Beth is a DANB Certified Orthodontic Assistant who joined this office in 1995. She is a member of the American Dental Assistants Association, a Master of the American Dental Assistants Association and loves attending continuing education courses.
Marie has been an orthodontic assistant for twenty-seven years and recently celebrated her ten year anniversary with Farmington Valley Orthodontics. Her favorite part of her job is seeing the smiling faces of the patients.
Dr. Menjivar has had a longstanding passion for pursuing a career in orthodontics since the eighth grade when she was an orthodontic patient herself. She credits her orthodontist, Dr. Gary Chu, for sparking her initial interest and for continuing to be a supportive mentor over the years.
Dr. Menjivar loves working with patients of all ages and backgrounds and prides herself on being able to communicate treatment plans and individualize options for orthodontic patients. Shelooks forward to meeting you at Farmington Valley Orthodontics!
After college, she attended the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine and was selected among a competitive pool of applicants to pursue advanced education at the University of Minnesota Orthodontic Residency Program. While there, she attained her Masters and successfully completed the written examination for the American Board of Orthodontics.
Dr. Menjivars training in orthodontics exposed her to a plethora of clinical topics including cone beam imaging (CBCT), soft tissue lasers, TADs (temporary anchorage devices), SureSmile, indirect bonding, Wilckodontics, Invisalign, self-ligating brackets, and orthognathic surgery (jaw surgery).
Dr. Menjivar lives in West Hartford with her husband Walter and young children Sophia and Alexander. When not seeing patients, Dr. Menjivar can be found running all over town, literally! She also loves to travel internationally ask her about her favorite trips! And, shes always up for cooking new recipes.
Straighter teeth create a nicer smile, and a balanced smile boosts confidence and self-esteem in young adults. Especially during the formative pre-teen and adolescent years, having a positive self-image that starts with a smile can be far-reaching. For adults in professional and social settings, a smile is often the first impression, so its essential to put the best one forward.
Straight teeth are also easier to keep clean. Imagine trying to brush and floss between teeth that are crowdedor overlapping. Teeth that are straight, follow an easy curve and have one contact point are much easier to brush and floss.
Braces and orthodontics are about more than just a pretty smile and straight teeth. A functional and harmonious bite serves as the foundation on which the teeth and jaws work together to ensure normal opening and closing for activities such as chewing and speaking. After all, this bite has to serve you your whole life.
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends the first visit to an orthodontist by age 7. By this time, most children have their permanent first molars as well as the front four teeth top and bottom. From these teeth, Dr. Menjivar can assess the bite and identify any early orthodontic problems that may be developing. If needed, she can recommend the best early treatment to avoid worsening problems, a longer treatment, or the need for adult tooth extractions later on.
Early treatment is any orthodontic treatment that begins while patients still have a mix of both primary (baby) and adult teeth. This is usually between 7-12 years of age. One of the most common appliances used in early treatment is an expander which takes advantage of being able to widen the upper jaw to treat crossbites (narrow upper jaw). Other early treatment examples include fixing underbites, treating single-tooth crossbites, protecting the front teeth from trauma, and creating sufficient room for adult teeth to erupt.
Because we believe that orthodontics is an investment in more than just oral health, we have created flexible payment options that suit most any budget. Interest-free in-house financing over the course of treatment in addition to multi-sibling discounts and discounts for payment-in-full are available. Convenient monthly auto-pay and payments by check or cash are also accepted
The placement of braces is painless, but as teeth begin to straighten, they will be sore and achy. Children and adolescents usually adapt quickly and become used to the braces after one week. For adults, it can take up to two weeks. During that time, we recommend taking Tylenol or Advil to relieve initial discomfort. A soft diet is also helpful in the first several days while teeth are tender to biting.
Toothbrush and floss! You will want to angle your toothbrush at a 45 degree angle above and below the braces. The most important area to keep clean is the tooth surface between the braces and the gums. If plaque is allowed to sit on the teeth, it can irritate the gums, and they can become red and puffy. If not removed, the plaque can also create permanent white areas of decalcification on the tooth surface.
To floss between the braces, we recommend using a floss threader together with regular floss or a product called Superfloss which has a stiffer straight end designed to guide the floss more easily underneath the wire between the braces. Both these and other aids for flossing with braces are available at stores like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and Target.
Not at all! We have plenty of active patients in the practice who play sports, musical instruments, sing or are involved in theater. And they get to keep doing the things they love! Getting used to braces takes just a short amount of time, and then life returns to normal.
We provide complimentary mouthguards to patients who play sports that require a mouthguard. They are special for orthodontic patients because unlike the boil-and-bite mouthguards, ours allow teeth to continue moving freely. Safety first!
Modern day adhesives allow most patients to receive bonded braces that are glued onto each tooth rather than bands (metal rings) around the teeth. That being said, hard foods or excessive forces could dislodge a bracket from the tooth.
Foods best to avoid include hard foods such as granola, granola bars, hard candy, cookies or crackers, nuts, crusty French bread or pizza crust, carrots (please steam), apples (please cut into small slices) among other examples. Please no picking at your braces or chewing on pencils or ice.
The short answer is for as long as you dont want your teeth to move! After a short period of full-time retainer wear, we switch our patients to night-time for lifetime. Teeth have a tendency to move all throughout the course of our lives, so the only way to ensure that you can enjoy your smile for a lifetime is by committing to retainers for the long-term.