FAQ

We are located in McKinney, Tx. We are a couple blocks east of highway 75 (Central) off of Virginia Street. If you are heading East on Virginia/Louisiana Street toward downtown McKinney, you will turn left onto Wilson Creek BLVD and then right into our parking lot. We are in a standalone building that is shared with Progressive Health. Look for the OrthodonTEX logo and come on in.

An expander, sometimes called an RPE, is usually a metal appliance that is bonded to your molar teeth. It works by pushing the two halves of the upper jaw away from each other. It is an orthopedic appliance that is meant to make the upper jaw, or the maxilla, wider. We use an RPE called a mini RPE. It is the smallest and most comfortable expander we have found. It is a custom-made appliance that is painless to deliver. All you have to do is open wide and hold still and your RPE will be glued to your teeth in about 5 minutes. Generally, your RPE will stay in your mouth for around 7 months. Expanders are usually used in conjunction with braces.

Clear braces are rarely an option in our office. We have found that clear braces can take significantly more time to get your teeth straight when compared to metal braces. Clear braces are generally harder to use because they are clear. This makes it more difficult to place them in the right spot on your teeth. They are generally made of ceramic, which is a delicate material compared to metal. This means they have to be bulkier than a metal bracket and if they break they can become very sharp. Additionally, the clearness of them causes issues with hygiene. Patients often struggle to keep them clean because plaque will tend to blend in with the braces and can be difficult to keep clean. Lastly, the clearness of the bracket creates a significantly stronger bond to your teeth which makes the removal process more difficult. In short, clear braces are bulkier, slower, harder to place, harder to remove and more difficult to keep clean. For these reasons, we generally don't recommend clear brackets. If you are looking for a more aesthetic option, clear aligners like Invisalign©️ or Spark©️ are our recommended alternative to clear brackets.

We recommend that your children see our orthodontist for their first exam no later than age 7. We do a lot of early treatments for things like crossbites and crowding. If your child has a crossbite that is unresolved, it can cause asymmetrical growth issues and damage to the permanent teeth that are in crossbite. The upper teeth are meant to fit outside the bottom teeth all the way around. Anywhere they bottom teeth are outside the top teeth, this is considered a crossbite. It is important to correct this as early as possible to encourage a more normal growth pattern.

We are open from 8:30-5:00 Tuesday through Friday. We have staff on site most days, but please call before you stop by. While we open at 8:30, we do not see our first patient until 9:00. This allows our team to get everything setup for the day. Our last patient is at 4:30.

Permanent retainers, or bonded retainers, are usually an option on the lower arch. Upper bonded retainers are not always an option because of the way the upper and lower front teeth come together. Permanent retainers are not your get out of jail free card. They come with their own risks and limitations. Firstly, they are bonded to the tongue side of your teeth. This area is an area that can generally be hard to keep clean. Proper oral hygiene around your bonded retainer will be imperative to maintaining the health of the teeth to which it is bonded. Additionally, since they are bonded to the teeth, there is a chance they can be broken, and your teeth can shift. We generally use them as a belt and suspenders option for patients whose lower front teeth started very crowded. We use removable over-retainers in conjunction with bonded retainers to help mitigate the risks of your teeth moving down the road. So, in short, bonded retainers are an option, but we will still recommend that you wear a removable retainer over the bonded retainer if you want to give your teeth the best chance of staying straight long term. Bonded retainers are technique sensitive and require customization to your mouth, so we do charge extra if you wish to have a bonded retainer.