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www.FredericksburgParent.NET 27 Q: Orthodontics is a big investment for families. Does Let's Smile offer a payment plan or financing? Dr. Eliliwi: We do. First, if the family has dental insurance, we check to see if the insur- ance covers any portion of the orthodontic treatment. We offer in-house financing, where families pay a down payment and then make monthly payments with no interest. Orthodontics is a journey, and every month we are making progress, so this payment sys- tem aligns well with our regular visits and check-ins with the patients and families. Q: In addition to traditional braces, Let's Smile also offers Invisalign clear aligners and LightForce custom-printed brackets. How do you help patients decide which treatment is right for them? Dr. Eliliwi: We really work closely with our patients to make sure they are well informed about their treatment options and have selected an option that will meet their needs. In some cases, it comes down to the orthodontic issue we are correcting. Some interven- tions may be better suited to one treatment option than another. In other cases, it comes down to lifestyle. With clear aligners, for example, there is a lot of responsibility on the child to be sure they are wearing the aligners and keeping up with them. Parents play an important role in helping us assess which treatments individual patients will be success- ful with. Of course, with braces, good oral hygiene habits are critical, as we don't want to have cavities developing while we are building this beautiful straight smile. We see it as very important to work closely with families to ensure that any treatment option we rec- ommend will be a good fit for the patient. Q: After the braces come off and the patients go home with a retainer, how important is it to keep wearing that retainer? Dr. Eliliwi: The retainer is super important, because even though we are finished with treatment, the teeth don't stop shifting or moving. We're always eating, we are always using the muscles in and around the mouth, like the tongue, so there is always minor movement happening in the teeth. Changes don't happen overnight, but if we don't wear our retainers, then slowly, over time, bigger shifts can happen. It's kind of like when you get a haircut—you aren't finished maintaining your hair for life! In the same way, retainers are important maintenance that help retain the smile we work so hard to produce during orthodontic treatment. To learn more, visit letssmile.com. • Locally based practice started by a longtime orthodontist who saw the need for families to have more convenient options for dental specialties. • Nine offices throughout the Fredericksburg and Northern Virginia areas. • Offering pediatric dentistry, orthodontics and oral surgery. • Family-friendly payment plans for orthodontics, with low down payments and interest-free financing. • Pediatric dentists make early childhood dental visits easy and fun. • Having orthodontics under the same roof ensures access to important early interventions. • Specialists regularly confer and offer second opinions to ensure the best treatment plan for every patient. • Care team is carefully selected for expertise in their specialty and a drive to constantly improve and provide the best patient care. Q: What is beneficial about working in a practice that also offers pediatric dentistry and oral surgery? Dr. Eliliwi: For orthodontics, it's all about timing. The American Association of Orthodontics recommends that children have their first visit with an orthodontist at age 7, which is about when children get their first permanent molars. That is because when it comes to orthodontic work, some conditions may need to be addressed while a child still has some baby teeth, and the permanent teeth are still growing in or preparing to emerge. If we see them early, we can get an idea of how the upper and the lower jaw are aligning, or if it looks like crowding of the teeth may become an issue. These issues can be easier to address when the child is younger. Since the jaw is growing, we can take advantage of this and use functional appliances to help correct some of these issues. Unfortunately, if an issue like this isn't detected until the patient's jaw is finished growing, then surgery may become the only option. At Let's Smile, we can make sure patients get the orthodontic consult when they need it, because we are all here under one roof. This makes everybody's life easier, from commu- nications about appointments and patient progress to ensuring the appropriate records and X-rays are in place where the patient needs them. At Let's Smile, we can make sure patients get the orthodontic consult when they need it, because we are all here under one roof.