Here at Selden Orthodontics, we know that choosing to receive orthodontic care is a big decision, and we value the trust you’ve placed in our team by scheduling a consultation with us. This is one of the most important investments you can make for your oral health, and our team is dedicated to ensuring you always feel confident in each step of the treatment process! That’s why we’ve designed our practice with a focus on providing gentle, personalized care to every patient we see. That care begins with your very first visit, so let’s take a look at what you can expect from this initial consultation with Dr. Selden.

Your first visit with Selden Orthodontics

We believe that your first visit with us is one of the most important appointments you’ll have in your orthodontic journey. It gives us the chance to get to know each other and explore your orthodontic options in a relaxing, stress-free setting. We don’t want you to feel rushed or uncomfortable during this appointment, so most consultations will last anywhere from half an hour to an hour. You may want to plan your schedule accordingly. 

As you arrive in our Huntersville or Charlotte office, you’ll be greeted warmly and introduced to some of our team members. There may be a brief tour around the office to help you feel a bit more at ease with the surroundings, then we will get some basic information from you. After collecting some necessary medical and dental history from you, we’ll proceed to the diagnostic records and exam.  

What are diagnostic records?

Diagnostic records are simply orthodontic records that we obtain during a consultation appointment. These records will help form and confirm Dr. Selden’s diagnosis and treatment plan. They will also serve as the “before” documentation of your teeth, lips, and profile. Generally, you can expect diagnostic records to include:

• a panoramic radiograph that will reveal the position of erupted and unerupted teeth, any missing or extra teeth, the general condition of the bone and supporting tissue, and any possible decay.
• a cephalometric radiograph, which is essentially a side picture of the head that will be traced and measured to illustrate the outline of the nose, lips and chin. It will also show
• how the upper and lower jaw is related to the head, and how the front teeth are related to each jaw.
• extraoral photos that include a relaxed frontal picture, a smiling frontal picture, and a lateral profile. These pictures help us to evaluate facial balance and soft tissue contours.
• intraoral photos that will help us evaluate the appearance and condition of the enamel on your teeth and the gingival tissues.

What will the orthodontic examination be like? 

Once we have all the images we need, Dr. Selden will perform a thorough oral examination. This exam is painless since your teeth are only being observed, and no treatment is being performed. Dr. Selden will be looking at your bite, teeth, and jaws for any issues. He may also ask you a few questions, such as whether your jaws make any noise when you open or close your mouth, or if there are any obvious problems when you chew or swallow. This information will help Dr. Selden to make a proper diagnosis and create the most appropriate treatment plan for you! 

Whether treatment is recommended for you now or later, this appointment is the best time to go over any questions or concerns you may have for our team. The following topics will generally be discussed with you following your exam, but please be sure to let us know if there’s anything you don’t understand or are unsure about.

• Any oral issues you’re experiencing
• If treatment is needed immediately
• What treatment options are available to correct the problem
• If any teeth will need to be removed
• An estimate of how long we expect your treatment to take
• The total investment required for treatment
• Any payment or financing options we have available to you

Selden Orthodontics is proud to take an individualized approach to orthodontic care. That means we will always take into account your unique smile, specific needs, lifestyle, and goals when creating a treatment plan for you. It’s this attention to detail that allows us to consistently produce optimal results and a rewarding orthodontic experience. 

Investing in your new smile

Your consultation with us will also include a breakdown of all applicable treatment fees. Because every patient has different needs and will respond to treatment in their own way, total costs will vary from case to case. However, we will be sure that you understand all the costs involved before any treatment actually begins!

Smiles are forever, and Selden Orthodontics is committed to providing patients of all ages with affordable orthodontic care. For your convenience, we accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. We are in-network with Delta and Cigna DPPO, and will be happy to assist you in coordinating benefits with your insurer to ensure you maximize your coverage.

What are the next steps towards a healthier smile?

Once your complimentary consultation is complete and you’ve agreed on a treatment plan with Dr. Selden, we’ll schedule an appointment for you to begin your orthodontic treatment. You should expect follow-up appointments with us every 4-8 weeks or so, depending on your particular treatment plan and our availability. During these visits, Dr. Selden will be monitoring the movement of your teeth and checking that everything is progressing as it should be. He will also be adjusting your appliance if necessary.

These visits are an essential part of your orthodontic treatment. For that reason, we encourage you to cancel or reschedule only if it’s absolutely necessary. However, we also understand that you may sometimes be running late or have to cancel unexpectedly. If this does happen, we ask that you simply let us know as soon as possible. We’ll be happy to accommodate you by rescheduling your appointment for another day.

Find your very best smile at Selden Orthodontics

At Selden Orthodontics, we combine the latest in orthodontic techniques, cutting-edge technology, and unmatched individualized care to give you the best results in the shortest amount of time possible! If you’re interested in learning more about how orthodontic treatment could benefit your smile, get in touch with us today to schedule your complimentary consultation. There’s never been a better time to take the first step toward the beautiful smile you deserve!

