Braceless Choice

Dear patients, parents and siblings. Braceless Choice team wishes you Merry Christmas, lots of Joy, laughter and health.

On the 10th of September 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland Dr Mariola Prokop had honour to be inducted to the Pierre Fauchard Academy, prestigious, 86 years old Independent Dental Organisation. “That was my dream since I heard first time about this Academy in my first year of Uni.”
Very grateful to Dr Derek Mahony for the invitation to Pierre Fauchard Academy.

Did you know that we can recognise and treat crooked teeth before a child’s adult teeth have even emerged?

Dr Mariola Prokop has over 30 years’ experience working with children in early interceptive dentistry and orthodontics, and she knows exactly what she’s looking for!

There are signs of course… things like:
• Small or no gaps between baby teeth
• Mouth breathing and other breathing issues
• Snoring, teeth grinding and other sleep disorders
• Overbite or underbite (malocclusion)

It is for this reason that we recommend an orthodontic assessment before a child is 7 years old.

To find out if your child may benefit from Braceless Choice’s braces-free integrated treatments, request a free online check today. Visit:
https://bracelesschoice.com.au/ -assessment

We think kids really are the best!

Which is why we put them front and centre in our practice.

Our clinic is a bright, colourful space purposely designed to be welcoming and friendly to all of our patients – young and not-so-young. Our treatment rooms are warm and comfortable, and we offer a bright and cheerful waiting room to help put nervous or anxious children at ease.

We have a team of therapists with diverse skills who work together to develop an integrated approach to our treatment programs. They are all experienced at enabling children to relax both before and during their appointment. Where possible, we try to schedule treatments with several therapists back-to-back, to make your visits easier to manage. We can even help our younger patients with oral health education and regular preventative dental consultations.

In fact, we do everything possible to make dental visits as fun and as interesting as we can for our young patients.

If you think your child could benefit from our braces-free, integrative treatments, contact Braceless Choice today. Or take advantage of our free online check by submitting two photos of your child for us to assess. https://bracelesschoice.com.au/ -assessment

“A smile is the most beautiful colour in the world.”
– Xingyun

Is your child struggling to pay attention at school, misbehaving or even falling asleep in class!

After two challenging years and so many months of home learning, you may have put this behaviour down to being tired from the back-to-school routine. And that may well be the case.

However, these issues could also be due to problems with their breathing that affect sleep, and that may cause long-term issues with teeth and jaw development that can lead to obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in adulthood.

Things to watch out for:
• Hyperactivity and disruptive behaviour
• Emotional outbursts, such as tantrums, crying and aggression
• Snoring
• Teeth grinding while asleep
• Bed-wetting

If you’re concerned about your child’s behaviour, check out this article on our website to learn more about sleep disordered breathing (SBD), and how it can be treated using early interceptive dental treatments like those provided by Braceless Choice.
https://bracelesschoice.com.au/how-a-dentist-can-help-children-with-behavioural-problems/

Hello Autumn!

Autumn in Melbourne is a truly lovely season with crisp, clear days just right for adventure.

So get those little bodies moving! Go for a walk or a bike ride. Kick some leaves. Visit a different playground. Explore a new neighbourhood or park.

Being active with your kids is a good opportunity to remind your child (and you) to breathe through their nose. It’s not only the best way to filter and warm the air that is entering the body – which may help prevent breathing difficulties such as asthma – it also ensures proper jaw and teeth development in children.

Check out how this system works and how mouth-breathing can cause crooked teeth, by watching the informative video created by fellow early interceptive dental specialist, Dr German Ramirez, on our website. https://bracelesschoice.com.au

Confident, healthy and ready to take on the world!

At Braceless Choice, we believe every child deserves a beautiful, healthy smile. Which is why we encourage parents not to wait until a child is in their tweens or teens before seeking orthodontic care for their crooked teeth.

Many of the problems that cause crooked teeth are due to underlying issues with the airways and breathing – such as mouth-breathing, teeth-grinding, and snoring – which can affect proper development of the jaws and teeth. These are problems that can only be addressed while a child is still growing.

It is for this reason that we recommend an orthodontic assessment before a child is 7 years old.

To find out if your child may benefit from our early interceptive dental treatments, request a free online check today. Visit https://bracelesschoice.com.au/ -assessment/

“Smile… it makes people wonder what you are up to!”
– Jill Shalvis

Children’s teeth can develop incorrectly for a number of reasons, including genetic factors, childhood habits such as thumb sucking, and obstructed airways or chronic mouth breathing.

