Yes, a dental check up and teeth cleaning are essential prior to starting orthodontic treatment, and this needs to be maintained during orthodontic treatment as well. We recommend six monthly dental hygiene visits to maintain the health of your teeth and gums.

It is normal for teeth to be tender. This will last for a few days. The intensity and duration of this discomfort will vary with each patient. Painkillers may need to be taken to relieve any discomfort. It is recommended that you see your pharmacist for the medication that would suit you. Teeth can feel “tight” after an adjustment but it is usually mild and disappears quickly.

The cheeks and lips also need time to become accustomed to braces or other appliances. A “settling in” period is also normal for other functional appliances.

If you eat hard and/or sticky foods, wires can bend or break and brackets and bands can come loose. Sweets and lollies are usually hard and should not be eaten; minties, toffees, boiled lollies, hard chocolate, ice blocks, hard biscuits, nuts and other similar foods ill all damage braces. On special occasions, it is nice to have sweets and it is better to choose a softer alternative such as a cake, a soft centred chocolate or ice cream. Most bread, meat, fruit and vegetables are fine, however, hard or crisp foods such as apples and raw carrots should be sliced or shredded before eating. It is also best to cut meat off bones and corn off the cob.

Our goal is to place the teeth in the ideal aesthetic position that is best for your smile and suits your face.In some cases, it is necessary to remove teeth as part of the orthodontic treatment. We carry out meticulous planning to formulate and orthodontic treatment plan. The decision to extract any teeth is not taken lightly, and you will be involved in the planning phase while we go through all the possible options available.

The normal period for treatment with full braces is generally 18 months to 24 months. This can vary considerably depending on the case. We will discuss in detail with you the expected treatment timeline based on your own individual circumstances.

Retainers are an important step in any Orthodontic Treatment. It keeps your teeth stable in their new position, and prevents any relapse. Retainers can be either made in a clear Essix material or a Hawley style retainer with metal wires. Costs will be discussed. If you want your teeth to remain in this new ideal position, it is best to wear your retainers as directed by our Smile Designer team.

The idea is to create a more attractive, natural and pleasing smile. Our aim is to create better functionality of your teeth. Studies show that people with straight teeth have better self confidence, while it encourages long term better health of the teeth and gums. This is because there is an increased ability to clean teeth due to less crowding. Teeth that are protruded are also a lower risk of injury once they are straightened. As the phrase goes- ‘healthy smiles, healthy life’.

If you notice general crowding or overlapping of teeth, of the midlines and centres of your teeth do not line up, then you may require orthodontics. Some people have spacing, deep bites, underbites and open bites. All these issues cause the teeth to not fit in its proper position, and can lead to difficulty in chewing and long term dental wear. Habits such as finger or thumb sucking that continue after six or seven years old can cause dental related problems.

Phase i is orthodontics that is starting at an early age, before all the adult teeth have erupted into position. Treatment can start from 8 years of age, and can help in the correction of crossbites, overbites, underbites, and certain habits.

Phase 2 treatment is done at an older age once all adult teeth have come through. Typically, this is around 12-15 years old for girls and 13-16 years of age for boys.

Yes, it is ok to continue playing sports. We would recommend using a mouthguard. If you have a removable appliance, this can be removed during sports.

In most cases, braces do not affect your musical abilities. There will be a period of adjustment that is required but most of our patients have not noticed a huge impact.

Studies have shown that there is no correlation between wisdom teeth and dental crowding. It is important to continue wearing your retainers for life if you want to maintain straight teeth. Teeth will continue to move as we grow older due to the ageing process and bone movement. Regular dental hygiene visits are recommended so that we can review and track your dental health and teeth over the years. We can recommend wisdom tooth removal if and when it is warranted.

Because there are so many treatment options available for each child, at your initial consultation, our team will put together a treatment plan that is catered specifically for you. We offer complimentary Orthodontic Consultations at The Smile Designer so that we can go through all the options available to you and your child.

We are located in Melbourne at 118-120 High street, Thornbury. We are on the border of Thornbury and South Preston, close to Bell Street, and just a stones throw away from surrounding suburbs like Northcote, Brunswick, Preston and Heidelberg.