June 15, 2024 • 27 mins
Curious if you’re ever too old for orthodontic treatment? Join us as we sit down with Dr. Jason Kaplan of Kaplan Orthodontics to explore the transformative power of adult orthodontics. Dr. Kaplan brings a wealth of knowledge, revealing that age is no barrier, with patients even in their 80s achieving stunning results. He shares insights into the lifelong importance of retention and discusses the dual motivations of cosmetic and functional needs that drive adults to seek orthodontic care. As our dental appearance shifts naturally with age, discover how orthodontic treatments can enhance both your oral health and aesthetics, providing a comprehensive solution for a radiant smile at any stage of life.
In our conversation, Dr. Kaplan walks us through the diverse array of orthodontic options available for adults, from clear aligner therapy like Invisalign to traditional braces and even braces that fit behind the teeth. Learn about the evaluation process, factors influencing treatment duration, and the unique challenges faced by adults who’ve previously worn braces. Tune in for a wealth of knowledge and inspiration from Dr. Kaplan's expertise and community dedication.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Stacey Risley.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hello friends and neighbors, welcome to North
Atlanta's Good Neighbor Podcast.
Today we are back with Dr JasonKaplan.
He is the founder and owner ofKaplan Orthodontics here in
Dunwoody and a repeat guest, oneof my favorites because he's so
easy to talk to, and I'm sohappy to have you back, dr
Kaplan Orthodontics here inDunwoody and a repeat guest, one
of my favorites because he's soeasy to talk to, and I'm so
happy to have you back, drKaplan.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Oh, thank you, Stacey .
It's so good to see you, andwhat most of your fans don't
know is that there's anotherforce behind this podcast, right
, who is with us regularly, andthis is Kiana.
So I want to make sure I give agood shout out to Kiana, who
always makes this so fun andeasy for you and I, so I'm very
glad to be back to be able totalk with everybody from Good
Neighbor.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Awesome.
Well, I'll echo exactly what DrKaplan just said.
This would not be possiblewithout Kiana, and I am so
thankful for her.
She is behind the scenes, doesall the editing and does the
works.
She's our production everything.
We started by calling her aproduction assistant and that's
(01:13):
just.
I'm like that's just a faketitle we need to give her.
She does it all.
She's the production guru ofour podcast.
So thank you, kiana.
Well, back to KaplanOrthodontics and to Dr Kaplan's
also the expert contributor ofDunwoody Neighbors magazine.
So I appreciate his ongoingsponsorship and support and that
(01:37):
he gives great educationaltopics, talks about them related
to his field, and in thecurrent issue of Dunwoody
Neighbors he has an articletitled Am I Too Old to
Straighten my Teeth A question Ithink a lot of us we're going
to kind of delve into that and alot of us are going to get some
(01:59):
answers that we, includingmyself, have considered this
very seriously.
So, dr Kaplan, am I too old tostraighten my teeth?
Speaker 3 (02:10):
You are definitely not too old to straighten your
teeth, and I actually haven'tmet someone yet who is too old
to straighten their teeth.
So let's step back a little bitin time.
For most of us who arelistening to the podcast right
now and for those of us whoreceived braces, maybe in the
60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and duringthose decades, the profession of
(02:33):
orthodontics was still highlyresearched.
There were a lot of peopletrying to figure out what is the
best way to straighten teeth.
And then the big question, themost important question, is how
do we retain all of thosecorrections?
So we had a period of timewhere people would wear their
retainers full time for a whileand then they would wear it a
little bit less, maybe a coupleof times a week, and then not
(02:56):
wear it at all.
The orthodontist woulddiscontinue them from wearing
their retainer or theyself-prescribed no more wearing
of their retainer.
Dog got it, lost it at college.
The stories go on and on, andwhat we learned is that teeth
really need like a lifetime ofretention.
So here we are right now in2024, and I'm seeing a lot of
(03:20):
adults and I'm not talkingpeople who are just my age,
around 50.
I'm talking about people whoare in their 60s and 70s.
My oldest patient actuallyhappens to be turning 89 this
year, so it's really incredibleto see.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Okay, so I have to say I'm going to interject and
I'm so sorry to do that, but 89is a patient of yours that is
amazing.
So I would have thought ifsomeone had asked me, as someone
who's 89, too old to havebraces, I would probably have
thought yes, but I'm so glad toknow that I'm wrong.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
No, you are definitely not too old.
I mean, it's really interestingbecause orthodontics, there's a
big functional component to it,right?
So adults will seekorthodontics because they're
forced to or they'll seekorthodontics because they're not
happy with the cosmetics, theway it looks, or there's a
problem with the way they speak,or they've had some sort of
(04:16):
trauma and they're working inconjunction, maybe in a
multidisciplinary way, withother dental professionals.
So whether it's their dentist tobe able to get a crown, or to
open up a space so they can havea bridge or an implant.
A lot of times we have patientsactually most of the time we
have patients who are coming inbecause they just didn't wear
their retainer, like I saidearlier, and they want those
(04:36):
teeth restrained and they'revery particular about it.
They say to me can I?
just do the bottom or, you know,can I just do this one tooth?
Well, the reality is, as we ageand anybody who was born in
those decades that I saidearlier, but especially the 60s
and the 70s, those of us who are, who are turning, going through
(04:57):
the 50s and 60s right now wereally understand how our bodies
are changing, how we're losinga lot of elasticity in our skin.
We're starting to see a lotmore of our lower teeth because
our lips, the elastic fibersthat are within the tissues
which help keep our tissuesreally taut sagging a bit, and
so we're starting to see morethings that we didn't realize,
(05:19):
right.
I mean, we're getting more ofthose age lines.
So you know, when you startseeing these things about
yourself and you're like whoa, Inever really noticed that about
my teeth before.
