Care for Smiles of All Sizes
With Kurt Kavanaugh Orthodontics
Patients of all ages deserve a stunning smile in and around Kansas City and Sedalia.
Dr. Kavanaugh and the team at Kurt Kavanaugh Orthodontics have the treatment you need, no matter the age of your smile.
Orthodontics for Children
According to the American Association of Orthodontics (AAO), children should visit their orthodontist by the age of seven. These early screenings allow for your child’s orthodontist to evaluate your child’s mouth when enough adult teeth have emerged.
At this point, Dr. Kavanaugh can detect misalignment and teeth crowding issues and begin planning treatment options.
While we recommend visiting Dr. Kavanaugh at an early age, treatment typically won’t start until later.
Benefits of Early Treatment
In these early examinations, we can spot any abnormalities in the growth patterns of your child’s teeth or jawbone, as well as any other concerns that may cause issues later.
Early treatment helps us to guide your child’s teeth and jaw development, as well as prevent the start of more complex conditions.
Dr. Kavanaugh will determine if and when your child should begin orthodontic treatment during a free consultation.
How Early Treatment Helps
Specifically, early treatment can:
- Guide permanent teeth into an ideal position while in the early stages of development
- Support and assess healthy jawbone development
- Lower the risk of damage to protruding teeth
- Begin to correct improper bites or misplaced teeth
- Improve facial symmetry
Early examinations and treatment don’t just improve the appearance of your child’s smile, but they’re very beneficial for overall health as well. Improper teeth and jaw closure — also known as malocclusions — can negatively affect the way your child chews, smiles, and cleans their teeth.
Finally, early treatment can reduce the effort and duration of orthodontic treatment. By catching orthodontic issues before they get worse, Dr. Kavanaugh can save you both time and money.
Signs Your Child May Need Early Treatment
Certain behaviors and symptoms may indicate that your child could use early treatment. Watch out for:
- Grinding or clenching teeth
- Biting into the cheeks or roof of the mouth
- Thumb sucking for a prolonged period
- Breathing through the mouth most or even all of the time
- Difficulty chewing
- Early or late loss of teeth
Regardless of the age of your child, please contact our Kansas City or Sedalia orthodontic office if you notice any of the above behaviors, as they could be indicators of underlying orthodontic problems.
Orthodontics for Teens
At Kurt Kavanaugh Orthodontics, we're proud to provide expert orthodontic care to patients of every age in the Kansas City & Sedalia areas, but without a doubt, the most common age for our patients to get braces is during adolescence — and there's good reason for that!
Why Adolescent Orthodontics?
Orthodontic treatment is so common for teenagers that it's almost become a rite of passage — and here’s why:
Permanent Teeth
For starters, your child’s permanent teeth have largely grown in by the time they reach adolescence, which means the changes we make through orthodontic treatment will last a lifetime.
Growth & Development
Additionally, teenagers have a high metabolism and experience major growth spurts that we can use to speed up treatment times and move teeth faster.
Social Acceptance
Braces are so common among teenagers that teen patients are very accepting of getting them. In fact, your teen may want braces just to fit in with their friends!
Teens Have Options
We know every patient is different, and we're proud to offer a variety of orthodontic treatment options to our teenage patients.
Whether you're looking for a durable, sturdy, and reliable option or a more aesthetically pleasing treatment method, we'll work with you to select the perfect orthodontic treatment for your unique situation. Our treatment options include:
Metal Braces
This is what most people think of when they hear the word "braces." Composed of high-grade stainless steel, metal braces offer a durable, reliable, and cost-effective treatment for almost any orthodontic condition, and they remain the most popular treatment we offer.
Clear Braces
Clear braces work much the same way as metal braces, with one key difference: Instead of stainless steel, the brackets are composed of a transparent ceramic composite material.
This makes them blend in with teeth and gives them an undeniable aesthetic appeal — but the material also makes them a little more fragile than traditional braces.
Invisalign
Invisalign is a radically different approach to moving teeth that does away with brackets and wires entirely. Instead, Invisalign uses a series of clear, removable aligners to straighten the teeth.
The aligners are virtually invisible when worn and can be popped in and out for eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing – so teens can still enjoy their favorite foods, easily maintain oral hygiene, and never have to worry about having braces for prom, school pictures, or other important milestones.
For busy, socially conscious teens, Invisalign offers some major advantages!
Orthodontics for Adults
Are you an adult interested in orthodontics? Receiving orthodontics treatment is important at any age.
With the continued advancement of technology and treatment becoming more discreet, it’s no surprise that one in five new patients at Kurt Kavanaugh Orthodontics is over the age of 18.
Dr. Kurt Kavanaugh is a leading orthodontist in Kansas City & Sedalia, and he’s excited to help you get your dream smile.
What Is Adult Treatment?
Simply put, adult orthodontic treatment is teeth correction for adults. Whether your teeth are crooked, crowded, or spaced apart, orthodontic service is an excellent choice.
Adult treatment isn't much different than it is for children or teens. The teeth and jaws are moved into the desired position with the help of gentle pressure placed on them over time.
The main difference is that the jaw bones in adults are no longer developing, which means that treatment may take longer.
Benefits of Adult Treatment
For many adults, having less-than-perfect teeth isn't a favorable scenario. Unfortunately, living with some tooth imperfections can hit your confidence.
Adult treatment solves this problem by providing you with your best smile through the proper corrective measures. In fact, treatment can give you a boost in confidence and a renewed sense of happiness.
Ultimately, no one wants to feel insecure about their smile. Orthodontic treatment for adults is the best way to get rid of those bothersome imperfections and start living happily again.
Regardless of whether your imperfections are small or large, Dr. Kavanaugh can customize your treatment to meet your specific needs.
Enhance Your Smile Today
Your teeth matter to us. Here at Kurt Kavanaugh Orthodontics, we provide a wide selection of orthodontic treatment options to our patients in Kansas City & Sedalia.
If you want to learn more about our treatment options or you’d like to schedule a free consultation, contact us today.