Metal Mouth Message Board

Always have to reframe questions like this because Invisalign is a technique, not a product. Invisalign is not fixing anything. Invisalign used as a tool by a doctor who has properly planned your treatment can help you achieve your goal in your treatment. It may sound like semantics but there is a b...

100% the silver ones, not the clear or white ones as stated above. Silver blends in best with the colour of the metal.

It isn't uncommon to go into an edge to edge or underbite in some situations if you have crowding in your lower teeth with or without spacing in the upper arch. Teeth in an underbite won't be able to move as quickly because of the interference of the opposite jaw. In our office, we generally don't s...

Whether Invisalign "works" for you is going to depend on how your teeth start off and how much experience your orthodontist has with using Invisalign. Unfortunately, there is a very large discrepancy in experience and skill of "certified Invisalign providers". Therefore, it is en...

It isn't uncommon for a space to appear between the front teeth as the teeth align. This is because the early wires are often trying to create more space for the teeth to move. It doesn't look great but the truth is that orthodontics is much easier when there is adequate space for the teeth than not...

The biggest medical consideration is that biting against a ceramic bracket is more likely to cause tooth wear or chip the opposing tooth. One other consideration is that often the ceramic braces are bigger than the metal braces and the wings of the bracket can be a bit more sharp. From a comfort sta...

The cost of a consultation is going to depend on each office. Not all offices offer a free initial visit or secondary visits. In our office, there is a difference between a consultation for someone who has braces on (locally) and someone who does not. The idea of the free consultation is to lower th...

We have had many professional musicians and students majoring in wind instruments get braces. They say it takes a bit of time to adjust, so they wouldn't get them on within a week or so of their performance or for any evaluation. However, they do get used to them and say that it also takes time to g...

Keep in mind that these treatment plans are estimates. It is possible that you will need to wear elastics through much of your treatment. A plan of 14-16 months is also not that different from 18 months if looking at average patients. Sometimes 18 month treatments finish quicker and other times 14-1...

In four premolar extraction treatments, we are using upper and lower essix retainers with or without fixed lingual retainers, but generally, our patients are requesting fixed retainers to at least maintain straightness of the front teeth if they fail to use their removable retainers. Depending on to...

Sorry to hear about your situation. You can still order Vivera retainers from another orthodontist who is a certified Invisalign provider but you will need to have them complete a transfer form for your digital information. Once that is completed, your new office should be able to order them for you...

angelina wrote:What a brilliant idea! He has a fantastic smile, must be extremely happy

Thanks angelina! He's super happy and so are we!

LisainTX wrote:Dr. Kim - that is amazing and very inspirational! Thanks so much for sharing and thanks to your patient for all of his work. You did a spectacular job with his teeth. Bravo!!

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!

The treatment is long because we had to start the treatment earlier in order to move his lateral incisors away from his upper canines. We then had to wait for the canines to erupt into place before continuing with the rest of the treatment. Typically our treatments are not this long! I really love ...

The treatment is long because we had to start the treatment earlier in order to move his lateral incisors away from his upper canines. We then had to wait for the canines to erupt into place before continuing with the rest of the treatment. Typically our treatments are not this long! I really love t...