Crooked teeth and “bad bites” – what we usually refer to as “malocclusion” – usually requires some kind of orthodontic treatment to correct. If these problems are not corrected, they can lead to more serious issues:
• Upper airways obstruction
• Problems with speaking
• Teeth grinding
• Loss of baby teeth too soon or very late
• Tooth decay
• Gum disease
• Jaw joint problems

Fortunately, most cases of malocclusion can be treated during childhood using non-invasive methods including removable appliances, myofunctional therapy, osteotherapy and breath retraining.

To find out more about the causes and treatments of malocclusion, check out the article on our website.
https://bracelesschoice.com.au/why-are-my-childs-teeth-crooked/

Summer holidays are over and the kids are back at school! (Did we really hear that sigh of relief?)

After a couple of years of interruptions, we are very keen to get our young patients back on track with their treatment plans.

We also encourage anyone who has delayed treatment for their child during this uncertainty to get in touch. As the biggest success factor for Braceless Choice’s early interceptive treatments is age, please don’t leave it too late!

We still have a number of COVIDsafe procedures in place which you can check out on our website. https://bracelesschoice.com.au/covid-19-update/

To make an appointment, contact us on 03 9870 1659.

Unsure whether your child would benefit from Braceless Choice’s braces-free treatments?

The biggest factor is age…

Early interceptive dental treatment can address the underlying causes of crooked teeth. Not only does this create a beautiful, healthy smile for life, it also can problems such as breathing issues, incorrect jaw alignment and bad oral habits while a child is still growing.

But we need to start early – before the mouth and jaws have fully developed, and even before adult teeth have fully emerged. For this reason we recommend your child has an orthodontic assessment before the age of 7.

To request a free online check today visit https://bracelesschoice.com.au/ -assessment/

Unsure whether your child will benefit from Braceless Choice’s early interceptive dental treatments?

Why not request a free online check through our website?

Simply upload two photos clearly showing your child’s smile front and side-on using our online assessment form, and we can provide you with an initial assessment.

If we think we can help your child, we’ll then be in touch to see if you would like to set up an initial appointment to discuss treatment options.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

Please be aware that our treatments are only suitable for children younger than 10.

To request a free online check today visit https://bracelesschoice.com.au/ -assessment

When should I see someone about my child’s crooked teeth?

That’s a question that needs to be asked – and answered – a lot earlier than you might think.

While waiting until late childhood or early teens is commonly considered the right time to start orthodontic treatment, this delay may limit the types of treatments on offer and can often mean subjecting your child to years of wearing braces, painful extractions and even surgery.

What you may not realise is that crooked teeth are often caused by underlying issues that affect the correct development of the mouth and jaws. By starting a child’s treatment early (we recommend between 5-7 years old) Braceless Choice’s early interceptive treatments not only straighten crooked teeth, but also address these issues while a child is still growing.

We combine using oral appliances with osteopathy, myofunctional therapies (mouth and jaw exercises) and breath retraining to provide a fully integrated treatment plan to give your child a beautiful, healthy smile to take them confidently through the rest of their life.

Now that’s something worth thinking about!

To find out more visit our website https://bracelesschoice.com.au

“Smile is the beauty of the soul.”
– Lailah Gifty Akita

Happy New Year!

After the past couple of challenging years, we are certainly looking forward to a brighter 2022.

We will be back in the clinic on 12 January, rested up and ready for a busy year ahead. We look forward to seeing you very soon.

“Summertime is always the best of what might be.”
- Charles Bowden

From all of us at Braceless Choice, we would like to wish you and your families a very safe, healthy and happy Christmas.

We are taking a short break until 12 January.

We look forward to seeing your beautiful smiling faces in 2022!

We know that Christmas = treats.

While we might wish that your kids would choose healthy foods over sugary treats, we realise that’s probably not going to happen. Instead, here are a few tips to help your kids get through the season with healthy, happy teeth – even if they are missing those two front ones!

1. Try to limit their intake of the worst culprits – soft drinks and hard sweets such as candy canes.
2. Offer delicious fruit-based dessert options and provide chilled water or unsweetened iced fruit teas as an alternative.
3. Ask grandparents, friends and relatives to please not give your child sweets as a gift. You might like to have a word with Santa as well!
4. Ensure your child brushes their teeth properly.

Here’s a little Christmas tooth-brushing song to encourage them...

“All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth,
My two front teeth,
My two front teeth.
I will look after all the rest of my teeth
So I can wish you, ‘Merry Christmas’ “.

Did you know that you don’t have to wait until your child is a teen before you can straighten crooked teeth? In fact, we recommend that the ideal age to start Braceless Choice’s early interceptive treatments is between 5-7 years old.

Our integrated treatments not only straighten teeth, but also address any underlaying physical symptoms, such as mouth-breathing, bad bite (malocclusion), teeth grinding (bruxism) and snoring, before little problems can develop into life-long health issues.

