You do not need a referral to visit our office. Simply call or text 905-844-5311.

In fact, braces really are not painful at all. Over time your mouth will adjust to the new braces and you will barely notice they are even in your mouth.

That being said, there is one time during your braces in which you may experience some mild discomfort, and that will be during the first few days in your braces, and sometimes when wires are being tightened. With some people, it lasts a couple of hours. With others, it can last up to a week or more.

Here is the best analogy for the discomfort you may feel – imagine that you haven’t exercised for a while and then you decide you’re going to go out for a five-mile run and maybe hit the weight room afterward. You feel pretty good during the workout, but later that night your body may be a bit sore. It’s the same idea with braces. It’s not going to be extremely painful, but you’re going to be in some discomfort.

With some people, it’s hardly noticeable and lasts just a day. With others, it may last a few days. Everyone responds a little differently. The good news is that the discomfort often goes away within a few days so the remainder of your braces experience is great, and you can plan for the initial discomfort by using over-the-counter pain medications on the day you get your braces.

We often recommend a combination of Advil® and Tylenol® (provided you are able and allowed to take these medications in your current state of health) before you get your braces on, and then again later that night. These two drug types work differently and can be taken together to alleviate the initial discomfort from your braces.

The bottom line is that you may have some initial discomfort from the braces, but it should not be very painful and it will go away with time.

With braces, there are some foods that you will need to avoid to make sure you do not break the braces or bite correction appliances. Most foods that are sticky and/or hard may cause issues. That being said, there are tons of foods that you may enjoy during your time in braces. When you start treatment with us, we will help guide you as to which foods you can enjoy and which foods you should avoid.

You do not! After a few days adjusting to your braces, instruments and sports will not be a problem at all during your time in braces! If you play a contact sport, you can wear a special mouth guard that will protect your mouth and your appliance. That being said, you will want a “braces friendly” mouth guard that will accommodate the braces. You may get these types of mouth guards at most sporting good stores, or we do sell this specific type of mouth guard at our office as a convenience to our patients.

Orthodontic treatment will range anywhere between $950 for specific limited treatment and $9000 for very complex comprehensive care. At your free exam, Dr. Hart will analyze your smile and bite and determine a number of options for you. At that time, you can decide which option best fits your specific concerns in order to make an informed decision.

Also, be sure to ask our treatment coordinator about our flexible financing program. We offer discounts for payment in full or multiple family members in treatment; and then monthly payment options for those looking to find something affordable with their budgets. We can also help counsel you on your insurance benefits and how these may help cover the cost of your treatment.

The Canadian Association of Orthodontists (CAO) recommends that your child first see an orthodontist at the age of seven. You do not need a referral from your primary care dentist in order to set up your child’s screening with an orthodontist.

Many times your primary care dentist will recognize problems that need to be seen by an orthodontist and then place a referral to our office. We absolutely love it when dentists do this because it allows us to evaluate the problem to determine if treatment is needed, and when the best time will be to begin treatment.

However, even without a dentist’s referral, seeing an orthodontic specialist for a screening at age 7 will make sure that nothing is overlooked and that all of the teeth are erupting and developing properly. Most kids do not require orthodontic treatment at such an early age – however – in order to catch and rule out some potentially very serious situations such as severe crowding, tooth impactions, congenitally missing adult teeth, underbite, and jaw growth problems – we recommend a screening appointment. Best of all, all screenings are free of charge and we share all x-rays and information with your dentist to ensure the best dental care for your child.

Adult braces are becoming incredibly common and popular. Whether you had braces as a child and your teeth have shifted, or maybe you never had braces and finally want to do something about your smile, then you are not alone – about 25% of our patients are adults! Although we do offer traditional braces to adults, the two most popular options are our Clear Braces or Clear aligners such as Invisalign or Spark.

Most cases range between 12-24 months – some are longer, and some are shorter. It is important to know that your mouth is unique, so length of treatment varies from person to person. Hart Orthodontics offers current technology that allows you to have faster overall treatment times with better results.

Yes, you do.

At first, it is most important to wear your retainer as your teeth settle into their new positions. Right after you get your braces or aligner attachments off, the bone that holds the teeth in place is soft from having moved over the last few months. Over time, the need to wear your retainer will be less and less – however, you should not give up retainers entirely.

Retainers are like anti-wrinkle cream for the teeth – they help prevent shifting due to changes to your metabolism, hormones and crowding of teeth due to ageing. Wearing your retainer nightly will also help protect your teeth from night-time tooth grinding and clenching that many of our patients experience.

• Retainers fitting well and not tight – You should continue to wear your retainer 2 to 4 nights per week.
• Retainers fitting okay (i.e. they can be fully seated on your teeth), but they are very tight – You must increase the use of your retainers to every night or even every day for a period of several weeks. The retainer can be used to actively “push” your teeth back to their original positions, but only if you are able to fully seat the retainer in your mouth. Once the retainer does not feel tight anymore, then you can decrease the use to 2 to 4 nights per week.
• Retainers do not fit at all – If you cannot fully seat your retainers, then you should call your orthodontist immediately. Your teeth have shifted BEYOND the point of using your old retainers to push them back into place. When you meet with your orthodontist, you will have three main options:
  1. Do nothing. Even though this is an option, the main risk is that your teeth will continue to shift over time.
  2. Make a new retainer. Making a new retainer will hold the CURRENT position of your teeth. It will NOT push your teeth back to where they were at the end of your orthodontic treatment (that’s what your old retainer could have done if you were able to fully seat it), but it WILL prevent your teeth from continuing to shift into worse positions.
  3. Get treatment to correct the shifted teeth. This will likely be in the form of braces or clear aligners. If it’s just one tooth out of alignment, there may even be some limited treatment options with shorter treatment times. If you fall into one of the above categories, or you have specific questions regarding retainer care and maintenance, feel free to call our office at any time.