A tongue-tie or lip-tie is a piece of tissue — called a frenulum — that’s tighter or shorter than normal, restricting how freely the tongue or lip can move. When one of these ties is significant, it can influence how a child swallows, speaks, and rests their tongue, and over
Headgear is an orthodontic appliance worn outside the mouth, attached to braces with straps or bands, used to guide jaw growth or move upper and lower molars relative to each other in ways that braces alone can’t accomplish. It’s recommended far less often today than it was a generation ago,
You can absolutely whiten your teeth while wearing Invisalign — and in some ways, clear aligners make whitening more convenient than braces do, since they’re removable. That said, timing and product choice matter: whitening gel applied under an aligner tray isn’t the same as a standard take-home whitening kit, and
Yes — chronic mouth breathing in children can absolutely contribute to orthodontic problems. When a child habitually breathes through their mouth instead of their nose, the tongue rests low in the mouth instead of up against the palate, and over months and years that changed posture can narrow the upper
Spacers and separators are both small devices placed between teeth before braces go on, and the terms actually describe the same step in treatment — most orthodontic offices use them interchangeably. Their job is to gently push your back teeth apart just enough to create room for the metal bands
Serial extraction is a planned, staged removal of specific baby teeth (and sometimes a few permanent teeth) over time, timed to guide incoming adult teeth into better positions as a child’s jaw develops. It’s recommended in select cases of significant crowding, where creating space gradually and predictably produces a better
Temporary anchorage devices, or TADs, are tiny titanium screws that an orthodontist places just beneath the gum tissue to act as a fixed, unmoving point of leverage for moving teeth. Unlike your teeth, a TAD doesn’t shift when force is applied to it, which lets our orthodontists move specific teeth
Phase 1 orthodontic treatment happens early, usually between ages 6 and 10, while a child still has baby teeth and the jaw is still growing — the goal is to guide that growth and make room for adult teeth. Phase 2 comes later, typically between ages 11 and 14 once
What causes a gummy smile and when braces or Invisalign can help reduce excess gum display.
