Celebrities who have had braces!!!

Have you noticed that most celebrities have perfect teeth!?  Unfortunately, nobody is born with perfect teeth, so they have used orthodontics at some point in their lives. Some have used Invisalign, lingual braces, ceramic braces or metal braces.

Niall Horan from One Direction

Gwen Stefani

Dakota Fanning sporting ceramic braces

Above are a few celebrities who sported their braces with pride :)

At MCO Stouffville Orthodontics, Dr. Jason Tam offers Invisalign, Ceramic braces & Metal braces. I have chosen the metal braces and you can barely see them when I smile!

MCO Stouffville Orthodontics smile!

Another year till my perfect MCO smile! Until then, wearing my MCO braces with confidence!!!

Progress with my Stouffville Orthdontist!

Wanted to give you all an update on my treatment for my Stouffville braces!!! It has been 9 months now since I started treatment and really happy with the changes. Keep in mind that my estimated treatment plan is 2 years. Still lots to do!!!

Stouffville Orthodontist Initial photos

Stouffville Orthodontist 5 month photos

Stouffville Orthodontist 9 month photos

You'll notice that my midline has shifted slightly, still needs a couple more mm to go. My deep bite is opening up, and all the teeth are very straight!!! I am still wearing the elastic on the left hand side to prevent my canine from moving forward while closing the space. Excited to see the half way point in May :)

Braces-Friendly foods for Braces in Stouffville!!!

Eight months into treatment and still enjoying the braces...most of the time. The thing that can get slightly annoying has to do with what you can and cannot eat. Some foods can cause your braces to break, your teeth to hurt, or even increase your chances of cavities if not cleaned properly. Unfortunately, the discomfort to chewing while eating foods can be related to any tooth movement it being braces or Invisalign. However, if you really don't enjoy the food getting caught in the braces, Invisalign is a great alternative. For myself, I am able to clean out the food properly with brushing and flossing.

Braces-Friendly foods consist of anything soft (breads, yogurt, cheese, raspberries, pasta). Anything really hard such as apples, carrots, cookies can break the dental glue that attaches the braces to your teeth. Be very aware of anything too sticky such as caramel, taffy and gummy candies. They get stuck in the little grooves of the teeth and cause cavities. If any of your are on Pinterest, there are some fantastic Braces Friendly foods and recipes available. I have tried a couple and they are great!!!

Keep in mind that in order for treatment to go as planned and smoothly, you must be aware not to break the braces during the treatment time that your Stouffville Orthodontist estimates. It can be annoying to always have to bo aware of your braces and what to eat/not eat, but in the end it is completely worth it!! Hopefully it will also encourage you all to eat healthier :)

At MCO Stouffville Orthodontics, we encourage eating most foods and go over specific instructions on how to eat certain foods properly at your initial visit! Eat right and be aware!!!

Starting Elastics with my Braces in Stouffville!!

7 months in and starting elastics!! Elastics are used for many different reasons, usually connecting the upper jaw with the lower jaw. There are many different patterns which are specified to the patient by your Orthodontist.

Orthodontic Elastics

Reasons for elastics include closing a bite and/or shifting over the lower jaw either forward or back depending on the bite.

Orthodontic elastic on left hand side

For my particular case, you will notice I am in a full upper Power Chain (Chain that closes spaces). The particular elastic I'm wearing is to prevent my upper left canine from shifting forward so my upper midline can shift to the left. I wear the elastic all day and all night except when I'm eating and brushing. It's not bad at all!!!! I barely feel it to be honest :) Which is why it is difficult to remember putting it back on after a meal. A good way to remember and here, at your Stouffville Orthodontist, we tell our patients to keep the elastic around their pinky finger while they eat. It has been working so far!! I cannot wait for my upper midline to shift and all the spaces to close!!! Tune in for the progress!

Orthodontic Elastics

Braces vs. Invisalign at MCO Stouffville Orthodontist

I have often been asked why I chose to get metal braces instead of going ahead with Invisalign. Most of the people asking have been Invisalign patients at the office.  Invisalign is an excellent option and is definitely one of the more popular options in our office for patients at MCO Orthodontics, due to Dr. Tam's expertise.

 
As you see in the picture above, Invisalign is portrayed as a better option. Being more comfortable, virtually invisible, and easier to keep clean. These are extremely attractive features with Invisalign.

The reason why I went for braces is that I don't mind the look of the braces or the feel of them. With Invisalign, you have to consciously remove the trays (called aligners) to eat and to drink anything but water. I tend to snack a lot and I am constantly on the go. I didn't want to think about removing the aligners every time I wanted to drink something or when I go to an event.  I still brush and floss after eating, but I don't have to do it right afterwards.  It is crucial for Invisalign to be on the teeth for 22 hours a day. However, braces are on 24 hours a day and I didn't want to think about them as much. The most important thing is knowing how to keep them clean, which as a Dental Hygienist, I know how to do! I also always wanted braces since I was a teenager, but did not have the benefit of getting them. Eating with braces is not as limited as people think. I can still eat anything I want, but I'm careful with them.  Again, most people at my stage of life will want Invisalign, and it's an excellent choice, but working in an orthodontic office around braces makes it easier for me to get them also :).

One of our Dental Hygienist's named Isha is currently going through treatment with Invisalign! You should also check out her Inviaslign blog because she definitely didn't want braces and is extremely happy with her Invisalign. As for myself, I am incredibly happy with my decision to go with the metal braces and love my new MCO smile so far!

Progress of My Stouffville Braces Treatment!

As promised, here are my progress photos of my treatment involving an extraction.  It has been 5 months so far into treatment and I can't believe how straight my teeth are!

Initial records MCO Stouffville Orthdontics

Progress Records MCO Stouffville Orthdontics

You will notice that Dr. Jason Tam has begun closing the space where my tooth was extracted. Starting with my first premolar, and eventually we will work on shifting my front teeth over. The blue stuff present on my upper molars is called occlusal bonding. It is used to prevent the top teeth from biting on the lower brackets. It will be removed once I no longer need it! 

I found the most noticeable difference would be my profile. The position of my lips in my progress photos are move relaxed. I am very happy with the changes!! I'll keep you all updated with progress photos every few months!!!

Goodbye Tooth! Dental Extraction for My Braces Treatment in Stouffville!

When someone thinks of a tooth extraction, they do everything to avoid it. However, in orthodontics it is not always a bad thing and can be a good thing in some situations!  In my case, Dr. Tam, my orthodontist at MCO Stouffville Orthodontics, explained that I needed an upper left premolar extracted for my upper midline shift. In my initial photos, you will see that the middle of my 2 front teeth is not aligned with my nose. It is almost a full tooth to the right. Extracting 1 of my upper left premolars will give space to shift over my teeth to the left to centre the midline.

I had a dental fear in the past, especially when it came to tooth extractions. It only takes one bad experience when you are younger to traumatize you. Most of the fear people have is because they don't understand or know what is really going on. It is important to find a dentist that makes you comfortable and explains things very well to you. My dentist I have had for 15 years now helped me with gaining confidence in dentistry and getting over my fear!  I had 4 wisdom teeth out when I was 19 and the experience was a very good one. So when it came to extracting 1 small tooth, I wasn't too worried.

My dentist made me very comfortable, gave me anaesthetic to freeze the whole tooth and within 2 minutes, it was out!!!!

Tooth #25!!!

The after-effect was very minimal. Soft foods for the remainder of the day and Advil for any discomfort as well as preventing inflammation. It was a little uncomfortable for the same day I got the tooth extracted, but then I didn't feel it at all!!! Another great experience!!! I'm excited to show off the progress photos on my next posting :)