Now there's an opportunity.
It's always been there.
It just hasn't been verypopular, but now it's.
It's more and more popular aspeople want to take care of
themselves and they're workinghard on on their bodies because
(05:41):
they want it to last as long aspossible on their bodies,
because they want it to last aslong as possible.
Once an adult tooth is gone, itcan be replaced, but it's so
much easier and more affordableto keep your teeth.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah Well, so you mentioned something that
definitely applies to me.
You said that you'll havequestions from adults.
Can I just straighten my bottomteeth?
You know, and I am one of thosethat you, that you mentioned,
who lost I, you know, I did wearmy retainers pretty regularly
until I lost one and I didn'thave it replaced, you know, and
that was after after college andthen I, so I just never got it
(06:24):
back and over time they've justslowly changed pretty
significantly, and it surprisedme that my bottom teeth changed
so much, because you know, whenI got braces initially, you know
it was my bottom teeth werepretty straight and then my top
teeth were the issue, but I ofcourse had braces on top and
bottom, and then my bottom teethare the ones that have really
(06:47):
shifted and moved, and so Inoticed them a lot and I would
be one that would be interestedif you know I could just
straighten the bottoms if thatwas an option.
But I've been told and you canelaborate on this that the
reason that's not an option isbecause it affects your whole
bite and the answer to thatquestion is no right.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
You don't have a new answer for me, do you?
No, it's not.
No, it's maybe and I hate tothrow in the question mark about
we love to have black and whitewhen it comes to health care
right, if you diet and exercise,you will lose weight.
You know, we're not even takinggenetics into consideration.
You're definitely going to loseweight.
You're going to have that bodythat you want at 50, 60, 70.
(07:34):
But we know that that's notnecessarily the case.
Some of us have, you know, goneon exercise, you know exercise
programs, and we work and wework and we're trying to eat,
right, but we still have troublegetting over some sort of hump
to be able to have, you know,the physique that we're looking
for.
And with teeth, the way that thebody works is as you chew over
time, your teeth have a naturaltendency actually to move
(07:57):
forward.
So where most adults will notsee a lot of upper tooth
crowding, they'll see a lot oflower tooth crowding.
They'll see a lot of lowertooth crowding and it's because
of these teeth wanting tomigrate forward and because of
the upper jaw getting a littlebit narrower.
So we like to think about it inthis way If you were a size
eight shoe for your entireadulthood and all of a sudden
(08:21):
you couldn't buy size eights,you could only buy size sevens.
What's going to happen to yourtoes?
They're going to get going tokind of fold on top of each
other, going to stack on top ofeach other, and that's a similar
thing that can happen with yourteeth.
If the upper jaw gets a littletoo narrow, there's not enough
space for the lower jaw to beable to fit.
So this is what you werereferring to, stacey, with
(08:42):
regard to bite.
So we have to look at what'savailable and what then is
realistic.
Like, for instance, thismorning out of Asian who came in
.
There was no way she was goingto have treatment on the top
whether it's Invisalign or clearbraces or braces behind the
teeth, it just didn't matter,she only wanted lower braces.
So that's a limiting factor inwhat the orthodontic provider is
(09:07):
able to do.
So we have to use our educationwhich most of us go to school
for four years of dental schoolplus two to three years of an
orthodontic residency and thenwe use our lifetime of
experience to figure out how canwe make this so that the
patient has what she wants or hewants and without causing any
other problems, in you know,without affecting their bite,
(09:28):
without affecting their gumtissue, without affecting their
bone.
So a lot of science goes intoit, and it's not just oh, I can
straighten this one tooth.
It doesn't always happen thatway, because we have to take the
whole body into consideration.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Yeah Well, and I'm going to have to come in and
have you take a look at my teethto see.
So what are the options?
What are the trends that you'reseeing with your adult patients
?
As far as I know that you offerInvisalign and that there are
another different options.
Are the options the same foradults as they are for kids?
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Again every patient we will offer the option that we
feel is best for them as aprofession and sometimes it
doesn't matter which way you go,whether it's a clear aligner
therapy like Invisalign, or ifit's braces.
So if we go back to 2020, and Iknow those times were really
difficult for a lot of peopleand some people it was a great
(10:27):
time because they were on cameraall the time for their work and
they were able to wear masksout in public.
So they sought opportunities toget their teeth straightened,
whether it was with aligners orwith braces, and so we saw a
boom in adult treatment.
That started around that timeduring COVID-19.
And that has actually continuedon.
(10:49):
So people got braces and thenthey talked to their friends
like, oh, you did Invisalign.
Wow, that's amazing, I canstraighten my teeth too.
And so here we are in theorthodontic profession, seeing
an elevation in the number ofadult cases that are coming in
for a variety of reasons, andit's not all because they have
to.
It's really nice to seepatients coming in because they
(11:12):
want to take care of themselves.
Their dentist is telling themyou're building up too much
tartar calculus around yourteeth.
You're not able to clean themvery well.
You need to get themstraightened.
So those types of things thingsin addition to aesthetics is is
really driving um adults to tohelp themselves and they should
help themselves.
They worked hard their entirelife like take care of yourself.
(11:34):
And so here we are, and and theorthodontist is now seeing a
whole different type of uh ofteen patient, right, the the
really older teen patient intheir 40s, 50s, 60s and even in
their forties, fifties, sixtiesand even in their late eighties,
right?
So it's really it's really funto be an adult and and treat
adults, because we can jokeabout all the same kinds of
(11:56):
stuff.
I mean, my kids are I've gotone kid in college and my other
son is a junior in high schooland I get to joke with all the
parents about how late thesekids stay up.
Like why are you up?
so late Like go to bed earlier,wake up refreshed, Like we, you.
