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Our office offers orthodontic treatment that is focused on healthy nasal breathing, correct swallowing patterns, and broad beautiful smiles. By reshaping and repositioning the upper and lower jaws during early childhood development, many current and future medical problems can be prevented such as TMJ disorders, headaches, sleep apnea, and learning disabilities. Our comprehensive program addresses the functional habits such as tongue thrust and mouth breathing that initially causes need for orthodontics treatment in the first place. Myofunctional therapy will retrain incorrect muscle patterns, shorten the orthodontic treatment time, and reduce the chances for relapse in the future. We have extensive experience in Invisalign, functional growth appliances, myofunctional therapy, TMJ therapies, and sleep apnea appliances.
In recent years medicine is focusing on the importance of open nasal breathing for children and adults. Airway obstruction or mouth breathing causes the crowding of teeth, abnormal facial growth, tooth decay, headaches, and learning disabilities in children. Leading universities are now advocating correcting mouth breathing in children at early ages. DuHamel Family Dentistry has been orthodontically and orthopedically treating these conditions for 35 years.
Before any treatment is begun, the dentist will want a series of “start-up records”. These records have a dual purpose. 1) To establish a cause for treatment and to design the correct treatment plan for the patient, and 2) to establish a starting point so progress can be accurately measured.
A single film that “pans” the entire mouth including the T M joint (temporomandibular joint), sinus cavity, all of the teeth (both erupted and non-erupted), bone structure and root structure and identifies any anomalies such as abscess or lesions. This film will be taken periodically during orthodontic treatment.
A 3-D cat scan to measure and evaluate the patients, nasal passages airway and temporal mandibular joints (TMJ). Learn more here.
This film is taken from a side view and the dentist uses a high tech computer evaluation to “trace” tooth angles, growth patterns, jaw sizes, and the relationship of the upper and lower jaws. Learn more here.
Used to evaluate the alignment and position of the teeth themselves, check the size and shape of the palate, measure the size and shape of the erupted teeth, and show how the teeth occlude between the upper and lower jaws.
Used to evaluate the patient’s esthetic profile and smile shape. The photographs show how much teeth and gum are revealed when the patient smiles. It also helps evaluate facial asymmetries (abnormal facial development).
Used to evaluate nasal versus mouth breathing, which is critical to the long term outcome of any orthodontic treatment.
An orthodontic presentation appointment will be scheduled with the patient (and parents, if a minor child) to thoroughly discuss the findings. A treatment plan will be presented including the estimated time of treatment, the appliances used, the cost and the consequences of no treatment. We encourage you to ask questions at this time. Orthodontic treatment is a long term commitment to both time and money. We want to supply you with as much information as possible so you can make the decisions that are right for you and your family.
Schwartz appliances for children to widen the upper and lower jaws to correct nasal obstruction to make rom for crowded teeth.
3-way Saggital appliances which develop the upper jaw in all directions.
Twin block growth appliance to advance the lower mandible which opens the airway behind the tongue.
ALF (alternative light force appliances) for adults which develop the maxillary and mandibular arches to improve nasal breathing.
Invisalign clear aligners are removable and virtually invisible, so you can keep living your life and caring for your teeth throughout treatment the same way you always have.