Although many people still tend to associate teens in braces with orthodontics above anything else, the truth is that patients of all ages can benefit from orthodontic care, including young children! While treatment in the teen years is indeed popular, early orthodontic evaluations are an important part of overall oral health, too. In fact, they’re so important that the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children have one by the time they’re seven years old.

As a parent, this recommendation might be a little confusing because most children at this age still have developing mouths and a number of baby teeth.  You may wonder why they would need to see an orthodontist this early. At Selden Orthodontics, we take a preventative approach to orthodontic care, and early orthodontic exams play a role in that! These visits give us the chance to catch any existing or potential orthodontic issues sooner rather than later.  This can help prevent these issues from having a negative impact on their future teeth and bite.

We treat many younger patients in our practice, and our expert team has been able to observe firsthand how starting treatment early can benefit a child’s oral health.  If you are ready for your young child to have their first orthodontic appointment, we would love to meet both of you and take a look at how their mouth is developing so far! Click here to schedule a complimentary consultation, and keep reading below to learn more about what we will be checking for during this initial evaluation.

Misalignment

When teeth are crooked, they’re not only harder to clean efficiently, they’re also more susceptible to damage and wear. Over a long enough period of time, this can actually compromise the surrounding gum tissue, and may even affect the shape and position of the gum line. While we’re able to successfully align teeth at almost any age, getting a head start on correcting these issues gives kids the best chance at a healthy smile by minimizing some of that early wear and tear. 

Crowding and spacing

An experienced orthodontist will normally be able to tell if a young child is experiencing problems with excessive crowding or spacing, or if they’re likely to in the future. We may see spacing issues if a tooth is lost prematurely, where one has never developed, or when the teeth are too small or spaced farther apart than normal. If it’s crowding that’s causing a problem, we can often correct it by expanding the arches or removing certain teeth.

Tooth loss and eruption

Many of us underestimate the importance of baby teeth. After all, they fall out eventually, anyway, right? But baby teeth are the placeholders for our permanent teeth, so where they’re located and when they’re lost matters more than you might think. Primary teeth also tend to fall out in a fairly specific order. If we notice any significant deviation from that pattern during an exam, it could signify a developmental issue that needs further attention from him.

By the time they’re ready for an orthodontic evaluation, most children will have at least four permanent molars and up to four permanent incisors. If a child has any more or less than this, it could indicate that there are missing, crowded, or extra teeth. For some cases like this, we may choose to remove a primary tooth early. In others, we may opt to maintain a space where a tooth has been lost prematurely in order to prevent other problems later on.

Overbite 

While protruding front teeth are often a cosmetic concern, the effects can go beyond that, sometimes causing pain in the jaw or interfering with a child’s normal speech patterns. Though we generally need to wait until a child’s mouth has finished growing before we can permanently correct an overbite, there are still a number of options for reducing the risk of pain and traumatic injury as they are growing. Corrective measures can also improve a younger patient’s confidence and self-esteem!

Underbite

In an underbite situation, the lower jaw grows too far forward. This can be caused by problems with either the teeth or jaws. We’ll typically need to wait until the patient has finished growing to begin their treatment, around their mid- to late-teen years. However, early treatment is still important to help avoid any bite-shifting or damage to the front teeth. Underbite patients who receive early treatment between the ages of about 7-10 also tend to be less likely to need jaw surgery when they get older.

Posterior Crossbite

A posterior crossbite can lead to crowding, or cause the jaw to shift from one side to the other. Expanding the upper jaw in earlier childhood can reduce crowding and create space for the front teeth to come through uninterrupted. Expansion can also eliminate any shifting that may be present due to a constricted upper jaw.

Anterior Open Bites and Deep Bites

With a deep bite, the child’s top teeth can completely cover the bottom ones when biting. This sometimes indicates a small lower jaw. With an open bite, the overall bite doesn’t overlap enough. This can be caused by poor oral habits, such as extended finger or thumb sucking, or if a child uses a bottle or pacifier for too long. In cases such as these, our team is happy to work with both you and your child to help eliminate any destructive habits early on, so that dental development can continue normally.

Early evaluations and healthy smiles at Selden Orthodontics

We hope that this guide has provided you with a clearer understanding of the issues younger patients can face. It’s easy to see why early orthodontic evaluations are an important part of a child’s oral health! A visit with our team of experts around the age of seven can lead to treatment that may help prevent the need for more invasive orthodontics as an adult, and can also make any comprehensive orthodontic treatment faster and more efficient.

At Selden Orthodontics, we have an expert team working hard to provide patients of all ages nothing but the highest quality orthodontic care in a friendly, welcoming, and stress-free environment. If your child is ready for their first orthodontic evaluation, get in touch today to schedule a complimentary consultation!