Fredericksburg Parent

www.FredericksburgParent.NET 19 Q. Q. Q. Join us for the live conversation on Sponsored Material Stay tuned to the Fredericksburg Parent Facebook and YouTube channels during the month of August for a video interview with Dr. Almy. Facebook: @fredericksburgparent Twitter: @FredParent Instagram: @fredparentmagazine a sk t h e e x p e rt Dr. Diana Almy Board Certifi ed Orthodontist Wait a minute—are you saying some kids actually want braces? DR. ALMY: A lot of parents will say, "I can't believe they want braces," but this is really fairly normal. We have done a decent job in orthodon- cs of evolving our techniques so it isn't as scary as some parents may remember. New materials and techniques are off ering shorter treatment dura on and unprecedented comfort. Brackets are smaller, sleeker and have smooth, rounded edges that reduce irrita on to the inside of the cheeks. It's become a gentler, easier process. If you remember the pain of separators and the rings on the back teeth—we aren't using those anymore. Parents are o en pleasantly surprised. Fredericksburg Orthodontics is a Invisalign Diamond+ Provider. Is Invisalign available for children? DR. ALMY: In most cases, if you can treat a problem with braces, you can also treat it with Invisalign. In very few cases am I telling pa ents that braces are the only op on. Invisalign uses a custom-made series of clear aligners to straighten teeth, without the brackets and wires of braces. The two op ons achieve similar results—the choice for children o en comes down to lifestyle. With Invisalign, you are taking something on and off , while braces are affi xed, so you have to take care of them with brushing and cleaning and being careful about certain foods and candies. Invisalign aligners change out weekly, so if a teen or child loses one, it's not nearly as big of a deal as losing a retainer. We talk families through the pros and cons and help them decide which treatment op on is right for their child. What do families like about working with Fredericksburg Orthodontics and Invisalign Center? DR. ALMY: We really try to have a family-oriented ap- proach. When you come in, you feel that welcoming from the front offi ce, and both I and our treatment coordina- tor spend a lot of me explaining everything to families. People like that things are really spelled out, with the pros and cons of diff erent treatment op ons, so that it's not a one-size-fi ts-all treatment experience. Parents and adult pa ents appreciate that we off er fl exible fi nancing terms and try to make it aff ordable for everybody, whether you have insurance or not. We have in-house payment plans that carry no interest, and our down payments are reasonable. Orthodon c treatment is a years-long process, and we try to be very considerate about how our treatment fi ts into our families' lives. During the pandemic, we started off ering virtual consulta- ons, and developed a system to give pa ents instruc ons for securely sending us photos of their teeth. We are con nuing to off er virtual visits as an op on as we move out of the pandem- ic. The portal pops right up if you visit our website at fredericksburgorthodon cs.com. But all pa ents should know that dental offi ces were and con nue to be some of the safest places to be in terms of having low levels of disease transmission. Infec on control has been a priority in all dental offi ces for decades, and ge ng into those dental and orthodon c visits is incredibly important for preven ng tooth decay and iden fying issues that need treatment. For more informa on, visit fredericksburgorthodon cs.com.

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