Whether orthodontics is possible depends more on the condition of your gums and gum bone than on your age. Once the gums, gum bone and general health are checked, orthodontics can be considered for adults too. If the gums are weak, we treat them first or adjust how much and how fast the teeth are moved.

Before adult orthodontic treatment begins, Dr. Ilseop Ahn, our gum and implant doctor (board-certified periodontist), checks your gums himself. He looks at pocket depth, bleeding, tooth mobility and the height of the gum bone, and decides when gum treatment is needed.

Yes. We choose from three approaches.

• Gum treatment first: if there is inflammation or the gum bone has decreased, we stabilize it before orthodontics
• Together during orthodontics: mild inflammation is managed regularly during treatment
• After orthodontics: when gum surgery or grafting works better after the teeth are repositioned

Yes. When the gum bone decreases, the support for the teeth weakens, and the front teeth may spread apart or move forward. Conversely, overlapping teeth are hard to brush and the gums can get worse, so planning orthodontics and gum treatment together helps you keep your teeth for longer.

Crowns on natural teeth can move along with the teeth, but implants fixed in the bone do not move with orthodontics. We take this into account when planning and also discuss whether to replace crowns after treatment.

Food easily gets caught around the appliance, which can cause gum inflammation. So we check the gums regularly during treatment and, when needed, provide scaling and gum care as well.

We first stabilize the gums and then judge whether treatment is possible.

As long as you keep things clean during treatment, straighter teeth are easier to brush, which helps protect your gums.

Teeth move more slowly, so it may take longer. We give you an estimated period after the examination.