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Sometimes patients present to our orthodontic office with severe jaw discrepancies that include bad bites, jaw bone abnormalities, and malocclusion. Oral and maxillofacial surgery is a specialty in the field of dentistry that focuses on treating complex cases involving the face, mouth, jaw and skull. If you need surgical orthodontics, Dr. Mack and Dr. Hansen work with an oral and maxillofacial surgeon to give you the best result and experience possible.

WHEN MIGHT ORTHODONTICS AND SURGERY BE NEEDED?

Typically, jaw growth stops around age 15 in females and 18 or 19 in males. Surgical orthodontics may be used to treat patients whose jaw growth has completed and resulted in an improper bites or other aesthetic concern. When orthodontics alone is not able to address the bite issues resulting from abnormal jaw growth then surgical orthodontics may be needed. Orthognathic surgery can help properly align the jaw, and our doctors, Dr. Mack and Dr. Hansen will use orthodontic braces to move the teeth into the proper position.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I WILL NEED ORTHOGNATHIC SURGERY?

Your orthodontist, Dr. Mack or Dr. Hansen, can tell you if orthognathic surgery is needed as part of your treatment. Depending on the severity of your case and the alignment of your jaw, you may or may not need surgery.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

An oral and maxillofacial surgeon will perform your orthognathic surgery, and the surgery will take place in a hospital such as Longview Regional or Christus Good Shepherd. Orthognathic surgery can take several hours depending on each individual case. Once the surgery is complete, you will have about a two-week rest period. Since orthognathic surgery is a major treatment, we recommend that you schedule some time away from work and school during the healing process. After your jaw has healed, Dr. Mack and Dr. Hansen will once again “fine-tune” your bite using braces. After surgery, you will have to wear braces, and most braces are removed within six to 12 months following surgery. After your braces are removed, it will be important to wear your retainer to help maintain your new smile.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH ORTHOGNATHIC SURGERY?

As with any major surgery, there may be certain risks of having orthognathic surgery. However, the process of orthognathic surgery is not new, and it has been performed for many years in practices and hospitals. If you're concerned about an upcoming treatment with orthognathic surgery, please contact our office, located in Longview right next to the Longview Regional Medical Center and let us know. We are happy to answer any questions that you may have, and provide you with any additional information.

WHAT ARE THE REWARDS OF HAVING ORTHOGNATHIC SURGERY?

For many patients, the most important reward of having orthognathic surgery is achieving a beautiful, healthy smile that lasts a lifetime. Whether you need orthodontic treatment to correct a bad bite, malocclusion, or jaw abnormality, orthognathic surgery can help restore your confidence and leave you smiling with confidence for many years to come.

If you have any additional questions about Mack and Hansen Orthodontics or want to discover how Dr. Spencer Mack and Dr. Andrew Hansen can help you gain straighter teeth and a healthier smile with braces or Invisalign please contact us today! You can also visit www.etxortho.com to learn more about our orthodontists or dental braces,. We’re conveniently located in Longview, TX right by Longview Regional Hospital and are just a quick drive from Marshall, Carthage, Henderson, Kilgore, and Gilmer.

In 2002, the first Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) event was held in St. Louis where free dental care was delivered to nearly 400 children.

The American Dental Association recognized these efforts for their ability to raise awareness for oral health across the country. In 2003, with help from sponsors and of course the American Dental Association, Give Kids A Smile became a nationwide program.

Since it's inception in 2003, nearly 6 million children have received dental care from more than half a million dentists and dental volunteers. The program is now designed to address the dental health crisis in three main areas: 1. Provide immediate dental care to people suffering from active, untreated dental disease; 2. Grow the public/private safety net; and lastly, increase dental education and dental disease prevention in communities.

Here in Longview as well as in Kilgore, Marshall, Henderson, and across all of East Texas you will find a number of community programs taking place during the month of February. These will either be in association with Give Kids A Smile or National Children's Dental Health Month. Some of these events may be taking place at local schools while others will be at local dentist offices so be sure to keep an eye out for any events around your city!

If you have any additional questions about Mack and Hansen Orthodontics or want to discover how Dr. Spencer Mack and Dr. Andrew Hansen can help you gain straighter teeth and a healthier smile with braces or Invisalign please contact us today! You can also visit www.etxortho.com to learn more about our orthodontists or dental braces,. We’re conveniently located in Longview, TX right by Longview Regional Hospital and are just a quick drive from Marshall, Carthage, Henderson, Kilgore, and Gilmer.

We have been getting a lot of questions lately about invisalign, the process, and how it works. For a little background information, invisalign is a brand name of a type of clear aligner. Another type of clear aligner brand is Clear Correct. There are also some new brands of clear aligners coming out soon which will be similar to invisalign.

In our office, the invisalign process starts with your complimentary consultation. After your consultation, if you and Dr. Mack or Dr. Hansen decide that invisalign is the best option for your case and your lifestyle, then the next step is a scan of your teeth.

With our iTero intraoral digital scanner we are able to take an "impression" of your teeth without any of that gooey material used in the past. Additionally, the scan of your mouth, teeth, and bite are far more accurate than any of those gooey impressions of years past.

With this scan of your teeth we are able to start planning your orthodontic tooth movements, bite correction, and smile improvements almost immediately. Using our computer software Dr. Mack and Dr. Hansen are able to digitally plan your entire treatment from start to finish. After they are finished your aligners are then fabricated on 3-D printed models of your teeth and then shipped to us.

Once your invisalign aligners are delivered to our office, we give you a call to come in for your delivery. At that delivery we place any attachments that are needed on your teeth to help in tooth movement and give you your first set of orthodontic clear aligners.

After that your smile transformations are underway! We will see you back for visits to monitor your progress and determine if we need to incorporate any changes into your aligners! And now you know!

If you have any additional questions about Mack and Hansen Orthodontics or want to discover how Dr. Spencer Mack and Dr. Andrew Hansen can help you gain straighter teeth and a healthier smile with braces or Invisalign please contact us today! You can also visit www.etxortho.com to learn more about our orthodontists and request a complimentary consult, or you can call us at 903-212-7737. We’re conveniently located in Longview, TX and are just a quick drive from Marshall, Carthage, Henderson, Kilgore, and Gilmer.

That's right! Winter has arrived in East Texas. Last night we had our first snow of the year and with that came icy roads, closed schools in Kilgore, Marshall, Gilmer, etc... and a closed Mack and Hansen Orthodontics office. Our orthodontic office will be closed today, Tuesday January 16th, to allow for the weather conditions to improve.

There are even some schools, such as Longview ISD, already announcing they are closing tomorrow as well. If you've seen any videos on the news or Facebook, you can see that the roads are by no means safe to drive on. We will be keeping a close eye on the weather to determine if we will be closing the office tomorrow as well.

During this time we want to do our part to remind everyone to bundle up and stay indoors (and off the roads) as much as possible.

Now despite what you may think, braces do feel any different and do not cause any more discomfort when it gets below freezing temperatures. However, always remember that if you are having any discomfort from your braces to reference the your home care instructions given to you at your first visit.

If you have any additional questions about Mack and Hansen Orthodontics or want to discover how Dr. Spencer Mack and Dr. Andrew Hansen can help you gain straighter teeth and a healthier smile with braces or Invisalign please contact us today! You can also visit www.etxortho.com to learn more about our orthodontists and request a complimentary consult, or you can call us at 903-212-7737. We’re conveniently located in Longview, TX and are just a quick drive from Marshall, Carthage, Henderson, Kilgore, and Gilmer.