Stephen B. Clark Orthodontics

• Crowding 
• Openbite - front teeth don't touch. Often the result of thumb sucking. 
• Deep Overbite - lower front teeth bite into palate. Best corrected in teen years.
• Underbite - Lower teeth in front of upper teeth.
• Missing teeth -  caused from accidents or growth problems
• Spacing of teeth - genetical spaces
• Overjet - often called an overbite.
• Retainer - sometimes braces are not needed and correction can be made.

Some corrective treatment can be done with the use of a retainer without the need for braces.  Stephen B. Clark Orthodontics in Farmington encourages our patients to:

• Wear your retainer full time, until the doctor instructs otherwise.
• If your retainer is not in your mouth, it should be in its case and up high.  (Pets love to chew on them.)
• Take your retainer out to eat and put it in your case.  (Most retainers are lost because they were placed on a napkin and get thrown away.)
• Clean your retainer once a day with warm water and a wet toothbrush (no toothpaste .)  Brushing your retainer helps to remover plaque and bad odors.
• Always bring your retainer to your appointment.
• Do not attempt to adjust your retainer yourself.
• Keep your retainer followup appointments.
• Keep your retainer out of the sun, out of your pocket, out of napkins, out of hot water, out of hot cars, out of washing machines. 
•  Retainer replacement can be expensive.  So, take care of it.