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Our patients at Grapevine Kids hate the thought of delaying their treatments and often ask us what they can do in between their adjustment visits to help. Today, Drs. Schofield and Dad and our team thought we would provide some tips on how you can stay on track in regards to your treatment plan time.

The first thing we want you to do is keep your adjustment appointments. Each visit with Drs. Schofield and Dad is carefully planned to move your teeth a specific way in a certain time frame. It’s important to note that missing an appointment can add weeks or months to your treatment time.

Next, we want you to let Drs. Schofield and Dad and our team know right away if your experience any problems with your braces or appliances. A missing wire, rubber band, or broken bracket can delay treatment time, so we ask that you please give us a call right away to report any issues rather than waiting until your next visit.

Make sure you wear your rubber bands as prescribed by Drs. Schofield and Dad. Most, if not all, of our patients will need to wear elastics or rubber bands at some point during their treatment. Not wearing the bands or elastics, or not wearing them enough, can slow down your treatment time. Rubber bands are critical in aligning your bite and are important for the bite-fixing phase of your treatment.

Finally, we want you to maintain good oral hygiene, just as you did before your treatment began. In addition to flossing regularly, we encourage you to brush your teeth several times a day. Not brushing will allow sugar to wear away the cement on the braces, making them less effective in moving your teeth, as well as elevate your risk of developing cavities or tooth decay, which will inevitably delay treatment time.

If you have any questions about any of these tips, or if you have any general questions about your treatment, please give us a call at our convenient Grapevine office, or ask Drs. Schofield and Dad during your next adjustment visit!

In the eyes of most parents, nothing is cuter than their baby’s smile. Did you know your little one’s smile (that is, his or her oral health) actually plays a huge role in determining the child’s overall well-being? In order to keep your youngster healthy and smiling, you need to know when and how to take care of those tiny teeth.

Baby teeth aren’t just temporaries that will fall out eventually. They help your baby chew and talk, and they reserve space in the jaw for permanent teeth later on. Since they’re so important, the right time to start dental care is only a few days after your infant is born.

Take a soft, wet washcloth or piece of gauze and gently wipe your baby’s gums. The earlier you begin, the more accustomed your child will become to a daily dental hygiene routine.

Babies that are put to bed with a bottle may be at greater risk for developing cavities. Milk, juice, and any other drinks that contain sugar instigate tooth decay while the child sleeps.

If your baby must go to bed with something, a bottle of water is the healthiest option. Remember to wipe your little one’s gums after each feeding, whether it’s formula from a bottle or breast milk.

As soon as your infant’s first tooth comes in, it’s time to start brushing! Twice a day, take a small amount of toothpaste (about the size of a grain of rice) and brush your son or daughter’s teeth gently in circular motions. As soon as your toddler has multiple teeth that touch one another, floss up and down the sides of the teeth to remove any plaque between them or below the gumline.

Babies’ teeth are prone to cavities and gingivitis, so you’ll want to be on the lookout for telltale signs. Check regularly for red, swollen gums, because this may be an indication of developing gum disease. Discoloration, white spots, or small pits in the teeth can signal a forming cavity.

As long as you follow these simple guidelines and schedule regular dental checkups with Drs. Schofield and Dad at our Grapevine office, you can help to ensure your baby has a healthy mouth. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your happy baby’s healthy smile.

It’s not unusual for a patient to be unaware of the range of services that orthodontists can provide for their patients. Knowing which services Drs. Schofield and Dad and our team perform can help you better understand your options and why we might select a particular method of treatment.

Both orthodontists and dentists care about good oral health, but they approach treatment in differing ways. You know that dentists clean teeth and treat gum disease, tooth decay, toothaches, and other oral health problems.

But what does your orthodontist do besides help straighten teeth with the help of braces? Orthodontists are commonly known to help fix or realign crooked teeth. Many of the patients at Grapevine Kids come in for appointments that relate to their braces.

Drs. Schofield and Dad and our team recommend that children be seen around the age of seven to evaluate their potential orthodontic needs. Common problems may include overcrowding of teeth, large gaps or spaces, and overbites or underbites, among other things.

In order to address these common problems, we offer several methods of treatment besides standard braces and retainers:

• Space maintainers can be used to fill the spaces left by missing baby teeth so other teeth don’t shift and occupy the adult tooth’s location.
• Jaw repositioning appliances, sometimes known as splints, are used to reposition the upper and lower jaw bones correctly.
• Lip and cheek bumpers can also be used to avoid having to pull teeth. These bumpers are placed in the mouth so the patient’s lips or cheeks don’t put pressure on specific teeth.
• A more common appliance that orthodontists use is expanders. If your mouth is crowded, expanders will be placed on the curve of the upper and/or lower jaw(s) in order to make room for teeth to be properly aligned.
• As a last resort, an orthodontist may turn to headgear. This is normally provided to slow down the growth of the jaw. It must be worn a number of hours each day.

When you visit our Grapevine office, we will go over these options with you and pick the best course of treatment, depending on the current state of your oral health.

No matter which oral appliances you end up with, Drs. Schofield and Dad and our team will go over all the available options with you to give you a beautiful smile. If you have questions regarding your treatment method, don’t hesitate to call our office and we can provide you with some insight.

Understanding the different options your orthodontist can provide should make matters less confusing if you should need to select a method of treatment.

You might not be aware but October is National Orthodontic Month! We make it our mission at Grapevine Kids Dental and Orthodontics to educate our potential and current patients and their families on the wonderful benefits that orthodontic treatment can bring to a smile. An orthodontist truly helps build a dream smile! Little by little, Dr. Schofield can help a person develop a lasting smile that’s both beautiful and healthy.

When considering orthodontics treatment for your child, make sure to do your research. Here are some helpful questions that will guide you through the process:

-Who is your doctor?
-What kind of training do they have?
-Will they be with you throughout the whole treatment?

You might be surprised to learn how affordable orthodontic treatment can be! Most patients can get started with a modest down payment and we offer monthly payment plans to match any budget.

The timeline of orthodontic treatment can vary. Most full, comprehensive treatment is completed in about 18-24 months. During treatment, the patient will come in for adjustments and check-ups about every six weeks on average.

We urge all our patients to maintain a regular oral hygiene routine because it can ultimately help reduce discomfort while going through orthodontic treatment! No one likes being in pain and keeping braces, teeth, and gums clean help avoid unnecessary pain.

We are currently offering FREE ceramic, clear braces with full treatment. At Grapevine Kids Dental and Orthodontics, we believe in wellness and treating the WHOLE YOU!

Our team lives in the community and we want to provide you with the smile you've always wanted. Call us today for a free orthodontic evaluation.