Donāt Delay Your New Smile!
Peninsula Orthodontics has been making families smile in Huntington Beach since 2000
“Amazing experience with my daughters braces. Can highly recommend ā”ā”ā”” – Danialle P.
“Amazing experience with my daughters braces. Can highly recommend ā”ā”ā”” – Danialle P.
“At Peninsula Orthodontics, we want you to be proud of your smileā ā Dr. Judy Hou
For patients who donāt want braces, Invisalign or Invisalign Teen can help you achieve that confident smile and beautiful teeth that you long for without anyone noticing.
For patients requiring metal wire and bracket braces, self-ligating devices are an excellent choice to reduce malocclusions of their teeth.
WildSmiles are the fun alternative to traditional braces. With WildSmiles you can make your braces, your braces!
When should I have my child evaluated?
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends screening all children by the age of seven from a trained orthodontist. The child may not need treatment until his early teens, but an evaluation at the age of seven will allow the orthodontist to ascertain future needs. If treatment is applicable at this age, then the orthodontist will suggest early treatment. This will prevent other issues like surgery or other more serious corrections later in life. This is called āpreventative treatmentā.
Early treatment is suggested if a child has spent previous years thumb-sucking, or if the child has an early or late loss of baby teeth. Also, mouth breathing and abnormal swallowing can be addressed with early treatment. Other issues are overlapping or crowding of erupting permanent teeth, obvious abnormal bite development of any kind, jaws that click or pop, biting of the cheek or into the roof of the mouth, speech problems, grinding or wearing down of teeth, and protruding teeth.
Can I get braces as an adult?
Yes. The process is the same at any age. As an adult, youāll need healthy bones, teeth, and gums. Older patients have more rigid bones, unlike younger patients whose bones are still malleable. Knowing this, adult patientās treatment may take a little longer but anyone can get braces at any age.
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Will I need a retainer?
In most cases, you will need a retainer. Teeth naturally move back to their natural position. Retainers are generally worn for 6 months minimum after braces are taken off. This means the teeth will have settled in to the new position. Many will have to wear a retainer at night for a lifetime.
What are the common reasons treatment is needed?
Orthodontic issues often arise from heredity conditions. A child whose parent has an underbite will often have an underbite issue himself. Children may have crowded teeth or have too much space between the teeth. They also may have protruding or missing teeth. In some cases, they may have extra teeth or an abnormal jaw growth.
Orthodontic issues may be a result of excessive thumb-sucking, early or late loss of baby teeth. Mouth breathing and abnormal swallowing also result in treatment.
Other issues that result in the need for treatment are poor dental hygiene, disease, poor nutrition, and even accidents where damage to the face occurred. Most of the above can be treated by an orthodontic specialist.