Why don't you put your clothesaway, Like, why do they have to
stay in the laundry basket?
You've got to adjust yourdrawers, like these kinds of
(12:17):
things and it it makes theprofession so much more fun than
talking to someone when you cantalk with them.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
I could see that that would make a lot of sense, just
that adult interaction andbeing able to relate to them.
On stuff raising teenagers,lord, that was mine are 21 and
23 now, so you know, you know,but yes, I have been there for
sure.
I'm happy to survived andthey're phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
But I do want to stress that you asked about
options, so the main optionsright now for orthodontics in
general is clear aligner therapy, like Invisalign.
There are other companies thatmake aligners, and each provider
will choose what they feel isthe best for lack of a better
term tool in their hand to beable to provide the service for
their patients Metal braces,clear braces, and there are some
(13:10):
excellent providers of bracesthat go behind the teeth and,
depending on the experience ofthat provider and the comfort
for the patient remember, thetongue is there, and so
something that's constantly upagainst the tongue may not be
the most comfortable or maybethe best, because they're an
actor and they don't wantanything on the front so they
can be in front of the camera.
(13:31):
But there are braces that gobehind the teeth that do a great
job too.
So we have lots of options foradults, but the provider that
you visit will offer the onethat they feel is going to be
the best for you I was thinking,as you said, that they had
braces behind the teeth, um, asan option.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
I'm like gosh, that's funny, I've never seen that.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
And I'm like, well, yeah, that's great, I should
have just told on myself, justthat I'm hoping your friends who
have had braces behind theirteeth are listening right now so
they can say, oh, she never sawthem.
Like that was well worth theexperience.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Yeah, I've never even thought I'd ever have heard of
that.
Even it's what I should havesaid or should have thought.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
No, it's great.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
No one's opened their mouth and shown me their braces
.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
That's the whole purpose is not to see it.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Right For cosmetic reasons, but that does seem like
that would be reallyuncomfortable in your tongue,
though, but I'm imagining thatthey thought all of that out
when they made them.
If someone is interested inperhaps getting just an
evaluation to see, you know,like me, for instance, if it is
(14:49):
even an option to do just yourbottom teeth, or if you know
what, what the options are, howlong that we would potentially.
I know that you can't predictthat with 100 percent certainty,
but you can give an estimate ofhow long.
And here's another question foryou If, if a you know if I've
had braces in the past and so Ilike is the second time around,
(15:13):
is it less, less?
Does it take less time?
That's a great question.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
Those are the questions we get all the time.
Stacey, by the way.
Great interview.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
I love it Okay, so let's start with adults.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
When I say we, I'm talking me and my team.
We see adults who had treatmentwhen they were in their teens
and now they've had 30 or 40years of change with their teeth
.
Their bone composition is alittle bit different.
They have a different amount ofhardness to their bone.
It also changes, or alsodepends, along ethnic lines.
(15:49):
There are some populations thathave very dense bone and it
takes a little bit longer tomove those teeth than others.
We have patients that come inwho have periodontal disease and
need teeth moved.
That's a different amount offorce over time to be able to
slide the teeth into the rightspot.
So everybody's a little bitdifferent.
And when you come into myoffice and I'm sure many other
(16:12):
offices you will have an exam.
They will evaluate how your gumtissue looks, count how many
teeth you have, what is thecondition of your teeth.
Of course, if it's accompaniedby a referral from the dentist
or a periodontist who is a gumspecialist, then they'll have
some information on what it isthey're trying to accomplish and
(16:32):
then that information getsrelayed to you.
Today, for example, I had apatient come in who had
treatment when she was youngerand when I say younger, she's in
her late thirties, right?
Speaker 1 (16:44):
now.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
She had treatment when she was 13.
A fixed retainer was placed onher lower teeth, and sometimes
those fixed retainers break orand they get altered in ways
Some people call them permanentretainers by the way break or
and they get altered in waysSome people call them permanent
retainers, by the way and teethcan still move Right.
And so she was coming in tofind out, like what's going on
(17:09):
here, like why did thisparticular thing happen?
And so we have to, you know,put on our our, our sleuth
sleuth hats and figure out, youknow, what has transpired over
these last 24 years, and that initself is well worth the time
just to come in and meet withthe orthodontist to get the
information that you need.
And if it's something thatrequires collaboration with
(17:30):
another dental provider, thenwe're on it.
That's our job to be able toguide you in what we think is
the right direction for you tohave healthy teeth and keep them
as long as possible.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Okay, and so as far as the length of time I mean,
that's going to vary case bycase.
Of course, A few months to acouple years even.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
You know, depending on the patient, what we're
trying to accomplish.
I mean, if it's somebody whoneeds jaw surgery, that takes us
down one route.
If somebody with a lot ofcrowding and they don't want us
to take out teeth, that may beanother length of time.
But on average I think fromlooking at my stats, my adult
patients are typically intreatment somewhere around the
(18:18):
12 month mark.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
We try to keep it low and very direct.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Yeah, we try to keep it very direct.
So if a patient comes in andsays I only want to fix this,
you know whatever this is and wecan do that within a short
period of time, even though theymay have other issues we will
share with them.
You have this problem, you havelived with it X amount of time.
Is it something that you wouldlike to fix right now?
If it's not causing anotherissue no jaw joint problems, or
(18:47):
they're not wearing their teethdown or having any type of
recession from their bite thenwe may choose a very short
treatment time under a year,under six months in order to
just fix that particular problem.
But they may be in a situationthat they only want one thing
fixed but it requires us to fixmany more things in order to get
to that one deal.
Kind of like you know you get abox of cereal and you have to
(19:10):
go through a bit of that cerealuntil you get to the prize
that's at the box.
Do they still do prizes incereal?
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Like we don't buy cereal with prizes in it, but it
used to be.