We believe that while having straight teeth and an attractive smile certainly matters, your child’s overall health is even more important. So why wait?

To find out if your child will benefit from Braceless Choice’s braces-free treatments, request a free online check today. https://bracelesschoice.com.au/ -assessment/

Can you believe it is December already? Bring on those Summer vibes!

As the school year winds down, it’s the perfect time to book your child in to commence early interceptive, braces-free treatments with Braceless Choice.

We will be taking a short break from 20 December to 12 January, leaving you plenty of time to fit in an appointment during January before school goes back.

To book your appointment, give us a call on 03 9870 1659.

Over the past few weeks, we have very busy catching up with our young patients and getting their treatments back on track, but we are welcoming new patients too.

Our early intervention dental treatments allow children to develop well-balanced facial structures with better tooth alignment, and help them reach their full potential.

The best results are achieved when small problems are managed before they become bigger issues. In fact, the ideal age to start treatment is between 5-9 years of age – long before regular orthodontic treatment is considered.

To find out if Braceless Choice’s brace-free treatments are suitable for your child, request a free check using the form on our website.
https://bracelesschoice.com.au/ -assessment/

Be the reason someone smiles today!

Remember to breathe…

November is often the time when hay fever and asthma are triggered by grass pollens and other allergens.

If your child is affected by these conditions it’s important to remind them to breathe through their nose. Our noses are very effective at filtering out many of these pesky allergens and breathing through the nose can help reduce symptoms.

Unfortunately, allergies, asthma and open mouth posture can also contribute to incorrect jaw development, increasing the likelihood of over-crowded teeth.

As part of our integrated treatment plans, Braceless Choice provides Buteyko exercises to help mouth-breathers learn proper breathing techniques that will last a lifetime.

To find out more about the connection between breathing and crooked teeth, check out the article on our website.
https://bracelesschoice.com.au/how-does-mouth-breathing-affect-teeth/

A shout out to our wonderful teachers!

As our kids go back to school, we want to take a moment to recognise all of your hard work and dedication during the many challenges over the past 20 months. The way you have adapted to a new way of teaching and kept our young patients engaged in their learning during this time has been truly inspirational.

Thank you!

We’re back! And we can’t wait to see your happy, smiling faces again.

If you’ve been putting off booking in your child for an appointment due to lockdowns, don’t delay! The earlier in your child’s life that we can start treatments, the better the results. In fact, we recommend that orthodontic assessments for kids occur prior to age 7, so if your child is around this age or a little older, you’ll want to start treatment sooner rather than later.

And a reminder… we follow COVID-safe procedures in our clinic, so all adults will need to check in with the QR code and anyone aged 12 or over must wear a face mask. You will also be asked a few questions prior to attending and be temperature checked on arrival. We ask that you please do not attend your appointment if you or your child is feeling unwell or you have recently visited an exposure site. We are happy to reschedule. Full details about our COVID-safe procedures can be found on our website.

We look forward to seeing you soon!
https://bracelesschoice.com.au/covid-19-update/

“The world always looks brighter from behind a smile.” – Unknown

Such a little thing can make a big difference to a child’s life!

Of course, our integrated treatment plans usually involve more than just an orthodontic plate. They not only provide solutions to straighten teeth while your child’s mouth and jaw is still developing, but also address any underlying issues using a range of treatment options, including osteopathy, muscle exercises and breath retraining.

The result: your child can enjoy a beautiful, healthy smile that will help build confidence and a pleasing profile to see them through the rest of their life.

Early Interceptive treatments work best if you child starts early, and so at Braceless Choice we recommend your child has an orthodontic assessment before the age of 7. So don’t leave it too late!

While ongoing lockdowns in Melbourne mean we can’t do this in person, we do offer a free online check. Simply upload 2 photos of your child’s teeth using the form on the website, and we’ll let you know whether we can assist your child. Then as soon as we reopen, we can book you in for a proper assessment.

To request a free online check today visit
https://bracelesschoice.com.au/ -assessment/

There is no doubt that our kids need comforting right now, but that doesn’t mean that bad habits should be ignored.

Many young children suck their thumb or fingers to self-soothe, however this can cause considerable damage to the facial bones of a child if it continues beyond the age of 4.

Young bones are quite soft and easily distorted and if a thumb sucking habit persists after their primary teeth have erupted, then it can change the shape of the jaws, causing significant problems with the way teeth are aligned.

While positive reinforcement is the best way to stop a child from sucking their thumb, early interceptive dental treatment from Braceless Choice can assist. These treatments can also help correct any problems with teeth and jaw development that may have occurred.

To find out more about how thumb sucking can cause dental issues and what to do about it, check out the article on our website.
https://bracelesschoice.com.au/thumb-sucking-how-to-break-the-habit/