Orthodontics & Clear Aligners in Champaign-Urbana

Most things, yes. Cleanings, fillings, crowns, and extractions can all be done during ortho treatment. Some procedures coordinate better at specific points — for example, we usually delay cosmetic veneers until ortho is finished, since the final tooth position changes how the veneers should be designed. Implants in active ortho areas are also typically deferred until treatment ends, so the implant doesn't interfere with tooth movement. We coordinate timing across all your dental work so nothing gets done twice.

Most cases run 6–24 months. Mild crowding or spacing — sometimes 6 months. Moderate cases — typically 12–18 months. Complex bite correction — 18–24 months or longer. ClearCorrect aligners and traditional braces have similar treatment times for most cases — the choice between them is more about lifestyle and case complexity than speed. Wearing your aligners as prescribed (22+ hours per day) and keeping appointments are the two biggest factors in finishing on time.

Don't panic — but call us right away. The most important thing: don't skip ahead to the next tray on schedule. Depending on where you are in treatment, we'll either have you go back to the previous tray to hold position until a replacement arrives, or fit you with a refinement tray. If you're near the end of a 1–2 week wear cycle, sometimes you can move forward — but don't decide that on your own. 

Call us — it's a quick fix in one short visit. A loose bracket isn't an emergency unless it's causing pain or cutting your cheek. If the bracket is still attached to the wire, leave it alone and we'll re-bond it. If it falls off completely, save it in a small bag and bring it. The cause is usually biting into something hard — popcorn kernels, ice, hard bread, sticky candy — and we'll review what to avoid. Repeated bracket failures sometimes mean the bond isn't strong enough on certain teeth, and we'll switch our technique for those.

Honest answer: yes, in some form. Teeth want to drift back toward where they started — that's just how they're wired. The good news: full-time retainer wear is only the first 3–6 months after treatment. After that, most patients move to nighttime-only. Skipping retainers is the #1 reason orthodontic results don't last. We've seen patients who finished braces 20 years ago come in with straight teeth because they wore their retainer faithfully. We've also seen patients relapse within months because they stopped.