Tooth grinding becomes more of a problem with older children if it interferes with the normal growth and alignment of their permanent teeth. Nighttime clenching can wear down or chip teeth, make teeth more sensitive to hot or cold temperatures, affect your child’s healthy bite, or lead to TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder). It can also cause earaches and headaches.

Dr. Kaufman starts tracking your child’s teeth with an intraoral camera from their first visit, looking for unusual signs of wear and tear. Once severe wear is detected we will recommend a custom made a mouth guard for nighttime wear.  Please click to see Dr. Kaufman in Glen Iris for an evaluation of child’s tooth wear and grinding habits.

But it does not have to be that way. If the wisdom teeth are properly aligned, they can be a valuable assets to the mouth. Wisdom teeth can aid in chewing and grinding food like other teeth and they have an important role in providing support for  the temporo-madibular joint too.

Wisdom teeth can some time replace other extracted, missing teeth or broken down teeth. In the image  we can see that there is a missing  molar and the wisdom tooth is without a space to erupt. Dr. Kaufman had shifted the other teeth, in an orthodontic treatment, to allow for the missing molar to replaced by the wisdom tooth.

Hence it is important before removing a wisdom tooth to check if it can replace another broken down or missing tooth. Please click to make an appointment with Dr. Kaufman to examine your wisdom teeth. We can explain what can be done to keep your wisdom teeth to improve the appearance and function of your mouth.

The transition between baby teeth or primary teeth to permanent teeth is an important milestone that requires careful monitoring. If there are discrepancies in the way the teeth develop, if there are missing teeth, if the jaw develops incorrectly or if the relation between the size of the teeth and the jaw are incorrect it can have severe consequence on the position and health of the mouth. All of these discrepancies can be checked and a plan can be made to correct them as soon as possible.

Our main goal is for the kids to have a great smile that will boost their confidence and allow them to reach their full potential. An early start of the treatment will allow Dr. Kaufman to guide the permanent teeth into their right location and to harness the natural growth of the face and jaws to restore normal occlusion and reduce the need for further orthodontic treatment or shorten the treatment that will be needed when the children are in their older years.

Baby teeth start erupting at around the age of 4 to 6 months and all the 20 primary teeth should be present in the toddler’s mouth when he turns three years old. The first baby teeth that usually erupt are the lower incisors followed by the upper incisors. The most evident sign that baby teeth are missing is when they fail to erupt or there are large spaces between those that had erupted. Since the “baby teeth” start developing when your child is in the womb, missing these teeth is rare.

The main reasons that baby teeth don’t develop and erupt are due to difficulties during the pregnancy, premature delivery or genetic factors. If the “baby teeth” are missing there is a need to find the reason for it. Dr. Kaufman can check and find out what the condition of the teeth is.

Permanent teeth start replacing the primary teeth or “baby teeth around the age of six years old. The first teeth to be replaced are the lower incisors, the same teeth which were first to erupt.

If permanent teeth fail to erupt usually it is because there are obstructions in their eruption path or they are missing. The obstructions can be a retained primary tooth or an “extra” tooth which is called an odontoma. If an obstruction is the reason for the tooth not erupting, many times removing the obstruction will allow for the tooth to naturally erupt. But if the are missing it is important to check what are the reasons and if there are more teeth missing. Dr. Kaufman can check if the teeth are present or not and what are the possible solutions to help them erupt or replace them.

If you have any concerns or if there are gaps in your child’s smile please make an appointment to see Dr. Kaufman to find what options your child has.

When permanent teeth naturally replace baby teeth, the root of the baby tooth is dissolved by the erupting permanent tooth. This way the baby tooth becomes loose and falls off. But if for some reason this process does not happen, the remanent tooth cannot erupt in its correct position and it has to shift place to come out. This can happen with the front teeth or the back teeth and it needs immediate attention.

If the permanent tooth grows into an incorrect position, in many cases it can get trapped between other permanent teeth, which will make the condition more permanent. For this reason, the solution many times, is to remove the delayed baby tooth, to allow the permanent tooth to correct its position.

If your child has a tooth that is erupting behind the baby ones, it is important to come and see Dr. Kaufman to check what the solution is. He will be happy to examine and explain what is the condition of your child’s teeth. Waiting for the teeth to sort themselves out will only lead to a more difficult condition.

• Crowding
• Gaps between teeth
• Underbite – when all the upper teeth sit behind the lower jaw
• Overbite – when the upper front teeth cover part of the lower front teeth
• Crossbite – when one or more upper teeth fit inside of the lower teeth

Dr. Daniel Kaufman has successfully treated patients experiencing the following bite problems with SureSmile^® Clear Aligners:

• Crowding
• Gaps between teeth
• Underbite – when all the upper teeth sit behind the lower jaw
• Overbite – when the upper front teeth cover part of the lower front teeth
• Crossbite – when one or more upper teeth fit inside of the lower teeth

To find out if aligner treatment is right for you, please make an appointment with Dr. Kaufman. We will be happy to examine and explain what is the condition of your teeth and the way to improve the appearance and function of your teeth.

