Doctor’s Corner

This is one of the most common questions that an orthodontist gets.  Unfortunately most people do not like hearing the answer.  Research on retainers has been done for decades and the one thing that they all agree with is there is not an age or a time when a patient can stop wearing their retainers.  [...]

Most people think that sugar in candy is the only thing that can harm your teeth.  But when you have braces, candy can create more problems than just causing cavities.  Most candy is sticky and chewy and this is where the problem with braces arises.  The sticky and chewy candy will adhere to both the [...]

Movement of teeth is an amazing occurrence in the body.  When a force is placed on a tooth, in the case of orthodontics by braces or a retainer, it translates to the root of the tooth.  Roots of teeth are anchored in bone.  This bone forms a support structure for the teeth to function.  When [...]

An orthodontist is a dental specialist and thus must follow the initial path that one follows to become a dentist.  This starts by attending a 4 year college/university, with a focus on a science curriculum.  If one can excel in this curriculum, then they can gain entrance into dental school.  All of the dental schools [...]

Invisalign is a patented way of moving teeth that was developed over 10 years ago.  Invisalign uses a series of clear, removable retainers called ‘aligners.’  These aligners are worn 22 to 23 hours a day and when doen so can move your teeth in a programmed way.  How Invisalign accomplishes this is by taking a [...]

There are a laundry list of metals that are used to make orthodontic wires.  The two most common metals that are used are stainless steel and nickel titanium.  Stainless steel is a material that has been used to make orthodontic wires since moving teeth started.  The wires are stiff and come in all shapes and sizes.  The [...]

This is a good question and something that is asked often in orthodontic offices.  When teeth move there is a physiological reaction in the gums and bone that can cause pain and discomfort to the patient.  The good thing is that this discomfort is something that can be managed with over the counter pain medications (Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc.) [...]

Many parents have asked Dr. Galkin this question, since either friends or relatives have had to wear one at some point.  A palatal expander is an appliance that is either fixed (cemented in one’s mouth) or removable (the patient can take it in and out) and attached to the upper jaw.  What it does is widen or [...]

The answer is definitely NO.  Over the last 10 years, orthodontics have become more and more accepted by the adult population.  There are many reasons for this.  Probably the main reason is the advent of Invisalign.  Invisalign is “orthodontics without braces.”  How it works is a series of clear, removable retainers called “aligners” move your [...]

Crowding or lack of space for teeth is one of the most common problems seen in growing kids. In most cases if a child is seen by an orthodontist before all of their baby teeth are lost, treatment can be done to help make space for the permanent teeth that have not yet come into [...]