I don't even know, but it usedto be.
I should know because I reallylike Fruity Pebbles.
Yeah, there, definitely used tobe.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
So, just like that, where you have to spend some
time, you know, to get into it,to prepare yourself to be able
to get that tooth in its rightposition, or those teeth in
their right position.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Well, that does sound like an overall, because you
said you would guess with yourstatistics that around a year is
average for adults.
Obviously, some cases can bemuch longer, I would imagine,
and possibly even shorter.
But is that about what is youraverage now for kids?
I know when I was in bracesthey would say the average was
(20:01):
like two, two to two and a halfyears, you know, and yeah, that
number has changed even rightnow, I mean teeth still move at
relatively the same rate.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
There are things that we can do to help accelerate it
in general, but really, ifsomebody's coming in, their
orthodontist is going to quotethem between 18 and 24 months on
a standard type of case not onewhere they may need to use
rubber bands or anotherorthodontic appliance in order
to fix and adults, really, whenwe're talking a 12-year program,
(20:33):
we're not looking at major bitecorrection.
For those folks, we're lookingat something that's very direct
in order to get that done.
And for folks who need bitecorrection, then we're looking
at definitely much longer time.
I have plenty of patients whoare adults who are in that 18 to
24 month range to be able tocorrect.
(20:53):
And for those adults and thisis important for the adults to
hear this is really importantyou are paying for this yourself
.
This is all about you.
So the more compliant you are,just like when you put your kids
through treatment, the fasterit will go.
And when adults choose to gothrough aligners or not wear
their rubber bands with theirbraces, it will extend treatment
(21:16):
timeout.
So compliance for adults isreally the trick?
Speaker 1 (21:20):
I mean, it really is to getting done quickly.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Yeah, and I would imagine that compliance with
adults may be as difficult, orif not more so difficult, than
with kids, especially if it'ssomething cosmetic, if they're
having to wear rubber bands, forinstance you know I couldn't.
There's no way I could haverubber bands in right now and
doing this interview.
No, I, yeah, no, I would tellyou to take them.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
I would tell you to take them out for the interview,
but all other times I would say, you know, when you're doing
your editing and you'regathering your data and putting
together your magazine, youshould be wearing them during
that time.
Take them out for your meal.
I think you get that like.
The general idea is that we'rehumans, we have a certain
biology and physiology and teethare going to move.
(22:06):
How they're going to move, wejust have to make sure that we
are.
We have realistic expectationsstarting right from the
beginning.
The reality of it is is themore compliant we are whether
we're 16, 60, the morecompliance we have with wearing
our rubber bands or aligners orkeeping our teeth clean, then we
(22:26):
are going to have a much betterresult and a quicker result
than if we chose a differentroute and self-prescribed how we
were going to wear our rubberbands or not take care of our
teeth.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Well, that all makes sense and definitely I'm pleased
by some of these answers,personally Very, very happy to
hear and that it is possible,depending on the person in their
mouth, you know, to fix oneparticular issue and not
necessarily have to get a fullmouth of braces, necessarily you
(23:02):
know that even it's possible.
So, but before I had thoughtthat you couldn't do just top or
bottom because of the bite.
You know the bite reasons, butI'm glad to hear that that isn't
necessarily the case.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Yeah, just partner with your orthodontist and make
sure you're very clear with whatit is that you would like to
have accomplished, and then yourorthodontist may tell you I'm
unable to accomplish this theway that you want it because of
X.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
And when you hear that, you know that this person
is being genuine with you andreally trying to guide you in in
the right direction so whatwould be next steps for adults
that are hearing this, that areconsidering, you know, braces
and they want to have anevaluation of their, of their
teeth and bite what's?
Speaker 3 (23:53):
so the the first thing that that I would
recommend doing is calling theorthodontist and scheduling an
appointment for a consultation.
Many consultations arecomplimentary and so if there's
anything that it costs you it'stime and you have a problem that
you want fixed In the time.
Between making that phone calland scheduling that appointment,
(24:15):
do a little bit of research onwhat it is that you may feel
would be best for you, what youwould like.
That doesn't mean me as theprovider.
I'm going to tell you anythingand everything can be done with
this particular avenue.
I'm not going to tell I don'ttell every patient that comes in
that Invisalign is the bestoption for you.
There are some patients where Isay that is the case, but many
(24:38):
adults um, we, we are going abraces route because that is the
more responsible way to takecare of the patient instead of
giving them exactly what theythink they need right.
But the more education theyhave, the easier the
conversation is going to be well, thank you so much, dr kaplan
and those of you listening.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Well, thank you so much, dr Kaplan and those of you
listening he's very humble, butcall him, call Dr Kaplan.
I've been working with him fortwo years now.
May was the month he was ourvery first family that we
featured.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Happy anniversary to us.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Wife Lee, and that's right.
And their boys and one of yoursons was studying abroad at the
time, so you just may have tohave you on for an anniversary
issue, but such a great guyYou're, so I love having you on.
You're so easy to talk to, veryjust, authentic, genuine great
(25:38):
guy, one of my favorite guests.
I appreciate you being on again.
Dr Kaplan, is there anythingelse you would like our audience
to know?
Speaker 3 (25:48):
As of right now.
No, I want everybody to have agreat summer, enjoy it, get a
lot of that sunshine and justenjoy time with family.
And if we happen to bump intoeach other in my office,
fantastic.
If you happen to see me out,please say hello.
I don't avoid folks.
I really like hanging out withpeople and just schmoozing, so
(26:11):
it's really good.
It's really an amazingopportunity to be able to have
these chats with you, Stacey.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Well, I enjoy them so much, so I look forward to your
next one.
We'll have you back on in acouple of months when you have
another article in DunwoodyNeighbors.
