Modern mouth magic

The impact of a truly dazzling smile can sometimes feel limitless, so it makes sense that many of us want to do as much as we can to preserve our pearly whites.

But sometimes we need a little help to bring out the best in our smiles, and that’s when we turn to trained professionals.

These days, modern orthodontists have so many cutting-edge tools to help fix your smile they can sometimes seem closer to wizards than the highly-trained professionals they actually are.

So as the season of smiles approaches, we’re offering you a glimpse at some of the near-magical things orthodontists can do to make your mouth a happier place.

They can wave a wand to map your mouth

Remember being a kid and having to hold back gags as you struggled to chomp down on that strange pink stuff to get dental impressions?

“Nobody liked it, and now we rarely have to do it,” says Judy Meinzinger, from Kelowna and Westside Orthodontic Centres.

Today, the orthodontist at Kelowna and Westside Orthodontic Centres has a camera he can wave through your mouth to get a complete map of it—no pink nightmares necessary.

The iTero scanner is a digital scanner, that looks like a small wand, that the orthodontist moves around in your mouth, coming away with a complete 3-D rendering of your teeth.

Dr Jeff Stewart points out that, not only is this process exceedingly more comfortable than old-school impression taking, it actually gives him a more accurate picture of your pearly whites, making it easier to fit products like Invisalign.

And Invisalign has its own special kind of magic, doing almost the same job as braces, but without the traditional heap of hardware.

That’s right, you don’t have to be a metal-mouth to straighten your teeth

Invisalign aligners are nearly invisible, and in the hands of a skilled orthodontist can handle almost anything traditional braces can.

They are removable, see-through aligners, specifically crafted to fit your mouth, that gradually cause your teeth to shift position.

Every two weeks you change the aligners for a new set that will cause your teeth to move a little more.

As the treatment progresses your teeth will straighten into their proper positions, almost like magic.

They can literally shake your teeth into place

Dr. Stewart says Kelowna and Westside Orthodontic Centres are also using a mind-bending new product that’s changing the way people think about braces.

Propel is a product that patients wearing teeth-straightening devices can use to dramatically cut their treatment time.

Essentially, Dr. Stewart explains, you bite into the device and its vibrations change the bone, allowing your teeth to move more freely through your gums.

“So you bite into it for a few minutes while you’re watching television, and poof, your treatment time is decreased,” he says.

“Not only does it lessen the treatment time, but it also helps with soreness. So you’re teeth don’t get as sore if you’re using this product,” he adds.

They can work their magic on patients as young as six

But wait, won’t a child’s teeth all fall out, anyway?

Of course kids will lose their baby teeth as they age, but Meinzinger says there’s an incredible amount an orthodontist can do to set a young person’s mouth straight (so to speak) for when their adult teeth come in.

At Kelowna and Westside Orthodontic Centres, they will often treat a child’s teeth when they’re young to lessen the amount of work that may have to be done later, holding space in a child’s mouth for when their adult teeth come in.

“If we see that a child’s teeth are really, really crowded, we can actually hold open space so that their adult teeth have the best opportunity to come in straighter,” Meinzinger says.

They can also remove a youngster’s ivories a little early, as well as redirect jaw growth.

There’s even more mouth magic a good orthodontist can accomplish, and if you’re looking for more information, Meinzinger encourages you to check out Kelowna and Westside Orthodontic Centres.

No referral from a dentist is necessary, and the consultation is always free. Many insurance companies will cover orthodontic work, but if you don’t have a plan, interest-free, monthly payment plans are available.