Orthodontics for Kids, Teens and Adults
Welcome to Toronto’s state-of-the-art orthodontic centre where our specialized “Ortho Squad” offers the full range of orthodontic services for kids, teens and adults including conventional braces, clear aligners (Invisalign®), palatal expanders, thumb sucking appliances, crossbite appliances and more. For our full list of services click here!
We took our signature SmileSquad Kids Dental vibe (friendly, fun, vibrant and super knowledgeable) and created “SmileSquad Family Ortho” which is a space that is sure to please even the most discerning teens and adults! Beautiful, clean, fresh and totally state-of-the art, your child, pre-teen, teen and even YOU will feel comfortable and at ease at SmileSquad Family Ortho.
When creating SmileSquad Family Ortho, our goal was to provide Toronto with a truly all encompassing approach to oral healthcare from birth through to teens. Our orthodontists are happy to treat adults too so that the whole family can be cared for under one roof.
Orthodontic Services
Having a "one-stop-shop" for dentistry and orthodontics allows for a unique collaborative approach to successful treatment planning and outcomes. Coordinating dental cleanings with orthodontic appointments saves time and allows our hygienists to get into the nooks and crannies while the wires are being switched out. It’s a win win for everyone!
Our Toronto-based board certified orthodontists will help you and/or your children achieve a smile that is not only beautiful, but also optimally functional! Common orthodontic issues like tooth crowding, crossbites, excess overjet ("overbites"), underbites and malaligned teeth can be conveniently treated in-house.
Our certified orthodontists are happy to provide your family with an orthodontic evaluation and consultation at no cost. During this visit, we will examine the face as a whole and the teeth and jaw alignment and determine if any orthodontic treatment may be needed now or in the future. Often there is more than one option available and these will be discussed as well as the pros and cons of each option.
Parents commonly ask when their child should visit the orthodontist. If your children are patients of SmileSquad, our pediatric dental specialists routinely assess your children’s teeth alignment, growth and development at each of their visits. We will suggest the right time for an orthodontic assessment for your child depending on his/her needs. Some kids may need to see an orthodontist by age 6 and some may not need to see the orthodontist until most of the baby teeth are lost at around age 10-12 years old.
Some of the benefits of two-phase treatment may be:
- improved function and esthetics
- may reduce need for extraction of permanent teeth (taking adult teeth out to gain space)
- improved nasal breathing (airway focused orthodontics)
- may reduce need for future jaw surgery
- allows face to grow optimally
A crossbite can occur when the top jaw is narrow compared to the bottom jaw. This may be caused by history of pacifier use or thumb/finger sucking earlier in life. Because the top jaw (palate) is also the floor of the nose, if it is narrow it may impact the efficiency of breathing over time. Crossbites also may prevent the jaws from functioning optimally during chewing which, over time, may cause the jaw joints (tempero-mandibular joints-TMJ) to be overworked and can lead to TMJ dysfunction. Crossibite can also affect the smile esthetics as it may prevent the top teeth and bottom teeth from being aligned properly relative to one another.
Luckily, children’s bones are malleable and we can use a crossbite appliance to widen the top jaw relative to the bottom jaw to easily correct crossbites. The older a child gets, the less malleable the bone becomes so we have a window of time in which this can be done efficiently.
Habits such as thumb/finger sucking or a tongue thrust habit (tongue rests in between the top and bottom front teeth causing a gap in between the top and bottom front teeth) should be addressed by the time the permanent teeth start to come in.
There are many ways to break these habits such as a reward chart, bitter tasting nailpolish or the TGuard ® but if none of the more conservatiove approaches are successful, a custom habit breaking appliance can be very effective.
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) may be recommended as an adjunct to help resolve oral habits. OMT aims to retrain the muscles in and around your mouth to obtain a normal posture for the tongue, lips, cheeks and jaws which can translate into more ideal tooth alignment and less future orthodontic relapse.
SPACE MAINTAINERSBelieve it or not, sometimes orthodontists want to hold teeth where they are instead of move them!
Band and Loop Space MaintainersIf a baby tooth is lost early we may want to hold the teeth on either end of the gap in position so that they don’t drift into the empty space over time. Band and loops help to ensure that when the permanent tooth replacing the lost baby tooth is ready to come in, it has space to come into proper alignment
Nance Appliance/Lower Lingual Holding ArchThese appliances are used to to hold teeth in position to prevent them from shifting in the case of missing/prematurely lost baby teeth.
Space Regaining AppliancesIf teeth have shifted, these appliances can be used to push teeth back into position.
Braces are the traditional way that we can align teeth. Forces are applied to the teeth continuously with brackets and wires to gently move teeth over time.
INVISALIGN®Invisalign® uses a series of almost invisible aligners that change each week and slowly move teeth over time. Invisalign® can be used in many cases and is a great option for our responsible patients as they will need to remember to wear and change their aligners. We love Invisalign® because it’s much easier to maintain proper oral hygiene since the aligners can be removed for brushing and flossing!
Meet the Orthodontic Squad
Our highly trained Ortho Squad team members are gentle and friendly, and we are ready to meet you and answer all of your questions. We stay updated on the latest advancements in orthodontic treatment and keep your best interests at the heart of everything we do, offering you the personalized care you need and deserve. Kids, teens, or adults, we can’t wait to make you smile!
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Hygienists
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Admin Support
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Orthodontist
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Dental Assistants