So thank you so much for beinghere, dr Kaplan.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Thank you for having me.
It's always a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Absolutely.
And that's all for today'sepisode Atlanta.
I'm Stacey Risley with the GoodNeighbor Podcast.
For today's episode, Atlanta,I'm Stacey Risley with the Good
Neighbor podcast.
Thanks for listening and forsupporting the local businesses
and nonprofits of our greatcommunity.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast
North Atlanta.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go toGNPNorthAtlantacom.
That's GNPNorthAtlantacom, orcall 470-946-7007.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Stacey Risley.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hello friends and neighbors, welcome to North
Atlanta's Good Neighbor Podcast.
Today we are back with Dr JasonKaplan.
He is the founder and owner ofKaplan Orthodontics here in
Dunwoody and a repeat guest, oneof my favorites because he's so
easy to talk to, and I'm sohappy to have you back, dr
Kaplan Orthodontics here inDunwoody and a repeat guest, one
of my favorites because he's soeasy to talk to, and I'm so
happy to have you back, drKaplan.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Oh, thank you, Stacey .
It's so good to see you, andwhat most of your fans don't
know is that there's anotherforce behind this podcast, right
, who is with us regularly, andthis is Kiana.
So I want to make sure I give agood shout out to Kiana, who
always makes this so fun andeasy for you and I, so I'm very
glad to be back to be able totalk with everybody from Good
Neighbor.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Awesome.
Well, I'll echo exactly what DrKaplan just said.
This would not be possiblewithout Kiana, and I am so
thankful for her.
She is behind the scenes, doesall the editing and does the
works.
She's our production everything.
We started by calling her aproduction assistant and that's
(01:13):
just.
I'm like that's just a faketitle we need to give her.
She does it all.
She's the production guru ofour podcast.
So thank you, kiana.
Well, back to KaplanOrthodontics and to Dr Kaplan's
also the expert contributor ofDunwoody Neighbors magazine.
So I appreciate his ongoingsponsorship and support and that
(01:37):
he gives great educationaltopics, talks about them related
to his field, and in thecurrent issue of Dunwoody
Neighbors he has an articletitled Am I Too Old to
Straighten my Teeth A question Ithink a lot of us we're going
to kind of delve into that and alot of us are going to get some
(01:59):
answers that we, includingmyself, have considered this
very seriously.
So, dr Kaplan, am I too old tostraighten my teeth?
Speaker 3 (02:10):
You are definitely not too old to straighten your
teeth, and I actually haven'tmet someone yet who is too old
to straighten their teeth.
So let's step back a little bitin time.
For most of us who arelistening to the podcast right
now and for those of us whoreceived braces, maybe in the
60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and duringthose decades, the profession of
(02:33):
orthodontics was still highlyresearched.
There were a lot of peopletrying to figure out what is the
best way to straighten teeth.
And then the big question, themost important question, is how
do we retain all of thosecorrections?
So we had a period of timewhere people would wear their
retainers full time for a whileand then they would wear it a
little bit less, maybe a coupleof times a week, and then not
(02:56):
wear it at all.
The orthodontist woulddiscontinue them from wearing
their retainer or theyself-prescribed no more wearing
of their retainer.
Dog got it, lost it at college.
The stories go on and on, andwhat we learned is that teeth
really need like a lifetime ofretention.
So here we are right now in2024, and I'm seeing a lot of
(03:20):
adults and I'm not talkingpeople who are just my age,
around 50.
I'm talking about people whoare in their 60s and 70s.
My oldest patient actuallyhappens to be turning 89 this
year, so it's really incredibleto see.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Okay, so I have to say I'm going to interject and
I'm so sorry to do that, but 89is a patient of yours that is
amazing.
So I would have thought ifsomeone had asked me, as someone
who's 89, too old to havebraces, I would probably have
thought yes, but I'm so glad toknow that I'm wrong.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
No, you are definitely not too old.
I mean, it's really interestingbecause orthodontics, there's a
big functional component to it,right?
So adults will seekorthodontics because they're
forced to or they'll seekorthodontics because they're not
happy with the cosmetics, theway it looks, or there's a
problem with the way they speak,or they've had some sort of
(04:16):
trauma and they're working inconjunction, maybe in a
multidisciplinary way, withother dental professionals.
So whether it's their dentist tobe able to get a crown, or to
open up a space so they can havea bridge or an implant.
A lot of times we have patientsactually most of the time we
have patients who are coming inbecause they just didn't wear
their retainer, like I saidearlier, and they want those
(04:36):
teeth restrained and they'revery particular about it.
They say to me can I?
just do the bottom or, you know,can I just do this one tooth?
Well, the reality is, as we ageand anybody who was born in
those decades that I saidearlier, but especially the 60s
and the 70s, those of us who are, who are turning, going through
(04:57):
the 50s and 60s right now wereally understand how our bodies
are changing, how we're losinga lot of elasticity in our skin.
We're starting to see a lotmore of our lower teeth because
our lips, the elastic fibersthat are within the tissues
which help keep our tissuesreally taut sagging a bit, and
so we're starting to see morethings that we didn't realize,
(05:19):
right.
I mean, we're getting more ofthose age lines.
So you know, when you startseeing these things about
yourself and you're like whoa, Inever really noticed that about
my teeth before.
Now there's an opportunity.
It's always been there.
It just hasn't been verypopular, but now it's.
It's more and more popular aspeople want to take care of
themselves and they're workinghard on on their bodies because
(05:41):
they want it to last as long aspossible on their bodies,
because they want it to last aslong as possible.
Once an adult tooth is gone, itcan be replaced, but it's so
much easier and more affordableto keep your teeth.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah Well, so you mentioned something that
definitely applies to me.
You said that you'll havequestions from adults.
Can I just straighten my bottomteeth?
