We are dedicated to helping you achieve a beautiful and confident smile through our comprehensive range of orthodontic services. With our expertise and state-of-the-art technology, we offer braces, clear aligners, and an exclusive retainer for life program - Unlimited Retainers for 5 years. Let us guide you on your journey towards straighter teeth and improved oral health.
While there is no exact age for children to begin orthodontic treatment, the American Association of Orthodontics recommends visiting the orthodontist around age seven.
By this age, most children have a mix of baby teeth and adult teeth, making it easier for the orthodontist to diagnose and correct tooth and jaw problems sooner and without surgery.
Early treatment allows your orthodontist to:
Here are a few things to look for that may mean your child needs to have orthodontic treatment:
Please contact our practice to schedule an appointment for an orthodontic evaluation. Early treatment now will give your child a healthy, beautiful smile for the future.
Consultation is Complementary for Children
Not only is it important to find an orthodontist that is a sure fit for you, it’s important they have extensive experience. You will want to find an orthodontist that has been in practice for a minimum of a decade and has helped patients in the thousands. Newer orthodontists either haven’t been in practice long enough to know what works, or haven’t transformed enough smiles to understand that each case is different.
Dr. Napolitano began his orthodontic training while attending dental school at UCSF. His initial focus was limited tooth movement assisting patients by ensuring teeth were well positioned prior to restorative dentistry, and helping with cosmetic improvements. Over the years with additional training and experience we confidently manage a wide array of orthodontic needs for patients of all ages.
Dr. Napolitano offers conventional braces using brackets and wires, clear aligner treatment with Invisalign, and when appropriate even a combination of both techniques. As a general dentist possessing vast experience with complex restorative dentistry, an understanding of skeletal and airway development, a keen eye for esthetics, and wonderful patient management skills you can trust your orthodontic needs to Dr. Napolitano.
It’s natural to want to feel secure about your doctor’s medical background. When a doctor is board certified in orthodontics, it means they have voluntarily gone through hundreds of additional hours of preparation to demonstrate their judgement, skills and knowledge required for providing the highest level of patient care. They have achieved board certification through the American Board of Orthodontics, the only orthodontic specialty board recognized by the American Dental Association and in affiliation with the American Association of Orthodontists.
Dr. Napolitano is not board certified but his years of experience and background with many patients will implement the best treatment plan to transform your smile!
Your orthodontist should offer more than one option for orthodontic treatment. Every smile is unique and orthodontics is not a one size fits all profession. In your search for an orthodontist, one of the questions you should be able to answer about the doctor you’re considering is whether they offer the type of braces or orthodontic treatment that you are interested in.
Numerous types of braces and orthodontic treatment options are available for you to choose from. Whether you are looking for traditional metal braces or a more discreet option like clear braces or Invisalign, each option will be reviewed and explained to you in detail during your initial assessment. You will be educated on all of your options and together, we will help you make the best decision as to which type of braces and orthodontic treatment option is best.
You may be researching an orthodontist for your child or a loved one, as conditions with your teeth and gums may develop at any stage in life. Maybe your child has an underbite or suffers from crooked teeth and could benefit from visiting an orthodontist in the earlier stages of his or her life. No matter the case, your orthodontist should be family-friendly and offer early intervention, ensuring your child has the best outcome from orthodontic treatment.
We encourage parents to pursue early treatment for their children. The earlier a condition is diagnosed, the more time we have to correct or prepare your child for braces and orthodontics, The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that your child has an orthodontic evaluation at the age of 7, allowing us to prevent and study how your child’s smile will progress as they grow. Be sure to ask how early treatment can benefit your child during your smile assessment.
Transforming your smile should be fun and affordable. Even if you have insurance, this will not cover the entire cost of orthodontic treatment. Your orthodontist and their team, should be more than willing to work with your budget and educate you on your options.
We are here to help you understand the different payment options that are available to you. Our team will help to educate you on how to maximize your insurance benefits and even help with insurance claims and paperwork. During your initial assessment and consultation, all your questions will be answered, including those about the typical cost of braces and Invisalign and the variety of payment options available to you.
We can offer 3 payment plans:
Pay in full for discount
Monthly in-house payments with Doctor with a deposit
Care credit.
Now that you have your braces, how do you take care of them? It’s important for you to know how to properly take care of your braces throughout your entire orthodontic treatment.
Damaged appliances can increase the length of your treatment process, so be sure to take of all your appliances. Your teeth and jaw can only move into their correct positions if you consistently wear the rubber bands, retainer or other appliances prescribed by your doctor.
Game, Set, Match- we have great news for athletes! You can still play sports even while undergoing orthodontic treatment! If you do play sports, it’s recommended that you wear a mouth guard to protect your teeth and your appliance.
The wires and bands on your braces may come loose. If this happens, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can check and repair your appliance. If any piece of your appliances comes off, be sure to save it and bring it to the office with you.
You can temporarily fix the loose wire by using the back of a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil to carefully and gently push the wire back into place. If the loose wire is causing irritation to your lips or cheeks, put wax or a wet cotton ball over the broken wire to relieve the pain.
When you first get your braces, you may not that your teeth and mouth feel a litter tender or sore. This is perfectly normal and we promise you mouth will not be sore forever! To relieve the pain, we recommend dissolving one teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of lukewarm water. Swish and gargle this solution in your mouth for just a couple of minutes (DO NOT swallow the salt water)
If the pain is more severe and does not go away after rinsing, you can also try taking a pain reliever. It is also not uncommon for your lips, cheeks and tongue to become irritated for one to two weeks as they toughen and become used to the braces. We would be happy to give your some wax that you can put over the braces to lessen the tenderness. If you need some wax, please let us know.
Before your treatment at Larry Napolitano, DDS ABDSM begins, Dr. Napolitano and the rest of our team need to fully understand every detail of your smile to ensure optimal results every step of the way. In the past, the only method for capturing these measurements was to take a physical impression that involved the placement of putty-like material into the patient's mouth. Understandably, many people find this technique incredibly unpleasant , and the result has a chance of being inefficient as well.
Thankfully, we've said goodbye to this method for a superior alternative that's much more precise and more comfortable.
Our practice provides the latest in digital impressions technology to our patients at no additional cost.
Bay area, your new dentist is here to answer any of your questions!
Best of Milpitas Readers Choice Award in Milpitas! BEST DENTIST, DENTIST FOR CHILDREN, IMPLANT DENTIST, ORAL SURGERY AND ORTHODONTICS.
A huge THANK YOU to our amazing patients and the Milpitas community for your support!
