About Orthodontics – Ames & Peterson Orthodontics

What is an Orthodontist?

All orthodontists are dentists first. Out of 100 dental school graduates, only six go on to become orthodontists. These are the steps in an orthodontist’s education: college, dental school...

Clear Aligner Therapy

Removable Clear Aligners Clear Aligners (such as InvisalignTM , SparkTM or ClarityTM) are a series of removable polymer trays custom made to the shape of your teeth, with each tray gradually...

Invisible Lingual Braces

Lingual Braces fit on the inside (the “tongue side”) of your teeth, so they are truly invisible when you smile and talk. The individual brackets are custom made, based on a digital scan ...

Ceramic Braces

Clear Ceramic Braces can be worn with or without colored ties Ceramic brackets on Wil Ceramic braces work exactly like metal braces, except that they are invisible from just a few feet away....

Insurance and Orthodontics

As an orthodontic practice, we are a provider of dental services. Consequently when we bill to insurance, we bill to dental rather than health insurance. We will bill to any private dental i...

Technology

We’ve got some pretty nifty tech behind the scenes! We use state-of-the-art technology and evidence-proven methods to create our patients’ amazing results. Whether it is the therapies we...

Overall Discomfort from Shifting Teeth

In the course of your treatment, you will have some days with more discomfort than others. There are a few things that you can do to get some relief. Remember what Dr. Ames would say: “The...

Loose Bonded Retainer

If your bonded retainer begins to loosen, please call us immediately so we can schedule an appointment to rebond it, as your teeth will begin to shift if the retainer is not securely in plac...

Broken Brackets

If you have a bracket that has come loose from your teeth, there are a few things that you can do right away at home. Please call us for next steps. Individual broken brackets are not emerge...

Loose or Poking Wires

The most common orthodontic problems are loose or poking wires. You can often correct a bothersome wire at home, either by clipping it with a nail or wire clipper or pushing it in place with...

Orthodontic Emergencies

Hey, breakages can happen, and we’re here to help! The good news is that most orthodontic mishaps are not urgent, and much can be done at home to immediately alleviate problems or discomfo...

What’s Ortho Really Like?

So straight-up, what’s ortho really like? Not all of us have had orthodontics treatment with a family member or close friend before, and there are a lot of questions that we hear a lot abo...

Retention

One of the realities of orthodontics that wasn’t fully recognized until the last decade or so, is that without some type of retention (holding) device our teeth will try with varying degre...

Financing Orthodontics

Orthodontics is an investment in yourself or your child, resulting in better function, comfort, aesthetics, and confidence for a lifetime! There are many tools to help make orthodontics affo...

Oral-B Genius Professional Bluetooth Toothbrush

Yep, we sell a toothbrush. Nope, you don’t have to buy it. Why then? We really, honestly, truly think you should use a powered toothbrush like this. It removes twice as much plaque at the ...

Surgical Orthodontics

For some patients, jaw surgery (orthognathic surgery) is an important part of their orthodontic treatment plan. These surgical procedures correct upper and lower jawbone discrepancies, resul...

Video Animation Library

We keep an ever-growing library of orthodontic video animations on our YouTube page for your convenience. If you’ve ever watched a video animation in our office regarding an appliance, tre...

Oral Hygiene and Orthodontics

We are deadly serious about your brushing! There’s no doubt about it, braces are admirable food catchers, and it’s important to keep your teeth extra-clean during orthodontic care! We ar...

Our Online Portal

We have a great patient portal that allows our patients to see scheduled appointment, update their contact information remotely, and view their photos and xrays, 24 hours a day. Designated b...

Observation Recall

Observation Recall is for young patients who do not need braces right now, but might when they are older. We schedule a complimentary recall appointment once or twice a year to monitor the p...