You know, and I am one of thosethat you, that you mentioned,
who lost I, you know, I did wearmy retainers pretty regularly
until I lost one and I didn'thave it replaced, you know, and
that was after after college andthen I, so I just never got it
(06:24):
back and over time they've justslowly changed pretty
significantly, and it surprisedme that my bottom teeth changed
so much, because you know, whenI got braces initially, you know
it was my bottom teeth werepretty straight and then my top
teeth were the issue, but I ofcourse had braces on top and
bottom, and then my bottom teethare the ones that have really
(06:47):
shifted and moved, and so Inoticed them a lot and I would
be one that would be interestedif you know I could just
straighten the bottoms if thatwas an option.
But I've been told and you canelaborate on this that the
reason that's not an option isbecause it affects your whole
bite and the answer to thatquestion is no right.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
You don't have a new answer for me, do you?
No, it's not.
No, it's maybe and I hate tothrow in the question mark about
we love to have black and whitewhen it comes to health care
right, if you diet and exercise,you will lose weight.
You know, we're not even takinggenetics into consideration.
You're definitely going to loseweight.
You're going to have that bodythat you want at 50, 60, 70.
(07:34):
But we know that that's notnecessarily the case.
Some of us have, you know, goneon exercise, you know exercise
programs, and we work and wework and we're trying to eat,
right, but we still have troublegetting over some sort of hump
to be able to have, you know,the physique that we're looking
for.
And with teeth, the way that thebody works is as you chew over
time, your teeth have a naturaltendency actually to move
(07:57):
forward.
So where most adults will notsee a lot of upper tooth
crowding, they'll see a lot oflower tooth crowding.
They'll see a lot of lowertooth crowding and it's because
of these teeth wanting tomigrate forward and because of
the upper jaw getting a littlebit narrower.
So we like to think about it inthis way If you were a size
eight shoe for your entireadulthood and all of a sudden
(08:21):
you couldn't buy size eights,you could only buy size sevens.
What's going to happen to yourtoes?
They're going to get going tokind of fold on top of each
other, going to stack on top ofeach other, and that's a similar
thing that can happen with yourteeth.
If the upper jaw gets a littletoo narrow, there's not enough
space for the lower jaw to beable to fit.
So this is what you werereferring to, stacey, with
(08:42):
regard to bite.
So we have to look at what'savailable and what then is
realistic.
Like, for instance, thismorning out of Asian who came in
.
There was no way she was goingto have treatment on the top
whether it's Invisalign or clearbraces or braces behind the
teeth, it just didn't matter,she only wanted lower braces.
So that's a limiting factor inwhat the orthodontic provider is
(09:07):
able to do.
So we have to use our educationwhich most of us go to school
for four years of dental schoolplus two to three years of an
orthodontic residency and thenwe use our lifetime of
experience to figure out how canwe make this so that the
patient has what she wants or hewants and without causing any
other problems, in you know,without affecting their bite,
(09:28):
without affecting their gumtissue, without affecting their
bone.
So a lot of science goes intoit, and it's not just oh, I can
straighten this one tooth.
It doesn't always happen thatway, because we have to take the
whole body into consideration.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Yeah Well, and I'm going to have to come in and
have you take a look at my teethto see.
So what are the options?
What are the trends that you'reseeing with your adult patients
?
As far as I know that you offerInvisalign and that there are
another different options.
Are the options the same foradults as they are for kids?
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Again every patient we will offer the option that we
feel is best for them as aprofession and sometimes it
doesn't matter which way you go,whether it's a clear aligner
therapy like Invisalign, or ifit's braces.
So if we go back to 2020, and Iknow those times were really
difficult for a lot of peopleand some people it was a great
(10:27):
time because they were on cameraall the time for their work and
they were able to wear masksout in public.
So they sought opportunities toget their teeth straightened,
whether it was with aligners orwith braces, and so we saw a
boom in adult treatment.
That started around that timeduring COVID-19.
And that has actually continuedon.
(10:49):
So people got braces and thenthey talked to their friends
like, oh, you did Invisalign.
Wow, that's amazing, I canstraighten my teeth too.
And so here we are in theorthodontic profession, seeing
an elevation in the number ofadult cases that are coming in
for a variety of reasons, andit's not all because they have
to.
It's really nice to seepatients coming in because they
(11:12):
want to take care of themselves.
Their dentist is telling themyou're building up too much
tartar calculus around yourteeth.
You're not able to clean themvery well.
You need to get themstraightened.
So those types of things thingsin addition to aesthetics is is
really driving um adults to tohelp themselves and they should
help themselves.
They worked hard their entirelife like take care of yourself.
(11:34):
And so here we are, and and theorthodontist is now seeing a
whole different type of uh ofteen patient, right, the the
really older teen patient intheir 40s, 50s, 60s and even in
their forties, fifties, sixtiesand even in their late eighties,
right?
So it's really it's really funto be an adult and and treat
adults, because we can jokeabout all the same kinds of
(11:56):
stuff.
I mean, my kids are I've gotone kid in college and my other
son is a junior in high schooland I get to joke with all the
parents about how late thesekids stay up.
Like why are you up?
so late Like go to bed earlier,wake up refreshed, Like we, you.
Why don't you put your clothesaway, Like, why do they have to
stay in the laundry basket?
You've got to adjust yourdrawers, like these kinds of
(12:17):
things and it it makes theprofession so much more fun than
talking to someone when you cantalk with them.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
I could see that that would make a lot of sense, just
that adult interaction andbeing able to relate to them.
On stuff raising teenagers,lord, that was mine are 21 and
23 now, so you know, you know,but yes, I have been there for
sure.
I'm happy to survived andthey're phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
But I do want to stress that you asked about
options, so the main optionsright now for orthodontics in
general is clear aligner therapy, like Invisalign.
