What is Orthodontics?
Looking for an orthodontist?
Dr. Sanders, Dr. Emils and the team at Lakemoor Family Dental & Orthodontics specializes in orthodontics and serves residents in McHenry, Grayslake, Wauconda, Round Lake, Lakemoor, Hainesville, Elk Grove Village, Roselle, Schaumburg, Bloomingdale, Mount Prospect and Arlington Heights, Palatine, Rolling Meadows Illinois. We believe in a holistic approach to care, aiming to help patients feel confident in their smiles while maintaining the best oral health care possible.
Our days are full of happy, beautiful smiles from patients who are having a great orthodontic experience.
Watching their self confidence grow as their smiles improve is the best!
Initial Consultation is Absolutely Free!
What a difference straight teeth can make! A great-looking smile can boost your self-confidence and have a positive impact on social and professional opportunities. Orthodontic treatment is the original smile makeover tool — and you will be happy to know that you're never too old to take advantage of it. But it isn't all about looks: Properly aligned teeth help you to bite, chew and even speak more effectively. They are also easier to clean, which helps keep your mouth free of tooth decay and gum disease.
The amazing thing about orthodontics is that it harnesses the body's natural ability to remodel its own tissue. With the application of light, constant force, orthodontic appliances gently reshape bone and move teeth into better positions. Some examples of these appliances are traditional metal braces, inconspicuous clear or tooth-colored braces, and clear aligners, a relatively new option for adults and teens.
Bite Problems and How to Fix Them
Orthodontic treatment can resolve a number of bite problems, which often become evident by around age 7. These include underbite, crossbite or excessive overbite, where upper and lower teeth don't close in the proper position; open bite, where a space remains between top and bottom teeth when the jaws are closed; and crowding or excessive spacing, where teeth are spaced too close together or too far apart.
To correct bite problems, teeth need to be moved — but doing that isn't as hard as you might think! Teeth aren't fixed rigidly in their supporting bone; instead, they're held in place by a hammock-like structure called the periodontal ligament, which is very responsive to forces placed on the teeth. Orthodontic appliances move teeth by careful application of light, constant pressure. This force can be applied via metal wires that run through small brackets attached to the teeth (braces), or via the semi-rigid plastic of clear aligners.
Orthodontics is for Children — and Adults
Having orthodontic treatment in childhood is ideal in order to take advantage of a youngster's natural growth processes to help move the teeth into proper alignment. Like the rest of the body, the teeth and jaws are now changing rapidly. So at this time it's possible (for example) to create more room for teeth in a crowded mouth by using a “palatal expander” to rapidly widen the upper jaw. This phase of growth modification can shorten overall treatment time and ensure the best result if additional orthodontic appliances are needed.
But remember, healthy teeth can be moved at any age, so you've never “missed the boat” for orthodontic treatment. In fact, about one in five of today's orthodontic patients is an adult. Several new technological developments — including tooth-colored ceramic braces, clear aligners and invisible lingual braces — have made orthodontic appliances less evident, and enhanced the treatment experience for grown-ups. Before treatment, adults are carefully examined for signs of periodontal (gum) disease, which will be brought under control before treatment begins.
Types of Orthodontic Appliances
When you imagine someone wearing braces, you probably picture small metal brackets bonded to the front of the teeth, with a thin wire running through them. This time-tested style remains very popular — but it's no longer the only option. Clear braces use brackets made of ceramic or plastic which, except for the slim archwire, are hardly visible. Lingual braces are just like traditional metal braces — except they're bonded to the back of your teeth (the tongue side) so that no one can see them.
Removable clear aligners are an alternative to fixed orthodontic appliances. They consist of a series of clear plastic “trays” that fit over your teeth exactly; each one moves your teeth a little bit, until they are in the proper position. Whether fixed or removable, each type of appliance may have advantages or disadvantages in particular situations. After a complete examination, the best treatment options for you will be discussed.
Retention & Post Orthodontic Care
Once your orthodontic treatment is completed, it's extremely important to wear a retainer as directed. That's because teeth naturally tend to drift back to their original locations — which is the last thing you want after you've gone to the trouble of straightening them! Wearing a retainer holds your teeth in their new position long enough for new bone and ligament to re-form around them, and helps keep your gorgeous new smile looking good for a lifetime.
Are you interested in Orthodontic treatments? Contact Lakemoor Dental at their Lakemoor, Hainesville, Arlington Heights or Elk Grove Village, IL location for more information!
Related Articles
The Magic of Orthodontics Proper alignment of the teeth is basic to “Smile Design.” Their position dictates how they work together and affects the way you look and smile. Only orthodontic treatment can move teeth into the right position. Simply put, when things look right, they probably are right. Learn the basics of smile analysis and design and whether the magic of orthodontics will work for you... Read Article
Orthodontics for the Older Adult Healthy teeth can be moved at any age, so there's no such thing as “too old” for braces. In fact, nowadays about one out of every five orthodontic patients is an adult. Yet this figure represents only a small portion of adults who could actually benefit from orthodontic treatment... Read Article
Clear Aligners for Teenagers Teens who regard traditional braces as restrictive, confining, and obstructive to their lifestyles now have another choice for orthodontic treatment: clear aligners. This advanced dental technology, originally geared toward adults, has recently evolved to treat a greater variety of bite problems in younger people. These improved orthodontic appliances can help teens function normally during a difficult phase of life... Read Article
WAUCONDA PROFILE
LIVING IN WAUCONDA
Wauconda is a somewhat small village located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 13,620 people and three constituent neighborhoods, Wauconda is the 180th largest community in Illinois.
Wauconda real estate is some of the most expensive in Illinois, although Wauconda house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.
Unlike some villages where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Wauconda is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Wauconda is a village of sales and office workers, managers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Wauconda who work in management occupations (13.97%), sales jobs (11.35%), and office and administrative support (10.25%).
Also of interest is that Wauconda has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
In Wauconda, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 33.27 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average.
The citizens of Wauconda are very well educated compared to the average community in the nation: 39.77% of adults in Wauconda have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.
The per capita income in Wauconda in 2018 was $38,181, which is wealthy relative to Illinois and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $152,724 for a family of four. However, Wauconda contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Wauconda is a very ethnically-diverse village. The people who call Wauconda home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Wauconda residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Wauconda also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 22.68% of the village’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Wauconda include German, Irish, Polish, Italian, and English.
In addition, Wauconda has a lot of people living here who were born outside of the US (16.50%).
The most common language spoken in Wauconda is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Langs. of India.