The Jorgensen Orthodontics Blog

Three Questions to Ask When Choosing an Orthodontist

Posted by Dr. Jorgensen on May 25th, 2018

I recently broke a tooth. Being a child of the 1960’s, my mouth is full of good old-fashioned silver fillings. Like everyone else in my generation, I didn’t enjoy the benefits of fluoride in the drinking water. In fact, one of the most popular toothpaste commercials of my day showed a young child bouncing into the house after a dental checkup bragging “Mommy! Mommy! I only have one cavity!” Today we’d be upset if our kids had a new cavity at each visit, but back then cavities were the norm. The minute my tooth broke I knew that I was…

Why Do I Need Attachments Glued to My Teeth for Invisalign?

Posted by Dr. Jorgensen on March 4th, 2018

Clear aligners are the rage in orthodontics today. You can’t watch a TV show, view social media, or listen to the radio without being exposed to an advertisement for some type of plastic aligner system that offers you a new smile. The biggest company in this market is Align Technology who produces Invisalign. They have a huge advertising budget and their aligners have become a household name like Kleenex and Band-Aids. New patients come to my office every day asking for me to straighten their teeth with Invisalign because they don’t want anything glued to their teeth. Many are surprised…

Does Orthodontic Treatment (Braces) Cause TMJ?

Posted by Dr. Jorgensen on July 29th, 2017

Every May our office sees an increase in the number of phone calls from parents of high-school-aged children concerned because they have suddenly developed “TMJ” (or more appropriately TMD or temporomandibular disorders). They want to come and see me (an orthodontist) assuming the joint symptoms are directly related to their bite. What is the real relationship between the temporomandibular disorders and orthodontics? Following a landmark lawsuit in 1987 where a Michigan patient received a legal judgment against her orthodontist for giving her “TMJ,” hundreds of studies and millions of dollars have been spent by the scientific community to find if…

Considering Adult Orthodontic Treatment?

Posted by Dr. Jorgensen on June 26th, 2017

Since starting my private practice in 1992, I have observed that the number of adults seeking orthodontic treatment has increased every year. For whatever reason, the percentage of adults in active treatment has grown from about 15% to over 30% in 2017. What are the pros and cons of adult treatment and how is it different from adolescent treatment? I love my adult patients. They are typically better informed, more motivated, follow instructions better, and usually have better oral hygiene than adolescents. With the availability of information on the Internet, most adult patients have a better understanding of their own…

What Can I Do If My Child Is Missing a Permanent Tooth?

Posted by Dr. Jorgensen on May 30th, 2017

Children typically lose their last baby tooth around age 12. In most, the loss of a baby tooth is followed almost immediately by the eruption of the corresponding permanent one. If a baby tooth has been lost and a replacement does not appear in a reasonable amount of time, it could be because it is crowded, impacted (headed in wrong direction), or missing. The best way to determine what is going on is a dental x-ray. What can be done if your child is missing a tooth? There are three options when a permanent tooth is missing: 1) preserve the…

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