There are other companies thatmake aligners, and each provider
will choose what they feel isthe best for lack of a better
term tool in their hand to beable to provide the service for
their patients Metal braces,clear braces, and there are some
(13:10):
excellent providers of bracesthat go behind the teeth and,
depending on the experience ofthat provider and the comfort
for the patient remember, thetongue is there, and so
something that's constantly upagainst the tongue may not be
the most comfortable or maybethe best, because they're an
actor and they don't wantanything on the front so they
can be in front of the camera.
(13:31):
But there are braces that gobehind the teeth that do a great
job too.
So we have lots of options foradults, but the provider that
you visit will offer the onethat they feel is going to be
the best for you I was thinking,as you said, that they had
braces behind the teeth, um, asan option.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
I'm like gosh, that's funny, I've never seen that.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
And I'm like, well, yeah, that's great, I should
have just told on myself, justthat I'm hoping your friends who
have had braces behind theirteeth are listening right now so
they can say, oh, she never sawthem.
Like that was well worth theexperience.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Yeah, I've never even thought I'd ever have heard of
that.
Even it's what I should havesaid or should have thought.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
No, it's great.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
No one's opened their mouth and shown me their braces
.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
That's the whole purpose is not to see it.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Right For cosmetic reasons, but that does seem like
that would be reallyuncomfortable in your tongue,
though, but I'm imagining thatthey thought all of that out
when they made them.
If someone is interested inperhaps getting just an
evaluation to see, you know,like me, for instance, if it is
(14:49):
even an option to do just yourbottom teeth, or if you know
what, what the options are, howlong that we would potentially.
I know that you can't predictthat with 100 percent certainty,
but you can give an estimate ofhow long.
And here's another question foryou If, if a you know if I've
had braces in the past and so Ilike is the second time around,
(15:13):
is it less, less?
Does it take less time?
That's a great question.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
Those are the questions we get all the time.
Stacey, by the way.
Great interview.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
I love it Okay, so let's start with adults.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
When I say we, I'm talking me and my team.
We see adults who had treatmentwhen they were in their teens
and now they've had 30 or 40years of change with their teeth
.
Their bone composition is alittle bit different.
They have a different amount ofhardness to their bone.
It also changes, or alsodepends, along ethnic lines.
(15:49):
There are some populations thathave very dense bone and it
takes a little bit longer tomove those teeth than others.
We have patients that come inwho have periodontal disease and
need teeth moved.
That's a different amount offorce over time to be able to
slide the teeth into the rightspot.
So everybody's a little bitdifferent.
And when you come into myoffice and I'm sure many other
(16:12):
offices you will have an exam.
They will evaluate how your gumtissue looks, count how many
teeth you have, what is thecondition of your teeth.
Of course, if it's accompaniedby a referral from the dentist
or a periodontist who is a gumspecialist, then they'll have
some information on what it isthey're trying to accomplish and
(16:32):
then that information getsrelayed to you.
Today, for example, I had apatient come in who had
treatment when she was youngerand when I say younger, she's in
her late thirties, right?
Speaker 1 (16:44):
now.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
She had treatment when she was 13.
A fixed retainer was placed onher lower teeth, and sometimes
those fixed retainers break orand they get altered in ways
Some people call them permanentretainers by the way break or
and they get altered in waysSome people call them permanent
retainers, by the way and teethcan still move Right.
And so she was coming in tofind out, like what's going on
(17:09):
here, like why did thisparticular thing happen?
And so we have to, you know,put on our our, our sleuth
sleuth hats and figure out, youknow, what has transpired over
these last 24 years, and that initself is well worth the time
just to come in and meet withthe orthodontist to get the
information that you need.
And if it's something thatrequires collaboration with
(17:30):
another dental provider, thenwe're on it.
That's our job to be able toguide you in what we think is
the right direction for you tohave healthy teeth and keep them
as long as possible.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Okay, and so as far as the length of time I mean,
that's going to vary case bycase.
Of course, A few months to acouple years even.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
You know, depending on the patient, what we're
trying to accomplish.
I mean, if it's somebody whoneeds jaw surgery, that takes us
down one route.
If somebody with a lot ofcrowding and they don't want us
to take out teeth, that may beanother length of time.
But on average I think fromlooking at my stats, my adult
patients are typically intreatment somewhere around the
(18:18):
12 month mark.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
We try to keep it low and very direct.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Yeah, we try to keep it very direct.
So if a patient comes in andsays I only want to fix this,
you know whatever this is and wecan do that within a short
period of time, even though theymay have other issues we will
share with them.
You have this problem, you havelived with it X amount of time.
Is it something that you wouldlike to fix right now?
If it's not causing anotherissue no jaw joint problems, or
(18:47):
they're not wearing their teethdown or having any type of
recession from their bite thenwe may choose a very short
treatment time under a year,under six months in order to
just fix that particular problem.
But they may be in a situationthat they only want one thing
fixed but it requires us to fixmany more things in order to get
to that one deal.
Kind of like you know you get abox of cereal and you have to
(19:10):
go through a bit of that cerealuntil you get to the prize
that's at the box.
Do they still do prizes incereal?
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Like we don't buy cereal with prizes in it, but it
used to be.
I don't even know, but it usedto be.
I should know because I reallylike Fruity Pebbles.
Yeah, there, definitely used tobe.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
So, just like that, where you have to spend some
time, you know, to get into it,to prepare yourself to be able
to get that tooth in its rightposition, or those teeth in
their right position.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Well, that does sound like an overall, because you
said you would guess with yourstatistics that around a year is
average for adults.
Obviously, some cases can bemuch longer, I would imagine,
and possibly even shorter.
But is that about what is youraverage now for kids?
