Shirck Orthodontics Blog

It’s easy to understand that braces can cause a patient’s teeth to change—that’s often the entire point of the treatment! What isn’t talked about as often is how orthodontic care affects the gums. Swollen gums are fairly common for people with braces. This can be temporary, or it can sometimes be permanent. After their braces come off, many patients choose to have their gums treated to put the finishing touch on their new smile. What causes the gums to swell with braces, and more importantly, how can they be treated?

As a parent, you never have a problem spotting your child, even if they are in a crowd or are running around a playground filled with other kids. In your eyes, they stick out for all sorts of wonderful reasons. While a unique personality is always a good thing, it’s not so positive when a single tooth sticks out in the smile. This is commonly referred to as a “snaggle tooth,” and in addition to causing obvious aesthetic concerns, one can also make a child more vulnerable to serious oral health issues down the road. Thankfully, your children’s orthodontist in Westerville can easily get your little one’s whacky tooth in line, and you can learn more about the process in today’s blog.

While the COVID pandemic certainly isn’t over, no matter how you look at it, it’s certainly winding down here in the US. New cases are down, vaccinations are easily available, restaurants and businesses are opening up, and people are generally starting to get back to what used to be normal. However, one thing that definitely isn’t going away for a while is masks. They are here to stay for the foreseeable future, which may actually be a good thing if you’re thinking about straightening your teeth. At Shirck Orthodontics, we can start a treatment now and have your new, beautifully straightened smile ready for when you finally don’t need a mask to leave the house!

It’s no secret that childhood orthodontic treatment can be quite costly, but many parents believe they have figured out a way to help their child get the care they need while also protecting their budget—instead of putting braces on all of the teeth, why not just apply them to one row? Let the orthodontist pick whichever arch needs more help, and that’s that, right? Not exactly. Any orthodontist for kids will tell you this is a bad idea, and to find out why, keep reading below.

Even though Invisalign allows people to straighten their teeth discreetly and comfortably, patients still want the treatment to go as fast as possible so they can finish and show off their new smiles! This is completely understandable, but there are a few obstacles that can pop up along the way and cause annoying delays. Thankfully, we’re going to cover them today so you won’t be caught off guard! Here are the top 4 ways people RUIN their Invisalign treatment (and how to avoid them!).

Ever since clear aligners were introduced as a viable alternative to metal braces, they have appealed to patients of all ages. For children, they are perfect for the era of social media and can help someone maintain their self-confidence while at school. And for adults, aligners allow them to enhance their smiles without their friends and coworkers noticing their treatment. But, can someone’s age actually prevent them from getting clear aligners to straighten their teeth? Sometimes! Why? An orthodontist in Westerville answers this question below.

There is a term that is often used in our office, though you’ll never hear a team member at Shirck Orthodontics say it: “buck teeth.” Our patients and parents use it to refer to upper front teeth that obviously stick out, somewhat similar to a beaver. In addition to aesthetic concerns, buck teeth can also cause all sorts of oral health problems and even make dental injuries more likely, so it’s very important to have them straightened sooner rather than later. Why are the teeth sticking out in the first place? What is the best way to fix them? Find out more in today’s blog from your orthodontist in Westerville.

For decades, if a person needed to straighten their teeth, the only way was with traditional metal braces. Now, however, there are more options than ever, allowing people to achieve their ideal smiles without having to wear noticeable brackets and wires. In today’s blog, a Westerville orthodontist discusses some of the most popular ways to fix crooked teeth that do NOT involve braces.

The day someone’s braces come off is always a special one. Nothing makes the team at Shirck Orthodontics happier than seeing a patient light up when they look at their new smile for the first time. The only thing that could spoil this moment is if the teeth are stained, with the area that was covered by brackets being a different color than the enamel around it. While this issue is easily treatable, most people would prefer to avoid it in the first place, and you can do exactly that with these tips from your orthodontist in Westerville.

Ideally, each of the teeth should stand right next to each other to form a beautifully straight smile, but for many people, a few can actually crisscross. Overlapping teeth are extremely common, and we see them all the time here at Shirck Orthodontics. This issue can negatively affect both the appearance as well as the health of the smile, but fortunately, your orthodontist in Westerville can offer a proven solution. What causes the teeth to overlap in the first place? How can they be treated? Read on to find the answers to these questions and more.