Orthodontist in McLean, VA

Crowded, overlapping and irregularly spaced teeth can cause an array of dental problems and other health issues. It can also adversely affect your self-esteem. At McLean DDS, we provide braces and other orthodontic services for the whole family to help improve your bite, enhance your smile, and increase your confidence.

Benefits of Orthodontic Treatment

Orthodontics is a specialty of dentistry dedicated to correcting teeth and jaws that are positioned improperly. Our McLean orthodontist, has received additional education after dental school and is highly trained to restore health, functionality and aesthetics to our patients at any age through the use of braces and other orthodontic appliances.   

In addition to achieving a more attractive smile, there are many health and functional benefits to having straight, properly aligned teeth including:

• Reduced risk for tooth decay
• Improved speech
• Easier biting and chewing
• Relief from jaw pain and headaches

All Orthodontic Services Under One Roof

Our McLean orthodontist corrects a wide range of orthodontic issues including overbites, underbites, crowding, gaps and crossbites. The services we offer include:

• Traditional braces for children, teens and adults to provide significant results in less time and with minimal discomfort. This type of fixed braces consists of metal or ceramic brackets that are bonded to each tooth and an arch wire, which is used to gradually move the teeth to their final position.
• Invisalign braces to transform teen and adult teeth using clear, removable aligners. The aligners are virtually invisible, making Invisalign an ideal treatment option for older patients who desire straightening their teeth discreetly. The removable trays allow patients to brush, floss and eat normally without modifying their diet or oral hygiene habits.
• Other orthodontic appliances such as headgear, expansion appliances and retainers.

Children and Orthodontics

At McLean DDS, our orthodontist in McLean, VA encourages parents to schedule an exam for their child as soon as an issue is detected or no later than his or her 7^th birthday. During this initial orthodontic evaluation, we can look for bite problems and other skeletal issues that may require early intervention before all of the permanent teeth erupt. By age 7, most children have acquired enough adult teeth to diagnose and treat tooth and jaw problems without surgical procedures. Because the teeth and jaw are still developing, certain conditions, such as crowding, may also be easier to correct than at a later age.

Early orthodontic treatment for kids can:

• Create space for crowded, erupting adult teeth
• Improve appearance by guiding jaw growth to create facial symmetry
• Reduce the need for future tooth extraction
• Minimize treatment time with braces
• Correct and guide jaw growth so that permanent teeth erupt aligned
• Decrease the risk for injury to protruding front teeth
• Correct damaging oral habits, such as thumb sucking

Adults and Orthodontics

Braces aren’t just for kids. In fact, as long as your tooth and gum structure are healthy, it is never too late to correct misaligned teeth. An improper bite and crooked teeth can contribute to many health issues later in life — including gum and bone loss, tooth decay, headaches, jaw joint pain and abnormal wear of the tooth enamel. In addition to improving the health of your teeth and gums, receiving orthodontic treatment in your adult years can have a significant positive impact on your appearance and self-esteem.

Adults have many options from which to choose when it comes to straightening their teeth, including traditional braces and invisible Invisalign braces. Today’s orthodontic braces have been modified to make them much more comfortable, convenient and discreet than braces you may remember from the past.  

Customized Treatment from Your Orthodontist in McLean, VA

At McLean DDS, we understand that all patients have different orthodontic needs based on the position of their teeth and the severity of their malocclusion. With that in mind, our McLean orthodontists customize each treatment plan to every patient’s unique needs and goals. By utilizing the latest advancements and technologies in our office, our team can identify the cause of a patient’s irregular bite, recommend the best course of treatment, and begin a personalized treatment plan designed to achieve optimal results.