Common Treatments

Crowding Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
Before
After treatment at Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
After

Crowding of the teeth

This patient started treatment at age 11 and wore braces for 26 months. He loves his new smile.

Openbite Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
Before
Openbite after picture Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
After

Openbite: Front teeth don’t touch

This patient sucked her thumb as a young child. She started treatment at age 13. She had braces and a special appliance — called a crib — to retrain the tongue for 28 months. Now she can bite the lettuce out of a sandwich!

Overbite Before Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
Before
Overbite Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
After

Deep overbite: Lower front teeth bite into palate

This adult patient, age 25, required braces and jaw surgery to correct his severe overbite with treatment taking 24 months. His problem could have been corrected without surgery if he had been treated before he was a teenager.

Incisors Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
Before
Lateral Incisors Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
After

Missing lateral incisors

This patient’s lateral incisors were congenitally missing. She had braces for 20 months to move the teeth into the correct position, then the missing teeth were replaced with bonded “Maryland” bridges.

Underbite Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
Before
Underbite after Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
After

Underbite: Lower front teeth in front of upper teeth

This patient’s underbite was causing her jaw joint discomfort and excessive wear patterns on her teeth. After 30 months of treatment starting at age 32, she now finds smiling and chewing much easier.

Spacing teeth Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
Before
Spacing teeth after Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
After

Spacing of teeth

This patient was bothered by the spaces between his teeth. Braces closed the spaces and gave him an ideal bite in 24 months. Special glued-in retainers help keep the spaces closed.

Overbite Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
Before
Overbite after Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
After

Overbite: Protruding front teeth

At age 10, this patient had a large overbite with the top teeth protruding beyond the bottom. She had two phases of treatment. The first phase helped her jaws to grow more harmoniously. The second phase aligned her teeth and bite. At age 13, she was proudly displaying her new smile.

Braces Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
Before
Non braces Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
After

Non-braces treatment

Sometimes braces are not needed to get noticeable improvements in tooth alignment. This patient was first seen at age seven for crowding of the lower permanent teeth. A procedure was performed to reduce the width of the adjacent baby teeth and the permanent incisors aligned on their own in nine months.

Before picture Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
Before
After picture Hurst Orthodontics in Carlsbad, CA
After

Phase I

This patient’s parents were concerned about both aesthetics and the health of the erupting permanent teeth when they brought him to Dr. Hurst at age eight. The lower front teeth were crowded and they touched the palate, and the upper front teeth were extremely displaced from their normal positions. After 20 months of Phase I treatment with an expander and partial braces, the patient’s dental function and appearance of his teeth were vastly improved.