Planning Now Can Save Your Smile Later
Two-phase orthodontic treatment is a specialized process combining tooth straightening and physical, facial changes.
About Two-Phase Treatment
The purpose of two-phase treatment at Thacker Orthodontics is to maximize the opportunity to accomplish the ideal healthy, functional and aesthetic result that will remain stable throughout your life.
Putting off treatment can result in a need for more invasive treatment later in life that may not completely fix your smile.
Early treatment is most effective for achieving lasting results.
Phase-One
Your Foundation for a Lifetime of Beautiful Smiles
The goal of Phase-One treatment is to help the jaw develop in a way that will accommodate all the permanent teeth and improve the way your child’s upper and lower jaws fit together.
Children often exhibit early signs of jaw problems as they grow and develop. An upper jaw that is growing too much or is too narrow can be recognized at an early age.
At Thacker Orthodontics, if children over the age of six are found to have this jaw discrepancy, they’re candidates for early orthodontic treatment.
Also, if children around the age of eight have crowded front teeth, early treatment can prevent the need to extract permanent teeth later.
Children benefit tremendously from early-phase treatment. Receiving early treatment may prevent the removal of permanent teeth later in life, or the need for surgical procedures to realign the jaws.
We’ll make records to determine your unique treatment needs. We’ll need orthodontic records to determine the type of appliances to be used, the duration of treatment time, and how often you’ll visit Thacker Orthodontics .
Records consist of models of the teeth, X-rays, and photographs. During your child's initial consultation, your doctor will take records to determine if early treatment is necessary.
Resting Period
In this phase, the remaining permanent teeth are left alone as they erupt. We don’t recommend retaining devices if they would interfere with eruption.
Existing permanent teeth need some freedom of movement. A successful first phase will create room for permanent teeth to find an eruption path.
Otherwise, they may become impacted or severely displaced.
At the end of the first phase of treatment, teeth aren’t in their final positions. That’s the goal of the second phase of treatment.
Selective removal of certain baby teeth may be in the best interest of enhancing eruption during this resting phase. We’ll see you for observation appointments every 6 months or so.
Phase-Two Treatment:
Stay Healthy & Look Attractive
The goal of the second phase is to make sure each tooth has an exact location in the mouth where it is in harmony with the lips, cheeks, tongue, and other teeth.
When this equilibrium is established, the teeth will function together properly. Phase two usually involves full upper and lower braces.
At the beginning of the first phase, we made orthodontic records and a diagnosis and treatment plan was established. Certain types of appliances were used in the first phase to correct and realign the teeth and jaw.
The second phase begins when all permanent teeth have erupted, and usually requires braces on all the teeth for an average of 18 months. You’ll wear retainers after this phase to ensure you keep your beautiful smile.