Lovell Orthodontics

Office News

by News Channel 8's Jocelyn Maminta
Posted March 28, 2008
4:00 PM
(WTNH) _ These days getting straight teeth doesn't always mean discomfort and endless visits to the orthodontist. Sue Kozlowski cannot stop smiling. After wearing braces for about 14 months, her teeth are now perfectly in place. "The smiling began when I had my braces on because my teeth moved so quickly that I didn't mind having my braces on. My smile just came right up," She said.
Braces have come a long way. Some now come with wiring that was developed by NASA to be much lighter than wires used with traditional braces.

"They just slide easily on the wire and so there's almost no friction," Orthodontist, Dr. Jim Lovell said. Dr. Lovell uses the Damon Braces. They combine copper, nickel and titanium in their wiring and have brackets that easily slide open and shut. "Each bracket has a door that you can open easily and wire changes are very quick," Dr. Lovell said.
The low-friction system comes with benefits. "That is one of the main benefits. The teeth move more quickly but also because of a system with a very light force we can make changes to gain space without extractions of teeth," said Dr. Lovell.

Dr. Lovell estimates that his average treatment time has dropped by at least six months. The technology has also led to fewer patient visits.
For patients it's all about little discomfort.
Fifteen-year-old Seamus Mullin and his 16-year-old brother Colin are in for a quick checkup.
"It doesn't hurt at all, a little afterwards whenever the teeth are changing but not during the session," said Seamus. "You actually feel the change when you have the wires change, when I had the elastic change, I feel a different bite, a more symmetrical bite," Colin said.
The braces cost around $5,000 for kids, but for adults it's a bit more expensive.