Treatments & Appliances 5 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics If you're about to start braces, you might get spacers first, and they're usually the part people ask the most nervous questions about. The good news: spacers are a small, temporary step, and the mild pressure you feel means… Continue reading Spacers for Braces: What You Need to Know
Category: Treatments & Appliances
Why Orthodontists Extract Teeth, and When You Really Need It
Treatments & Appliances 8 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics SHORT ANSWER Sometimes yes, sometimes no, and the honest reason it feels confusing is that orthodontists genuinely disagree. The decision comes down to arithmetic first: how much tooth you have versus how much jaw you have to put it… Continue reading Why Orthodontists Extract Teeth, and When You Really Need It
Orthodontic Elastics: What Are They and How Do They Work?
Treatments & Appliances 6 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics At some point in braces treatment, we'll hand you a little bag of tiny rubber bands and ask you to hook them between your upper and lower teeth. These are orthodontic elastics, and here's the thing patients don't always… Continue reading Orthodontic Elastics: What Are They and How Do They Work?
Traditional Braces vs. Power Chains: What’s the Difference?
Treatments & Appliances 5 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics Patients ask me this all the time, usually when they notice a stretchy chain of colored rings appear on their braces partway through treatment: are power chains different from my braces, or a replacement for them? Here's the clear… Continue reading Traditional Braces vs. Power Chains: What’s the Difference?
Jaw Surgery With Clear Aligners Only: How One Complex Case Was Treated
Treatments & Appliances 7 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics SHORT ANSWER A patient came in with an underbite, an open bite, a posterior crossbite, and concerns about chin projection and how the bite functioned. The skeletal component meant orthognathic surgery was necessary. What is worth writing about is… Continue reading Jaw Surgery With Clear Aligners Only: How One Complex Case Was Treated
Self-Ligating Braces: Really Worth It?
Treatments & Appliances 6 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics Start researching braces and "self-ligating" shows up quickly, usually wrapped in words like advanced, faster, and more comfortable. It's a real technology with real advantages, and also a lot of marketing piled on top. I use these braces when… Continue reading Self-Ligating Braces: Really Worth It?
Damon Braces: The Truth Behind the Hype
Treatments & Appliances 6 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics Damon braces get marketed hard. Faster treatment, fewer appointments, wider smiles, no tightening, sometimes even "no extractions." Patients bring me the brochures. So let me give you the straight version, because I use self-ligating braces when they fit and… Continue reading Damon Braces: The Truth Behind the Hype
Is Invisalign Worth It? A Comprehensive Guide
Treatments & Appliances 6 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics "Is it worth it?" is the question I get once patients hear the price. Fair question. Clear aligners cost about the same as braces, so what you're really asking is whether the convenience and the look are worth choosing… Continue reading Is Invisalign Worth It? A Comprehensive Guide
Can You Get Braces or Invisalign with a Crown?
Treatments & Appliances 6 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics Short answer: yes. Having a crown almost never rules out braces or clear aligners. I straighten teeth with crowns all the time, and the crown itself is rarely the real issue. What changes is how we attach the hardware… Continue reading Can You Get Braces or Invisalign with a Crown?