Treatment

Early Treatment

Brining your child in to see an orthodontist at an early age can prevent many dental problems from occurring later in life. At South Texas Orthodontics, our priority is to ensure the health of your child’s smile from the moment they walk into our office. Our advanced facilities located in San Antonio and Schertz complimented with professional staff enable us to diagnose and treat numerous orthodontic problems before they cause any severe problems. Bringing your child in for an early visit has many advantages.

At the age of 7, your child will begin to have adult teeth erupting. At this time, they will have established the back bite, enabling us to analyze front-to-back and side-to-side tooth relationships. Under normal circumstances, we like to wait until children have developed all of their permanent teeth to begin orthodontic treatment. Beginning treatment at this time will enable your child to have the most efficient results in the shortest amount of time.

Teen Treatment

Schertz & San Antonio Orthodontists, Drs. Brad D. Bruchmiller, Kerry A. Orsingher and Amy Jackson offer adolescents in and around the surrounding areas of San Antonio comprehensive orthodontic care including Invisalign™ Clear Aligners, Incognito™ Braces, Clarity™ Braces, Metal Braces, Ceramic Braces, SureSmile™ Braces & more!

Between the ages of 11 and 15 is the most common time for orthodontic treatment, and for good reasons. By 12, most if not all of the permanent teeth have erupted and are in place, and crooked teeth, gaps and bad bites can easily be detected. These problems will hardly ever correct themselves, so this is when most parents decide to seek orthodontic treatment. This is also a good time for orthodontic treatment because many negative associations of braces are not present. Many children in this age range undergo orthodontic treatment, and children are very often able to be convinced to wear braces because they see their friends wearing them, too, and want to fit in.

Adult Treatment

Here at South Texas Orthodontics we offer a wide variety of services including early orthodontic care, retention, orthognathic surgery and adult orthodontic care. More and more adults today are seeking orthodontic treatment to improve their smile. In fact, about 25 percent of our patients are adults! We offer a full range of treatments specifically designed for adults – leaving you with a dramatically different smile and healthier bite.

We offer a wide selection of braces to meet the individual needs and desires of each of our adult patients, from traditional metal braces and ceramic braces to clear aligners. Often times, because adults usually are more compliant in their orthodontic treatment, their results turn out far greater than with a child and/or teen. By following the instructions provided by our South Texas orthodontists, you not only increase your chances for amazing results, but could also shorten your treatment time as well.

Invisalign Platinum Provider

At South Texas Orthodontics, we offer children, teens and adults high quality, personalized orthodontic treatment so our patients can get the smiles of their dreams! One of the most popular treatments we offer is the Invisalign clear aligner system. Invisalign is a clearly unique & discreet way to improve a smile using a series of clear, removable aligners which gradually move teeth step-by-step.

When you’re wearing Invisalign, you never have to worry about how you will look with braces on your teeth because there are no metal wires or brackets used! And, since the smooth plastic aligners are removable, you can continue enjoying all your favorite foods as there are no wires or brackets that can bend or break when eating hard, crunchy or sticky foods. It is also simple to maintain good oral hygiene with Invisalign as you just take your aligners out to brush and floss and then just pop them back in when done!

Accelerated Orthodontics

We live in a fast-paced world where we want results quicker than ever before. That’s why we offer Accelerated Orthodontics, which provides you with the beautiful, straight smile that you want faster than traditional braces. Accelerated Orthodontics has proven to move teeth into the desired position in just three to eight months versus the one to three years conventional orthodontics requires. This revolutionary treatment option is ideal for most adults, but may not be suitable for everyone.

We proudly offer AcceleDent. AcceleDent Aura is a handheld device that fits comfortably over your braces. The mouthpiece of the device sends vibrating pulses through your teeth. These vibrations are precisely calibrated to affect the ligaments holding the teeth in place, influencing them to move more readily into their new positions.

Retainers for Life

Maintaining the results you achieved during the orthodontic treatment process is dependent on your use of retainers. Your orthodontist will create retainers that are custom made to fit your unique smile, and will provide you with personalized instructions for how to wear them. Your final orthodontic result depends on this phase, so follow through with the hard work you've put in so far by wearing your retainers as advised by your orthodontist.

We offer three types of retainers. The Hawley retainer is one of the most common types of retainers. It is removable and made of a combination of metal wires and sturdy acrylic. A bonded retainer is one of the best methods for keeping your teeth in their final position. A bonded retainer is permanently attached to the inside surface of your lower teeth with cement. The Essix retainer is a clear, removable retainer that fits over the entire arch of your teeth.

Dental Imaging

The digital radiography machine we use to take X-rays of your mouth releases up to 90% less radiation than traditional X-ray machines while providing crisp, clear images for more efficient diagnoses and treatment. We feel our modern practice and cutting-edge techniques ensure you are receiving the quality care you deserve! To give you the healthy, beautiful, straight smile you’ve always wanted, we utilize innovative digital treatment planning.

We offer a variety of dental imaging services such as Itero digital scans, and Cone Beam CT scans. Your digital records, and digital impressions are sent to our in house lab that will print a 3D model of your teeth. All of these diagnostic records help us formulate a personalized treatment plan that meets the patient’s precise needs and desires. We also use the digital X-rays and digital impressions throughout your orthodontic treatment to visually show you your progress. You can stay up-to-date on your treatment progress by comparing your mouth to what it looked like before your treatment began.

Dental Extractions

An extraction is the complete removal of a tooth. Extractions are sometimes necessary if a primary tooth is preventing the normal eruption of a permanent tooth, if the tooth has suffered extensive tooth decay or trauma that cannot be repaired, if the patient has gum disease, or if the tooth is impacted (usually the wisdom teeth). Depending on the complexity of the case, an extraction can be performed surgically or non-surgically. A mild anesthesia is used to ensure your child is as comfortable as possible throughout the procedure.

We will take an X-ray of the area to help plan the best way to remove the tooth. Surgical extractions generally cause more pain after the procedure than simple extractions. The level of discomfort and how long it lasts will depend on how difficult it was to remove the tooth. After the extraction, someone will need to drive you home and stay there with you. You will be given post-surgery instructions. It is very important that you follow them.

Wisdom Teeth

Your third molars are more commonly called "wisdom teeth." Usually appearing in the late teens or early twenties, third molars often lack the proper space in the jaw to erupt fully or even at all. This common condition is called impaction. When any tooth lacks the space to come through or simply develops in the wrong place of your jaw and becomes impacted, problems can arise. Primarily, damage to adjacent teeth and crowding occur.

In certain cases, the wisdom tooth that cannot come through becomes inflamed under the gums and in the jawbone, causing a sac to develop around the root of the tooth that then fills with liquid. This can cause a cyst or an abscess if it becomes infected. If either of these situations goes untreated, serious damage to the underlying bone and surrounding teeth and tissues can result. To potentially stave off this result, an extraction of one, several or all of the wisdom teeth may be advised.