Below are some of the most frequently asked questions patients have about orthodontic treatment.  If you have any other questions, or would like to schedule an appointment, we would love to hear from you.

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A:

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends a child have their initial evaluation by 7 years of age.  The majority of children will not require any immediate treatment; however, this is a good age to check for and observe any skeletal discrepancies that might be developing.  In most instances, your child will simply be placed on a yearly observation schedule so that their growth and development can be monitored.
A:

-Dr. Konys runs a small and very personalized office in order to maximize the amount of time spent with his patients. 

-He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics.

-Since he values your time, his practice schedules appointments so that you will not wait at your regular visits.  His no wait policy ensures your busy day will not be interupted.

-Seeing Dr. Konys at every visit ensures that your treatment is kept on schedule.

-Dr. Konys is always available should you desire extra explaination of any aspect of your treatment experience.
A: Most certainly! Adults benefit from orthodontic treatment just as children by improving their oral health and improving their smile.  Our adult patients truely appreciate their new smiles since they have waited their entire lives to adress their concerns.
A:

First of all,  every patient's initial evaluation in our office is complimentary!  Dr. Konys simply takes a look and lets you know the following:

- Would orthodontic treatment be beneficial.

- How long will the treatment last.

- What would the treatment involve.

- An estimate of the cost.

- Any other questions yoy might have regarding orthodontic treatment.
A:

An orthodontist is a dentist that has completed an aditional 2-3 year residency progaram, following dental school,  resulting in a Certificate in Orthodontics.  As a specialist in orthodontics, they are limited to treating patient's orthodontic and skeletal growth concerns.  By visiting an orthodontist, you are ensuring that your orthodontic concerns will be handled to the most stringent standards of orthodontic care.  All orthodontists in good standing are members of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO).

Your orthodontic treatment is an important investment in yourself!  Make sure you are receiving your treatment by an orthodontist.
A:

He can offer you any number of treatment methods that are effective in correcting your orthodontic problem.  While any of these methods can achieve your desired result, Dr. Konys may recommend one that will best treat your specific orthodontic treatment needs:

- Traditional metal fixed brackets with or without colors

- Three different styles of ceramic or clear fixed brackets for addressing cosmetic concerns

- Invisalign removable treatment for both adults and late Teens

- Passive ligation brackets

- Active ligation brackets

- TADS  (Temporary Anchorage Devices) They miniture threaded pins that are painlessly place into specific bone sites, used as anchors against tooth movement.  These are usually reserved for more complex orthodontic issues; however, are becoming more common due to they ease of placement.

- Fuctional Orthodontic Appliances -  Appliances they can improve growth discrepancies in younger patients that are still growing in an effort to avoid future surgical intervention as adults.

- Surgical/Orthodontic treatment plans reserved for late teenage/adult patients if severe skeletal disrepancies exist that cannot be corrected by comprehensive orthodontic means.
A: No.  You are welcome to contact us for an initial orthodontic evaluation if you have any concerns at all regarding your or your child's dental development.  As mentioned prior, it is recommended that children see an orthodontist for an initial evaluation at age 7 simply to determine that their growth and development are progressing normally.
A: If you have dental insurance which has orthodontic coverage, you should be reimbursed the full lifetime maximum benefit.  Generally speaking, your insurance company will reimburse you for payments made.  Since each company reimburses orthodontic benefits differently, you will need to find out what your company requires from you.  Usually, we simply fill out a dental claims form, when the appliances are placed, to initiate the reimbursement process.  After the initail form you may be required to submit a dental claim form at a time interval determined by your company.  For example quarterly.
A:

In most cases, it is not ideal to wait until all your teeth have erupted for a number of reasons: 

- Dental alignment tends to worsen with age, make treatment more complex.

- By the time all teeth have erupted a persons growth is almost complete, making skeletal discrepancies more difficult to address.

- Children tend to tolerate braces better during junior high school rather than high school.

- It may be possible to limit or avoid treatment altogether if problems can be resolved during development.

- Some skeletal discrepancies require surgical intervention after growth is completed.
A:

Invisalign  treatment is an exciting, unobtrusive method to align teeth.  Unfortunately, for many patients this method simply cannot achieve both the predictability and quality of the orthodontic result desired.  Orthodontic treatment is more than just aligning the teeth.  Long term stability and skeletal-dental relationships are an important component of orthodontic treatment. 

Some patients are perfect candidtes for Invisalign treatment!

For patients where Invisalign is not the best treatment option, a combined Orthodontic/Invisalign may be possible. 

For others, only comprehensive orthodontic treatment is possible.

Dr. Konys will thoroughly explain all of the options that would best address your individual issues at your initial evaluation.