Having braces is no easy task. You sign into your local orthodontics office for an adjustment and know that you will be waiting for the better half of 30 minutes. As you wait, you become more aware of a bracket that has been prodding your cheek for the past two weeks. Your name gets called finally and then you wait some more—only now, you are lying in a chair. After you finally see the orthodontist, you get to schedule your next appointment and pay a lot of money out of your pocket for the smile you’ve always wanted.
Doesn’t sound worth it, does it? Enter TenBrook Orthodontics. With offices located across South Jersey and over 20 years of experience fitting braces, the team at TenBrook values your time, teeth and wallet just as much as you do. Suburban Family had a chance to speak with President and CEO Dr. James TenBrook about the new technology in braces that reduces pain and brace time, appointment times and how braces can be affordable without breaking the bank.
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
One of the top annoyances with having braces—besides having more than your ideal amount of metal in your mouth—is having the pain associated with it. In addition to the pain caused by shifting teeth, cheeks can also pay the price when brackets or wires poke and prod the soft tissue of your mouth.
TenBrook's patented TenBrook T1 braces— combined with the TenBrook body heat-activated, nickel titanium, micro arch wires—enable the team at TenBrook to give their patients a one-of-a-kind experience.
“The design of the T1 braces reduces friction between the arch wires and the brace slot; this in turn allows us to move teeth with much less force,” says Dr. TenBrook. “In fact, our treatment wires deliver up to one-half and one quarter the forces that the industry standard delivers to your teeth. By reducing the force delivered to your teeth, you minimize pain and deliver much healthier tooth movement to your gums and surrounding periodontium.”
Because the T1 braces are designed purposely in the shape of an ellipse or circle, more comfort is provided to the patients’ cheeks and lips.
The TenBrook braces also reduce the amount of time patients are wearing their braces significantly. “Currently 70 percent of our cases are finishing in about one year (12-15 months),” says Dr. TenBrook. “This [is comparable] to the industry standard of 27 months or about two-and-a-half to three years.”
Dr. TenBrook assures us that moving the teeth at this faster pace is not harmful to the teeth at all. In fact, their lower forces with the T1 system are much more physiologic to the bone and gum leading to overall healthier tooth movement.
TIME SENSITIVE
Braces can also be a big time commitment. Appointments can be long and visits for adjustments can seem like they are never ending. But at TenBrook, appointments in their offices average about 30 minutes. Because each appointment has a specific agenda to be able to comfortably move teeth forward where they need to be in a patient’s specific treatment plan, it’s easy to be on task with patient appointments.
The average patient visits TenBrook only about six to 10 times during the treatment plan. The time between appointments is an average of about every eight to 12 weeks. The industry standard is generally about 24 appointments.
“Busy schedules take advantage of this time savings,” says Dr. TenBrook. “We appreciate the fact that our families have many out of school activities [like] sports, dance, music lessons and so on. Having TenBrook braces minimizes your time going to the orthodontist and maximizes your activity time for busy schedules.”
Less time in TenBrook braces also has a positive outcome for the overall health of the patients’ teeth.
“Less time in braces usually means less time for unsightly spotting of teeth to occur due to poor or sometimes even average hygiene,” says Dr. TenBrook. “The longer you have braces on, the greater the chance you will have hygiene issues and resultant decalcification (white or chalky) spots on your teeth. Many studies have shown that braces that have been on for more than two years have much higher incidences of white spot decalcifications.”
AN AFFORDABLE SMILE
With the time in braces cut in half at TenBrook, and the improved technology to reduce pain in the mouth, you might be thinking is this even affordable? The answer is, yes.
TenBrook braces start at $3,800—almost a $2,000 savings compared to the average fees in the region, Dr. TenBrook points out.
“Because TenBrook braces are high efficiency braces, taking less time and less appointments, we pass that savings on to our patients,” says Dr. TenBrook. “It’s a win-win.”
This sort of savings is also helpful toward families with multiple children—or adults—who need orthodontic care. “We provide you with excellent, high-quality results,” says Dr. TenBrook. “And we save you time and money.”
TENBROOK ORTHODONTICS
Serving South Jersey
(877) SMILE10
TenBrookOrthodontics.com
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Family Magazine, Volume 7, Issue 10 (December, 2016).
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