Getting Started with SureSmile^® Clear Aligners

On your first appointment Dr. Kaufman will examine the condition of your teeth, take photos and a digital scan of your teeth to assess how clear aligners will work best for you.

1. Developing your treatment plan: Dr. Kaufman will instruct the technicians at the SureSmile^® Digital Lab, how to move each tooth for optimal movement.
2. Once your plan is ready, Dr. Kaufman will explain to you the planned treatment.
3. If you have happy with the plan your smile journey will begin: You will get your SureSmile^® Clear Aligners and you’re on your way to a smile you’ll feel confident about.
4. Periodically Dr. Kaufman will make sure everything is on track during routine check-in visits.

Everyone’s journey is different, and Dr. Kaufman wants to make the process is comfortable and rewarding at every step of the way. Let us know how we can support you or make an appointment to start your journey!

The wire retainers need to be left on the teeth, for years after the orthodontic treatment had been completed. They should not be removed till the person finishes his growth which in women is around the age of 20 years old and in men around the age of 25. Once growth had been completed there is a need to assess the position of the teeth and surrounding structures to see if the fixed retention is still needed.

There are several reasons, why it would be a good idea to have these wires removed:

• Fracture of the retainer wire or debonding of one or more of the resin pads that hold them to the teeth.
• Distortion of the retainer wire
• Unwanted tooth movement even when there is no change in the wire.
• Risk for Periodontal disease.
• Risk for food impaction that will cause gingival inflammation.

On the other hand if the wire is removed there is a risk that the teeth will start to move, without a brace that will hold them in place. In order to check if the wire on the upper or lower teeth can be removed, there is a need for an examination with Dr. Kaufman. Please do not hesitate to contact us for advice about your condition or to make an appointment. We will be happy to examine and explain what is the condition of your fixed retainer and if there is a risk of that the front teeth will shift.

Research that was done in 1961 by Bergstrom & Jensen in patients that had wisdom teeth on only one side and they found more crowding of the teeth in the side where the third molar was present. Later in 1982, another group of researchers found that once the wisdom teeth were removed on one side only, the crowding had decreased on that side compared to the side where the wisdom teeth were present, but that happened in only 70% of the patients. These articles point to wisdom teeth as the reason for the crowding and the solution then would be the removal of the wisdom teeth.

However,  other evidence in the literature did not find that third molars contribute to crowding. In those articles the researches compared the crowding of the teeth in patients that had undergone orthodontic treatment, who had  or had not wisdom teeth. In those articles researchers found that crowding occurs regardless of the presence of third molars, and they do not appear to have a significant influence on the changes of tooth position after orthodontic treatment.

In a large review of the literature that was done in 2020 it was found that in those that had their wisdom teeth removed there was only a very small change of 1mm in the crowding in the front teeth. Hence it was concluded that it was not justified to remove wisdom teeth on the grounds of preventing crowding.

In summary there can be many reasons for the growing crowding in adults. These can be related to diet, growth of the jaws, shape of the teeth or the way orthodontic treatment was done. In order to prevent or treat the crowding of the lower incisors, there is a need for an examination with Dr. Kaufman. Please do not hesitate to contact us for advice about your wisdom teeth and crowding. We will be happy to examine and explain how your wisdom teeth are positioned and if there is a risk of crowding in the front teeth.

When the front teeth are sticking out, there are at risk that they will be accidentally  fractured as shown in the image. In a comprehensive study done in Europe it was found that “children with an overjet larger than 3 mm are approximately twice as much at risk of injury to anterior teeth than children with an overjet smaller than 3 mm”. Hence correcting this problem is one of the most common reasons why young patients as young as 8 or 9 years old, come with their parents to see Dr. Kaufman. It is important to correct the condition early, to prevent damage to the teeth.

The position of the teeth can be corrected with traditional braces or with clear aligners. The decision to use the braces or aligners stems from the following considerations:

1. Cost, braces are usually cheaper than aligners.
2. Aligners can be removed for better cleaning, while braces are fixed to the teeth require more elaborate oral hygiene.
3. Braces are needed for more complex treatments.
4. Aligners may be lost once they have been removed from the mouth.
5. Braces are not aesthetically pleasing, while aligners are invisible.
6. Aligners need to be removed before eating.

Once the way the teeth will be moved is chosen, the protruding teeth are being brought back into the mouth to correct the condition. If you see that your child’s teeth are sticking out please make an appointment to see Dr. Kaufman to have them checked and treated.