Whether you have dental insurance or not, your new patient exam is complimentary.

The objective of the exam may vary depending on the age and needs of the patient.

Children in the 6-10 year age range usually still have baby teeth; yet often at this age a malocclusion (problem with tooth alignment or bite) may already be apparent. In some instances, we may recommend interceptive treatment. This often involves orthopedic appliances to modify jaw growth, rather than braces. In other instances, a malocclusion may exist, but the doctor may determine that it’s better to wait for a more ideal “window” of time to treat the condition. In this case, your child may be placed on growth observation, and seen in intervals of 6 to 12 months (there is also no cost for these follow up observations). If you are unsure if your child’s jaws or teeth are developing properly at this age range, we encourage you to still schedule a complimentary examination, as some conditions (e.g. crossbites and Class III growth) cannot be corrected after a certain age of skeletal maturity, or may require invasive or surgical treatment if discovered at a later age.

Children in the 11+ age range usually fall into a category of treatment called “comprehensive orthodontics”. The intent of this treatment is that it should correct any and all existing orthodontic problems (such as crowding, overbites, etc), and not require an additional phase of treatment in the future. With this in mind, retainers are prescribed after the completion of almost all comprehensive orthodontic cases, in order to maintain the results of treatment. During the orthodontic exam, Doctor Lim will evaluate not only tooth alignment, but jaw alignment as well. Sometimes what you perceive as a misalignment of teeth is actually caused by an underlying misalignment of the jaws; in these instances additional appliances may be prescribed as an adjunct to braces. In selective cases, your child may be a candidate for clear aligner treatment; although predominantly used for adult orthodontics in the past, advances in aligner technology, and the use of “hybrid” treatment methods may allow your child’s malocclusion to be corrected with clear aligners — after an assessment, the doctor will advise you on the feasibility of that option.

Adults may seek orthodontic treatment for various reasons. Some adults already had treatment as an adolescent, but ceased wearing retainers and wish to re-align their teeth. Others may have not had the opportunity to undergo orthodontic treatment as a child, and are now in a position where they see a benefit to treatment. Keep in mind that there are some limitations to what can be accomplished with adult orthodontics. Since the adult craniofacial complex is no longer growing, we are generally limited to moving teeth, and cannot address malocclusions that are a result of jaw morphology or misalignment. In more severe cases we may recommend addressing the malocclusion with a combined surgical and orthodontic treatment approach. If there are limitations to treatment, this does not necessarily rule out treatment completely.