Orthodontic Treatments

Hi, I'm Richard Hulme. I'm the owner and orthodontist here at Hulme Orthodontics. I'm a board certified specialist in orthodontics, so orthodontics isn't just something that I do, it's all that I do. Even though I'm a specialist, though, you don't have to have a referral from your dentist or from your insurance company to be able to see me. We're a full-service orthodontics specialty practice, meaning that I provide not just braces and Invisalign, but even things like preparation for oral surgery. In a military town, we have a lot of patients who transfer in and out of treatment. Some orthodontists don't want to see transfer cases, but we welcome them. We're grateful to see people, whether they're here for their whole treatment or for just a part of it. We also help people if they had been through treatment before and they need a retreatment as well. We offer limited treatments to comprehensive treatments, whether they're as simple as lining up a couple of teeth, or whether it's changing the entire jaw structure. Not only am I going to worry about the aesthetics of your smile, but I'm also going to worry about carefully engineering your bite to be as healthy as possible. A lot of people have a question about what's the right time to come in to see an orthodontist. I would say that the ideal time to come in for a first look is eight years old. In fact, we have a saying around here that "Eight Is Great." By eight years old, a child has received their first 12 permanent teeth and they've grown to their maximum mature jaw size. So by taking a look at them at that age, we can determine how much crowding or spacing they have and what their bite relationship is really going to shape up to be. Only about 15% to 20% of them are going to need early interventional treatment, but for those, it can be the difference between having to take out teeth or not, or having to do jaw surgery and not. So it's well recommended to have them come in at eight years old for a first look. We welcome you to come in, even if you're looking for a second opinion. Sometimes it helps to have a second person telling you that what you heard first was right, or to give you another option for your treatment. When you come in, you'll start by meeting with my staff and getting a complimentary X-ray. Then I'll have the opportunity to take a look at your X-ray and do a quick exam so that I can find out more about your orthodontic concerns. After my exam, I'll go over my findings and present a couple of treatment options. I'll answer any question that you have, and you'll have plenty of time with me. My goal is to give you all the information you need at your first appointment to be able to make a decision about how to proceed with your treatment. I look forward to having you in our office and spending some time getting to know you.