Many people ask how early they should begin Orthodontics with children. Hopefully this article posted from our website can help you understand more of why we recommend the ages we do. Of coarse each child is different and will require an ortho treatment specialized according to his or her needs. Dr. Jolley strives to give the best treatment at the right time for the best results - saving you time and money in the long run.

Give Your Child the Gift of a Beautiful, Healthy Smile with Two Phase orthodontic Treatment

Your Children Deserve...

Beautiful Smiles

Children with narrow arches need to wear functional appliances to expand their arches to make room for all the permanent teeth and create beautiful broad smiles.

Healthy Jaw Joints

Many children with narrow jaws, deep overbites or receding lower jaws have unhealthy jaw joints, which can cause: Headaches, Neck Pain, Dizziness, Earaches, Ear Ringing, and Clicking.

Early use of functional appliances can solve these problems.

No More Snoring

Children with airway obstructions, such as enlarged tonsils, often snore which can lead to sleep apnea. This frequently causes poor sleep habits, excessive daytime fatigue and inability to concentrate in school.

High Self-Esteem

Children are often self conscious about their crooked teeth and underdeveloped lower jaws. Early treatment can improve their self-esteem, which is extremely important when they are actively growing and interacting with other children.

Prevent Speech Problems

Narrow jaws result in less room for the tongue, which can interfere with normal speech. Functional appliances can expand the arches, make more room for the tongue and ensure normal speech.

Eliminate Need for Extractions

Functional appliances develop arches and make room for all permanent teeth, thereby eliminating the need for extraction of permanent teeth.

EARLY TREATMENT IS KEY!

Need for Orthodontics

Seventy-five percent of 12 year olds need orthodontic treatment. By treating early, using functional appliances, 80% of the treatment can be completed before the adult teeth are present.

Functional Appliances Can Help Correct:

Underdeveloped Jaws

Narrow Arches

Crowded Teeth

Deep Overbites

Thumb Sucking Habit

Jaw Joint Problems

Cooperation

Younger children between age 8 to 11 are often more cooperative wearing functional appliances than children age 12 to 13 years.

Shorter Treatment Time

It is preferable to treat orthodontic problems early as this reduces time in fixed braces and reduces the total cost.

WHY ARE APPLIANCES SO IMPORTANT?

To Eliminate Crowding

Crowded teeth are caused by narrow arches. By developing the arches at an early age, we may prevent or eliminate the crowding of permanent teeth.

Another advantage is that early treatment often eliminates the need to remove any adult teeth.

To Correct Underdeveloped Jaws

Almost 50% of children who need orthodontic treatment due to bad bite have underdeveloped lower jaws. Functional appliances can reposition the lower jaw forward, improve the child’s profile and correct the bit problem – with *NO EXTRACTIONS AND NO SURGERY –within 7 to 9 months!

PHASE 1

Functional Appliances – Ages 5 to 12

Early treatment should be initiated for:

Narrow arches and narrow smiles

Crooked teeth

Deep overbite

Underdeveloped lower jaw

Underdeveloped upper jaw

Snoring and sleep apnea

Thumb sucking or tongue trusting habits

--Sometimes, braces are placed on front teeth for a short period of time.

PHASE 2

Braces – Age 12 to 14

Teeth are straightened with braces for 1 to 2 years.

Here is our healthy recipe for the week.
Now that warmer weather is upon us, you won't want to make Banana Bread with those extra bananas. Instead you can freeze them up to a month for this recipe or use them fresh. Either way you will be enjoying a frozen healthy treat on those warmer days coming!


Banana Smoothie


2 cups of milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 banans - Fresh or Frozen
5 cups of ice


Blend in a high speed blender on medium for 1 min. than on high for 30 sec. or until ice is chopped fine and smooth


You can also make a variation on this recipe and change the 2 cups of milk to
1 cup of milk and
1 cup of orange juice
an orange - banana smoothie is really refreshing and delicious!


Also the 1/2 cup sugar can be substituted with 1/2 cup xilytol (a sugar substitute you can buy at the Good Earth in the bulk section) It has great health benefits for diabetics as well an ability to literally fight the bad bacteria in your mouth and reduce tartar.




ENJOY!

All About Fluoride Treatments and Sealants

Your teeth have to last a lifetime, so it’s important to make sure that you keep them strong and healthy. Some people are genetically predisposed to cavities, while others have a harder time properly cleaning their teeth. In these cases, a general dentist might recommend sealant and/or fluoride treatments.

Fluoride Treatments
A fluoride dental treatment is generally prescribed to children in order to strengthen tooth enamel, but this treatment has proven to be effective for adults as well. During the treatment, fluoride is applied to the teeth topically. Your children’s dentist may prescribe a slow-release fluoride device instead. Fluoride is a common ingredient is toothpaste, and it can also be found in unfiltered tap water. It is an important mineral that helps strengthen the tooth enamel, preventing hot and cold sensitivity, weak spots, and cavity development. If you want to increase the amount of fluoride your teeth are getting without treatment, look for it in certain mouth washes, varnishes, and dietary supplements. If you notice white spots, active decay, or increased sensitivity, then you may be a candidate for fluoride treatment.

Dental Sealants
A dental sealant is a durable, plastic film that is painted on to the surface of the chewing teeth to prevent food particles from getting stuck in the crevices. Dentists often see tooth decay in the narrow pits and grooves of newly formed molars in children. Therefore, dental sealants are highly beneficial for children who have a hard time thoroughly cleaning their teeth. Dental sealants, however, can benefit people of all ages. Some adults can’t reach their back teeth or don’t have a brush that adequately cleans the teeth’s grooves, which allows for the development of tooth decay. Sealants act like a shield over the crevices and block food and bacteria from getting down into the tooth indentations.

To answer our question from Facebook... You should brush your teeth at minimum '2' times a day!

The main reason to brush is to avoid cavities. Technically if you brush and floss REALLY well, you can actually get away with ‘once’ a day. It takes 24 hours for the bacteria to reorganize and do damage. However if you are not brushing thoroughly and flossing, once a day will not cut it! 


The next reason we brush is for social reasons. No one wants to go around with food stuck in their teeth and you certainly don’t want to be caught with bad breathe. For these reasons you should floss once a day and brush after every meal. Brushing your tongue can be helpful too. Recently there has been a craze over the ‘tongue brush.’  FYI, this brush is very helpful if you have chronic bad breathe, but the results have been proven to last only 30 min. because bad breathe can also be caused by stomach problems. You may also want to add some mouth wash to your routine if you are subconscious about halitosis.   


An article written by Dr. Chris Jolley for the Timpanogos Times: June 16, 2010 states – 

BRUSHING YOUR TEETH IS HARMFUL TO THE ENVIROMENT 

Cavity-causing bacteria live in and around your teeth. They eat sugar and other carbohydrates, and then excrete acid, which eats away at your teeth, eventually causing cavities. 


By brushing and flossing your teeth, you remove the bacteria, which change the micro-environment between and around your teeth.  Having been removed, the bacteria have to start over to grow in enough numbers to cause cavities. 


Other things that harm the bacterial micro-environment around your teeth include the following: 


*Limiting the frequency of snacks between meals


*Using fluoride in the form of toothpaste, rinses, or treatments in a dental office


*If you suffer from a dry mouth (a common side-effect of medications), keeping your mouth moist. 


While some environments deserve to be protected, the bacterial micro-environment in your mouth deserves nothing more than clear-cut forestry on a twice-daily basis.