1. How long is the treatment?

Full orthodontic treatment can be anywhere from 18-to-30 months, depending on the severity and type of malocclusion. We do a free initial consultation and evaluate the patient. During the consultation, we provide an approximate treatment timeline.


2. When is the right time to start treatment?

According to the American Association of Orthodontists, a child should have a consultation with an orthodontist at age 7. While only a very small percentage of patients need treatment at this age, an initial consultation and evaluation provides the opportunity to detect issues early on – which means issues can be corrected very simply and inexpensively. If left untreated, orthodontia issues could result in the need to do much more involved treatment at a later date, such as extraction of permanent teeth or jaw surgery. We feel so strongly about this that we do free initial consultations and will reevaluate the patient periodically at no charge for several years until it is the proper time to start treatment.


3. By starting the treatment earlier, does that     mean that it can be finished earlier?

Unfortunately, no. Regardless of when treatment is started, all patients finish at the same time -- when all the permanent teeth are in and aligned. Normally the last teeth to come in are the 12-year molars. Therefore, most patients finish treatment around age 13.


4. Then why do I see 7 and 8 year olds
    with braces?

Chances are they are not Dr. Moore’s patients. He believes in accomplishing all the treatment in one phase of treatment if at all possible.


5. I have heard that extraction of permanent     teeth is no longer necessary?

When orthodontics started in the early 1900s, that was the philosophy. Unfortunately many of those cases failed because shortly after the braces were removed, the teeth returned close to the original poor teeth alignment -- referred to as malocclusion. In the 1930s, orthodontists started to re-treat their failures, plus treat new patients by removing some permanent teeth. Those patients’ teeth stayed straighter after the braces were removed. As with any good thing, it was overdone and in the ’60s and ’70s too many patients had permanent teeth removed. Critics of permanent tooth removal have gone back to 1900s philosophy and are saying that permanent should never be removed. Dr. Moore treats each patient on an individual basis, so each patient has a customized plan of treatment. If after a complete and thorough evaluation of a patient’s teeth, Dr. Moore concludes that the only way to achieve a beautiful smile with healthy teeth that will be stable is to remove permanent teeth, then that is what he recommends for that patient.


6. I have heard that headgear is no longer used to     correct overbites?

There is a growing trend to replace headgear with appliances that dislocate the lower jaw forward up to 8mm to correct an overbite. Research has shown that this will only cause at best 1-2 mm of extra jaw growth, depending on the patient’s actual jaw growth this can result in a permanent dislocation of the lower jaw to make the teeth fit together. Headgear corrects the overbite by slowing the growth of the upper jaw and allowing the lower jaw to grow and catch up. If this does not fully correct the overbite, there is no jaw dislocation and other means can be used to make the teeth fit together properly. The good news about headgear is that research has shown that 10-12 hours of wear is enough to achieve the desired effect. Therefore most of the wear is while sleeping, and headgear never needs to be worn outside the home.


7. How long do I have to wear my retainers?

Whether a person has had braces or not, a person’s teeth tend to move throughout life. Therefore, retainer wear is forever. However, within a short time of the removal of braces, retainer wear can be tapered off so that the patient only needs to try on the retainers nightly and wear them if they are tight.