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| John R. Christensen, D.D.S., M.S., M.S., P.A. 121 Woodcroft Parkway * Durham, NC 27713 * Phone (919) 489-1543 * Fax (919) 489-2892 |
| Before and After Braces Here are some common problems that braces/orthodontics can correct |
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| Dr. John Christensen Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics |
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| CROWDING Patient started treatment at age eleven and wore braces for twenty-six months. He loves his new smile. |
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| UNDERBITE (Lower teeth are in front of upper teeth) Patient's underbite was causing her to have jaw joint discomfort and excessive wear patterns on her teeth. After thirty months of treatment starting at age thirty-two, she now finds smiling and chewing much easier |
| OPENBITE (Front teeth don't touch) Patient sucked her thumb as a young child. She started treatment at age thirteen. She had braces and a special appliance--called a crib--to retrain the tongue, for twenty-eight months. Now she can bite the lettuce out of a sandwich. |
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| OVERBITE (Lower teeth bite into palate) This adult patient (age twenty-five) required braces and jaw surgery to correct his severe overbite, treatment taking two years. His problem could have been corrected without surgery if he had been treated before he was a teenager. |
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| SPACING PROBLEMS (Excessive space between teeth) Patient was bothered by the spaces between his teeth. Braces closed the spaces and gave him an ideal bite in twenty-four months. Special glued-in retainers help keep the spaces closed. |
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| PHASE I ORTHODONTICS (Early Intervention) This eight year old patient's parents were concerned about both aesthetics and the health of the erupting permanent teeth when they brought him to the orthodontist. The lower front teeth were crowded and they touched the palate, and the upper front teeth were extremely displaced from their normal positions. After twenty months of Phase I treatment with an expander and partial braces, patient's appearance and dental function was vastly improved. |
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