Orthodontic Services

Orthodontic Screening

The Canadian and American Associations of Orthodontists recommends that all children have an orthodontic screening no later than age 7. In some cases, your family dentist makes this referral as they have been monitoring your child’s tooth and jaw development. Other times, parents contact us directly because they themselves can see problems occurring. Orthodontists are dentists with years of additional training and not only align teeth but effect changes to the facial framework. By age 7, the first molars and possibly the incisor teeth are present. Dr. Heckler can identify problems with the bite relating to dental or skeletal alignment issues and recommend the best timing and course of action.

Invisalign

We provide Invisalign First for kids, Invisalign Teen, and Invisalign for adults.

What is it?

Invisalign uses a series of invisible, removable, and comfortable aligners that no one can tell you’re wearing. So, you can smile more during treatment as well as after. Invisalign is made with 3D computer imaging technology and highly customized 3D printed aligners.

Why would I want it?

Not only are the aligners invisible, they are removable, so you can eat and drink what you want while in treatment. Plus, brushing and flossing are no problem. They are also comfortable, with no metal to cause mouth abrasions during treatment. And no metal and wires usually means you spend less time in your doctor’s office getting adjustments. Invisalign also allows you to view your own virtual treatment plan when you start so you can see how your straight teeth will look when your treatment is complete.

How does it work?

You wear each set of aligners for 1-2 weeks, removing them only to eat, drink, brush, and floss. As you replace each aligner with the next in the series, your teeth will move — little by little, week by week — until they have straightened to the final position Dr. Heckler has prescribed. You’ll visit Dr. Heckler about once every 8-12 weeks to ensure that your treatment is progressing as planned.

Self-ligating Clear and Metal Braces

At Annex Orthodontics, we utilize a very unique type of self-ligating bracket or brace to move teeth. It is one of the smallest, most advanced orthodontic brackets available, from SPEED® System Orthodontics. This allows for a number of significant advantages:

• The unique self-ligating design permits significant appliance miniaturization. This allows the brackets to be up to 50% smaller than traditional metal brackets. SPEED® patients appreciate the superior aesthetics and jewel-like appearance of the SPEED appliance.
• SPEED® permits the use of extremely light forces by eliminating the high frictional resistance of traditionally-designed braces. In addition, the smooth rounded design minimizes soft tissue irritation.
• Shorter treatment times can often be obtained via the use of self-ligating brackets versus conventional appliances due to their greater efficiency
• Fewer office visits are one other reason why our patients prefer self-ligating appliances, as they can often require fewer adjustment visits.
• All of the above translate into greater comfort and convenience for our patients