I know when I was in bracesthey would say the average was
(20:01):
like two, two to two and a halfyears, you know, and yeah, that
number has changed even rightnow, I mean teeth still move at
relatively the same rate.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
There are things that we can do to help accelerate it
in general, but really, ifsomebody's coming in, their
orthodontist is going to quotethem between 18 and 24 months on
a standard type of case not onewhere they may need to use
rubber bands or anotherorthodontic appliance in order
to fix and adults, really, whenwe're talking a 12-year program,
(20:33):
we're not looking at major bitecorrection.
For those folks, we're lookingat something that's very direct
in order to get that done.
And for folks who need bitecorrection, then we're looking
at definitely much longer time.
I have plenty of patients whoare adults who are in that 18 to
24 month range to be able tocorrect.
(20:53):
And for those adults and thisis important for the adults to
hear this is really importantyou are paying for this yourself
.
This is all about you.
So the more compliant you are,just like when you put your kids
through treatment, the fasterit will go.
And when adults choose to gothrough aligners or not wear
their rubber bands with theirbraces, it will extend treatment
(21:16):
timeout.
So compliance for adults isreally the trick?
Speaker 1 (21:20):
I mean, it really is to getting done quickly.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Yeah, and I would imagine that compliance with
adults may be as difficult, orif not more so difficult, than
with kids, especially if it'ssomething cosmetic, if they're
having to wear rubber bands, forinstance you know I couldn't.
There's no way I could haverubber bands in right now and
doing this interview.
No, I, yeah, no, I would tellyou to take them.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
I would tell you to take them out for the interview,
but all other times I would say, you know, when you're doing
your editing and you'regathering your data and putting
together your magazine, youshould be wearing them during
that time.
Take them out for your meal.
I think you get that like.
The general idea is that we'rehumans, we have a certain
biology and physiology and teethare going to move.
(22:06):
How they're going to move, wejust have to make sure that we
are.
We have realistic expectationsstarting right from the
beginning.
The reality of it is is themore compliant we are whether
we're 16, 60, the morecompliance we have with wearing
our rubber bands or aligners orkeeping our teeth clean, then we
(22:26):
are going to have a much betterresult and a quicker result
than if we chose a differentroute and self-prescribed how we
were going to wear our rubberbands or not take care of our
teeth.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Well, that all makes sense and definitely I'm pleased
by some of these answers,personally Very, very happy to
hear and that it is possible,depending on the person in their
mouth, you know, to fix oneparticular issue and not
necessarily have to get a fullmouth of braces, necessarily you
(23:02):
know that even it's possible.
So, but before I had thoughtthat you couldn't do just top or
bottom because of the bite.
You know the bite reasons, butI'm glad to hear that that isn't
necessarily the case.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Yeah, just partner with your orthodontist and make
sure you're very clear with whatit is that you would like to
have accomplished, and then yourorthodontist may tell you I'm
unable to accomplish this theway that you want it because of
X.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
And when you hear that, you know that this person
is being genuine with you andreally trying to guide you in in
the right direction so whatwould be next steps for adults
that are hearing this, that areconsidering, you know, braces
and they want to have anevaluation of their, of their
teeth and bite what's?
Speaker 3 (23:53):
so the the first thing that that I would
recommend doing is calling theorthodontist and scheduling an
appointment for a consultation.
Many consultations arecomplimentary and so if there's
anything that it costs you it'stime and you have a problem that
you want fixed In the time.
Between making that phone calland scheduling that appointment,
(24:15):
do a little bit of research onwhat it is that you may feel
would be best for you, what youwould like.
That doesn't mean me as theprovider.
I'm going to tell you anythingand everything can be done with
this particular avenue.
I'm not going to tell I don'ttell every patient that comes in
that Invisalign is the bestoption for you.
There are some patients where Isay that is the case, but many
(24:38):
adults um, we, we are going abraces route because that is the
more responsible way to takecare of the patient instead of
giving them exactly what theythink they need right.
But the more education theyhave, the easier the
conversation is going to be well, thank you so much, dr kaplan
and those of you listening.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Well, thank you so much, dr Kaplan and those of you
listening he's very humble, butcall him, call Dr Kaplan.
I've been working with him fortwo years now.
May was the month he was ourvery first family that we
featured.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Happy anniversary to us.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Wife Lee, and that's right.
And their boys and one of yoursons was studying abroad at the
time, so you just may have tohave you on for an anniversary
issue, but such a great guyYou're, so I love having you on.
You're so easy to talk to, veryjust, authentic, genuine great
(25:38):
guy, one of my favorite guests.
I appreciate you being on again.
Dr Kaplan, is there anythingelse you would like our audience
to know?
Speaker 3 (25:48):
As of right now.
No, I want everybody to have agreat summer, enjoy it, get a
lot of that sunshine and justenjoy time with family.
And if we happen to bump intoeach other in my office,
fantastic.
If you happen to see me out,please say hello.
I don't avoid folks.
I really like hanging out withpeople and just schmoozing, so
(26:11):
it's really good.
It's really an amazingopportunity to be able to have
these chats with you, Stacey.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Well, I enjoy them so much, so I look forward to your
next one.
We'll have you back on in acouple of months when you have
another article in DunwoodyNeighbors.
So thank you so much for beinghere, dr Kaplan.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Thank you for having me.
It's always a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Absolutely.
And that's all for today'sepisode Atlanta.
I'm Stacey Risley with the GoodNeighbor Podcast.
For today's episode, Atlanta,I'm Stacey Risley with the Good
Neighbor podcast.
Thanks for listening and forsupporting the local businesses
and nonprofits of our greatcommunity.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast
North Atlanta.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go toGNPNorthAtlantacom.
That's GNPNorthAtlantacom, orcall 470-946-7007.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com