February is National Children’s Dental Health Month: Local Orthodontists Have Improved 20,000 Kids’ Smiles

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month and Dr. Andrew Chase and his father, Dr. Robert Chavez of ARCH Orthodontics estimate they have treated some 20,000 patients.

Most patients who get braces are youngsters and teens. Treatment usually begins for girls ages 10 -15 and for boys 11-16. Most young patients are referred by their general dentists for an initial exam around age 7. Increasingly the Orthodontists are seeing people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and older who want an improved smile, better comfort and new self-confidence. Their oldest patient currently is 82. Nearly invisible braces make them less obvious and more attractive for adults.

“While the end-product of our work is a great-looking smile,” says Dr. Chase, “more importantly, Orthodontic treatment results in a healthier mouth.” He explains that crooked or crowded teeth make cleaning difficult, which can lead to tooth decay, gum disease and possibly tooth loss. He adds, “An improper bite can interfere with chewing and speaking, can cause abnormal wear to tooth enamel, and can lead to problems with the jaws, resulting in painful TMJ disorder.” There’s a team of 7 other highly-skilled Orthodontists and many dental hygienists who staff ARCH’s 9 offices including two recent additions in Hyannis and Orleans on Cape Cod.

Children are close to the Doctors’ hearts. The father-son team has a long history of improving smiles for children a lot farther from home, too. Both have worked with Operation Smile, an organization that helps disadvantaged children with cleft palate and other oral deformities, providing them with free surgeries and dental care they may not otherwise receive. Dr. Chavez has helped such children in Hungary, Jordan, Gaza, Kenya and the Philippines. Dr. Chase participated in Operation Smile’s World Journey of Hope and their Inaugural Mission to Peru. This past year a staff member volunteered dental hygiene services in Honduras, and ARCH donated toothbrushes to children in a Ugandan village. Closer to home, Dr. Chavez cofounded and serves on the Board of the Stoughton Youth Commission.

Besides the new Cape Cod locations, ARCH Orthodontics operates offices in Stoughton, Bridgewater, Brockton, Canton, Hyde Park, Randolph and Westwood, ARCH is the Official Orthodontist of Miss Massachusetts.

To schedule a free consultation and take advantage of ARCH’s National Children’s Dental Health new patient special, call 1-800-28- SMILE, email smilemaker@archorthodontics.com or visit the ARCH Orthodontics website. Offer expires February 29, 2012 and is for new patients only. Must mention this story to get special offer.

Tags: ARCH Orthodontics, Dr. Andrew Chase, Dr. Robert Chavez, National Children's Dental Health Month, orthodontist Canton MA, orthodontist Westwood MA