Oral Appliance Therapy
Orthopedic / Orthodontic
Orthopedic / Orthodontic
Besides giving shape and beauty to your face, your teeth and the joints and muscles of the jaw are working every day to crush and grind the food you eat so you can properly digest it. Our back teeth are designed to withstand the force of up to 100 pounds of pressure per square inch. Over the course of many years, uneven wearing of the teeth can cause imbalances in our bite that lead to pressure, pain, popping and other issues associated with TMJ disorder.
By taking an orthopedic or 'functional' approach to dentistry, we are able to correct misalignments and give balance to your bite so that your teeth endure the force of chewing over time—and ensure that your investment in your smile will last.
At Epic Dentistry, we are especially passionate about early orthopedic intervention. At as early as 3 years of age (and up to about 15 years), we are able to detect and address poor myofunctional habits that would otherwise result in the need for braces. By correcting things like tongue position, inadequate swallow, and mouth breathing, we can widen the jaw and grow it to its full potential. This results in sufficient room for the teeth, allowing them to come in naturally straight and often without the need for braces.
Take a look at the orthopedic and orthodontic services we offer:
Breathe Freely All Night Long & Avoid Snoring
Oral appliance therapy is a treatment for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. It involves wearing a removable oral appliance in your mouth as you sleep. The device fits much like a sports mouth guard or orthodontic retainer.
As an expert sleep dentist, Dr. Caulfield can recommend an oral appliance that will best address your needs. A snoreguard can be used to hold the tongue in place for very minor snoring cases without airway issues. Mandibular Advancement Devices are a more advanced option that reposition the tongue and hold your lower jaw forward and down slightly to help you breathe freely and avoid snoring.
Finally, Dr. Caulfield is a pioneer in offering a DNA Appliance and mRNA Appliance therapy (The Vivos System). This treatment gently stimulates bone and tissue growth in the jaw and upper airway to reduce and even eliminate symptoms related to sleep apnea and TMJ disorder.
Clear Aligner Therapy
Successful Approach To Teeth Straightening For Teens and Adults
Aligner therapy offers a solution to realign your smile to fix over-crowding and close small gaps between teeth. These solutions are less invasive and less painful than traditional braces—the custom made aligner is nearly invisible, can be removed as needed, and is comfortable to wear.
At Epic Dentistry, we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all. In fact, Dr. works with Invisalign, ClearCorrect, and Candid, to name a few. Clear aligner alternatives have become very popular—and for good reason. However, these aren't the only solutions out there to straighten teeth and it can be important to understand what caused the crowding before correcting the issue. As a trained orthopedic dentist, Dr. Caulfield will partner with you to identify the right solution to achieve the smile you are looking for, in the timeframe you’d like, and within your budgetary goals.
Dental Retainers
You've Invested In Your Smile, Now You Want It To Last
Even though braces may have successfully straightened your teeth, they are not completely settled in their new position until the bones, gums, and muscles adapt to the change. Also, after long periods of time, teeth tend to shift.
It is common to wear a custom-made removable or fixed retainer following braces for a period of time. Retainers may also be used to treat minor orthodontic problems. We can make a custom retainer for you at Epic Dentistry, or replace a lost or broken retainer, to protect your smile.
Splints & Night Guards
Protection Against Grinding and Clenching
A dental splint, also called a night guard, bite guard or occlusal splint, protects your teeth as you sleep. This is because you may be suffering from a condition called bruxism, which is a sleep disorder that causes you to unconsciously grind or clench your teeth at night.
At Epic Dentistry, we custom make splints and night guards to fit over your upper and lower teeth so they don’t touch. This will lessen the effects of clenching or grinding and correct your bite by putting your teeth in a more correct position. Dr. Caulfield can will recommend an appliance that fits your need--either a night guard to wear while you sleep, or a dental splint that can be worn all the time.
Child Ortho / Myobrace
Avoid Braces & Costly Dental Work Down the Road
Most parents know that it's never too early to start an oral care routine for their young ones that includes regular visits to the dentist. But not all dentists, and not all pediatric dentists, are trained on pre-orthodontic options that are available to allow for natural growth and development of teeth.
Waiting until all permanent teeth have come through to begin treatment with braces can unfortunately lead to irreversible damage affecting not only the teeth, but also the child’s overall health and development.
As an orthopedic dentist, Dr. Caulfield has been working with the Myobrace® System and The Vivos® Early Start System to reverse incorrect jaw development for children as young as 3 years old to prevent crowding of the teeth before it happens. By correcting things like tongue position, inadequate swallow, and mouth breathing, we can widen the jaw and grow it to its full potential. This results in sufficient room for the teeth, allowing them to come in naturally straight and often without the need for braces.
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