Getting A “Perfect 10” Smile Is Easier Than You Think

This post originally appeared in the Albany Times Union.

Do you cover your mouth when you laugh? Do you avoid smiling in photographs because you’re embarrassed about the way you look? Do you avoid smiling most of the time?

Anyone who has misaligned teeth knows the deep psychological and social impact it can have. You feel unattractive, which damages your self-esteem. Some people even avoid parties and other social events because they’re self-conscious about the way they look.

With orthodontic treatment, it’s possible to turn this situation around. And despite common assumptions, it’s not a lengthy process. And it’s more affordable than you think.

No matter your age, here’s how you can have a perfectly straight set of pearly whites that you can show off for a lifetime.

The metal mouth myth

You don’t have to get a mouthful of metal brackets to straighten your teeth. This misconception often keeps people from pursuing the beautiful smile they want.

Technology has improved dramatically over the years, allowing for faster, more efficient treatment and a wider range of braces. During your first orthodontic visit, the doctor will ask about your goals, your concerns, and your lifestyle. From there, he can recommend an appliance that best suits your needs.

If you decide to go the traditional route, know that metal braces have become sleeker and more comfortable. Orthodontists also have the option of using clear ceramic braces and products such as Invisalign.

If you’ve had braces or other dental work in the past, you may remember the orthodontist packing your mouth full of goop to get an impression of your mouth and bite. Today, orthodontists use digital scanners to get an accurate impression. No more goop!

Adirondack Orthodontics, for example, uses iTero Scanners to take 3D images of your teeth and bite. The technology provides improved diagnostic information and eliminates molds (e.g., goop). The procedure more comfortable and you and your dentist can see your teeth in 3D.

Perfect smile options

What’s the best time to correct your smile? As early as possible.

Even if your child still has baby teeth, she can still start treatment for a perfect smile. Not all children need early treatment, but an orthodontist can determine whether your child’s dental environment is developing normally.

If your child does need treatment, it can begin as early as age six or seven. At this age, the jaw is still growing, which makes it easier to address issues such as crowding.

Two of the most important issues to address early are crossbites (tooth or teeth point inward) and protruding front teeth. Crossbites can cause jawbones to grow unevenly while protruding front teeth risk fracture or injury.

An orthodontist can correct these and other issues relatively easily with the following treatments:

  • Dental modification – to regain lost space from premature tooth loss or maintain space from premature baby tooth loss.
  • Elimination of habits – tongue thrusting and thumb-sucking, for example.
  • Skeletal modification – crossbite correction, underbite correction, and excessive overjet correction.

Comprehensive Treatment

Teenagers and adults can receive comprehensive treatment, which often means some type of braces. Metal braces are the most common type of braces because they correct a wide range of issues, including:

  • Over/underbites
  • Crooked teeth
  • Improperly aligned teeth
  • Gapped teeth

During the installation procedure, an orthodontist applies brackets to your teeth’s surface. Metal wires connect the brackets. Over time, continuous pressure from the tightened wires moves teeth into position.

The metal braces of today are smaller and lighter than before. Teens can even get colored ties to suit their fun personality.

Clear braces work much like metal braces. Instead of metal brackets, however, the orthodontist uses clear porcelain or ceramic.

Adults and teens alike appreciate the discrete nature of clear braces. They’re not invisible, but they’re less obvious than metal.

Clear aligners have become a popular perfect-smile option for teens and adults alike. Invisalign is the most common and recognized brand, currently treating more than 2.5 million patients worldwide.

Instead of brackets and wires, Invisalign uses a sequence of clear retainer-like aligners that fit over the teeth. Over time, the appliances move teeth to their optimal positions.

You need to wear the aligner 22 hours a day, taking them out only for meals and to brush your teeth. Teen aligners have blue compliance indicators to make sure they’re wearing them enough.

Like regular braces, you’ll schedule checkups every six to eight weeks. The average treatment time is only one year.

How Adirondack Orthodontics can help

Ready to start smiling again? Visit Adirondack Orthodontics, with offices in Albany, Clifton Park, East Greenbush, Glens Falls, and Latham, New York.

