The goal of orthodontic treatments is to provide patients with a healthy smile and most importantly a fully functional bite that lasts a lifetime! However, sometimes orthodontic treatment alone is not enough to address all of your problems. That is why you may require orthodontic adjunctive procedures ( additional treatments ) to help you achieve or maintain the desired orthodontic outcome.
What Are Orthodontic Adjunctive Procedures?
Frenectomy
Your frenulum is a piece of tissue that prevents an organ from moving. There is a frenulum that attaches your upper lip to the gums, while another connects the lower lip to the gums. A frenulum that is too short or thick, will cause problems in speech patterns and tooth misalignment. In infants, a shortened frenulum underneath the tongue will inhibit breastfeeding. When the frenulum disrupts movement, growth, or development, corrective action is necessary to resolve the situation.
A Frenectomy is considered a minor surgical procedure that is performed in your periodontist’s office. It can be performed with either a scalpel or laser and normally takes less than 15 minutes. By using a laser, this can cause very little bleeding and does not require stitches. A laser also results in less postoperative discomfort and a shorter healing time. Young children and infants are put under general anesthesia for the procedure and adults have the procedure performed using local anesthesia. If your child needs a Frenectomy, there is nothing to worry about. The procedure is very successful and causes minimal discomfort.
The Frenectomy procedure is a quick procedure, and occasionally is completed as part of other treatments.
TAD placement
Temporary anchorage devices, also known as TADs, are small orthodontic screws placed in the jaw bone to help with your orthodontic treatment.
TADs help your orthodontist complete your treatment more efficiently thereby reducing treatment time, and more effectively resulting in a better outcome and straighter teeth. TAD placement is a quick procedure with minimal discomfort, after which you return to your orthodontist to complete your orthodontic treatment. After you have completed your orthodontic treatment, the TADs are removed.
Tooth Exposure for Braces
Tooth exposure is an in-office surgical procedure of uncovering a stuck or improperly emerging tooth. Occasionally, due to tooth alignment, genetics, jaw size, or other factors, emerging teeth become stuck (impacted) and do not properly emerge into the jaw. Impacted teeth can cause damage to the roots of neighbouring teeth, pushing neighbouring teeth out of proper alignment, develop cysts or infections, and complicate orthodontic treatment.
The tooth exposure procedure usually takes 30-45 minutes hours to complete, depending on how many teeth need to be exposed, and how badly impacted is/are the tooth/teeth. After your tooth/teeth has/have been exposed, you return to your orthodontist to complete the rest of your orthodontic treatment.
The tooth exposure procedure can be completed under sedation, to help reduce your anxiety.
Periodontally Accelerated Osteogenic Orthodontics (PAOO)
Orthodontic treatment, especially in adults, can take a considerable amount of time and may result in an increased incidence of gum recession, bone loss, and shortening of tooth roots (root resorption) compared to adolescent patients.
Periodontally Accelerated Osteogenic Orthodontics (PAOO) is an in-office surgical procedure that combines bone and/or gum grafting at the start of your orthodontic treatment. PAOO accelerates tooth movement helping reduce overall orthodontic treatment, and helps reduce the incidence of gum recession, bone loss, and root resorption, associated with tooth movement.
The PAOO procedure can take from 1 to a few hours to complete, depending on how many teeth need to be treated, and how much grafting needs to be completed. After your PAOO procedure is completed in our office, you return to your orthodontist to complete the rest of your orthodontic treatment.
The PAOO procedure can be completed under sedation, to help reduce your anxiety.
Do you have questions about Orthodontic Adjunctive Procedures?
Please contact us are happy to answer any questions you may have!
