiving early treatment may prevent the removal of permanent teeth later in life, or the need for aggressive surgical procedures to realign the jaws.
• Early Phase One orthodontic treatment will often shorten your child’s Phase Two full braces treatment.
• During your child’s initial evaluation, the orthodontist will determine if early Top Mckinney Orthodontics treatment is necessary. If so, orthodontic records will be taken to determine your child’s unique treatment plan. The type of appliances to be used, the duration of treatment time, and the frequency of visits will also be discussed at your visit. Records consist of a digital scan of the teeth, digital x-rays, and photographs.

Maintenance Period (Time Between Phase One and Phase Two)

This is the growing phase where the remaining permanent teeth are left alone as they erupt. Retaining devices may or may not be recommended. Sometimes it is best to allow the existing permanent teeth some freedom of movement. A successful Top Mckinney Orthodontics Phase One will have created room for permanent teeth to find an eruption path. At the end of the first phase of treatment, teeth are not in their final positions. This will be determined and accomplished in the second phase of treatment. Selective removal of certain primary (baby) teeth may be in the best interest to aid in eruption during this maintenance period. At Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics, we recommend our patients be seen about every nine to twelve months for observation; just to allow the doctor to check tooth eruption and skeletal growth and to field for any other issues.

Phase Two Braces (for ages 12 – 99)

The goal of the second phase is to make sure each tooth has an exact location in the mouth where it is in harmony with the lips, cheeks, tongue, and other teeth. When this facial equilibrium is established, the teeth will function together properly. Phase Two usually involves full upper and lower braces. This is the “Dental” phase of treatment.

Phase Two begins when all permanent teeth have erupted (usually by age 12 or 13 years), and usually requires braces on all the teeth for an average of 18-24 months. Visits during your treatment are usually every 6-8 weeks. Near the end of Phase Two treatment, most patients will need to wear rubber bands in order to set their final bite. It is extremely important for each patient to wear their elastics in order to achieve their desired outcome. After Phase Two treatment, retainers are worn to ensure your child maintains his or her beautiful smile. We know that it can be hard for patients to remember to wear their retainers, but this is extremely important to sustain their beautiful Hollywood Smile for a lifetime. Luckily as a special benefit to our Top Mckinney Orthodontics patients, we provide one “free” retainer per patient should they lose one.

At Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics we pride ourselves in the amazing outcome of your smile! We have confidence that you or your child will sail through the braces process seamlessly and experience a spectacular result. If you would like to see the results of some finished outcomes of our patients’ beautiful Hollywood smiles, you can check out our before and after photos on our Braces Before and After page located under the New Patients tab on our website.

We also would love to answer any questions that you may still have regarding orthodontic treatment, so please feel free to give us a call or come by our office during our business hours. Our business hours are Monday through Thursday 7:45am to 6pm and until 6:30pm on Tuesday. We look forward to meeting you and making your Hollywood Smile dreams come true!

Click here to schedule your FREE Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics Top Mckinney Orthodontics evaluation, or call (972) 529-9700 to speak with someone on our dynamic team!

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