Adirondack Orthodontics offers a wide range of treatment options for kids, teens, and adults. Led by Dr. Sergey Berenshteyn, Adirondack Orthodontics combines advanced technology with friendly service to create healthy smiles daily.

Dr. Garrison Copeland Joins Adirondack Orthodontics

Adirondack Orthodontics, a locally owned and operated orthodontic practice that serves thousands of Capital Region patients and families, today announced that Dr. Garrison Copeland has joined its growing team of skilled, caring, and compassionate orthodontists.

Dr. Copeland previously practiced orthodontics for seven years in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where he was responsible for helping more than 3,000 patients achieve healthy, beautiful smiles. For the past two years, he chose to continue his training at BronxCare Health Systems, where he focused on cosmetic and implant dentistry and was named chief resident. This year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he volunteered in the hospital’s Family Medicine Department, assisting COVID-19 patients with treatment and recovery.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Copeland to our talented and caring professional team,” said Dr. Sergey Berenshteyn, who founded the practice in 2012. “Garrison’s exceptional skills as an orthodontist, combined with his commitment to providing personalized and compassionate care, make him a perfect fit with Adirondack Orthodontics. As a practice that is proud to be locally owned and operated, we look forward to enhancing our mission of helping children and adults in our community lead healthier, more confident, and more fulfilling lives.”

Growing up with severely misaligned teeth, Dr. Copeland understood at an early age the significance of having a healthy and aesthetic smile. Determined to help others facing similar circumstances, he pursued a career in orthodontics. Dr. Copeland earned his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia where he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society. He went on to earn his Doctorate of Dental Surgery at Howard University in Washington, DC and upon graduating was inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honor Society. He completed post-graduate orthodontic training at Case Western Reserve University in Chicago, Illinois.

One of the Capital Region’s largest locally owned and operated orthodontic practices, Adirondack Orthodontics serves more than 2,000 patients annually. Dr. Copeland joins Dr. Berenshteyn, and a staff of 15 working at offices in Albany, Latham, East Greenbush, and Clifton Park.

Adirondack Orthodontics’ state-of-the-art facilities include the latest high-tech equipment, such as the iTero Intraoral Scanner, which replaces alginate molds with digital impressions. Its patient-friendly benefits include participation with most major insurances; flexible in-office payment plans; paperless communication; and the ability to receive treatment at any of its four locations. Adirondack Orthodontics is open and staffed weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., offers evening hours, and one Saturday each month.

Dr. B Recognized Among Albany Business Review’s “Top 40 Under 40” for 2019

Click here to view the article.

Capital Region Kids Get Free Braces

Adirondack Orthodontics partnered with Smiles Change Lives back in October to donate treatment.

Clifton Park Orthodontics Guarding Shen Hockey Players

Clifton Park Orthodontics once again provided 28 molded mouth guards for Shenendehowa ice hockey team at no cost to the team or the parents. Click here to read the full article 

Adirondack Orthodontics Hosts Braces Screening Event

Adirondack Orthodontics teamed up with Smiles Change Lives, for what organizers say is the Capital Region’s largest-ever donation of braces. Click here to read the article.

Need braces? A local dentist is giving away 25 sets

Adirondack Orthodontics teamed up with international nonprofit organization Smiles Change Lives to screen 100 children for free orthodontic care and braces. Click here to read the article.

Local dentist giving away free braces

An orthodontist in the Capital Region is cutting the bill and making it easier for parents to be able to afford dental work for their kids. Click here to read the article.

Guilderland Teens Apprentice with Orthodontist

Dr. Berenshteyn recently recognized his parents’ tenacity and hustle in two teenagers, both Guilderland High School students, both patients of his. And both are the children of immigrants. When they told Berenshteyn they wanted to learn to be orthodontists, he created paid apprenticeships for each of them. Click here to read the article. 

3-D images replace putty-like molds in Capital Region orthodontist offices

Dr. Sergey Berenshteyn of Adirondack Orthodontics invested in an oral scanner in September for his Guilderland office, one of three that he operates in the Capital Region. He gave the Times Union a demonstration of his digital scanner on Ryan Williams, a 29-year-old patient being fitted for clear braces. Williams lives in Clifton Park, but chose to go to Berenshteyn’s office strictly to avoid the traditional molds. Click here to read the article.

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