Orthodontic Treatment For Teens
Purcellville VA
At Excelsior Orthodontics, we provide personalized orthodontic care to help your teen achieve a confident, beautiful smile.
Signs Your Teen May Need Orthodontic Care
The teen years are a pivotal time in shaping a healthy, confident smile that will last a lifetime. With permanent teeth in place and active growth still underway, this is the ideal stage to address both function and aesthetics. Whether your teen is continuing care from childhood or starting with us now, our expert team is here to guide you every step of the way—making the experience smooth, supportive, and tailored to your family's needs.
Step 1: Meet With Your Treatment Coordinator
Your teen’s journey begins with a warm welcome and a thorough consultation. We’ll take photos and digital X-rays to assess how their teeth and jaws are developing. You’ll meet with our treatment coordinator, who will walk you through the process and answer any questions you may have.
Dr. Minh will then evaluate your teen’s bite, alignment, and facial balance scoring them based on how their smile currently aligns with the 10 key features of an Excelsior Smile. This helps us determine what’s working well and what needs to be addressed as we plan for the healthiest, most confident version of their smile.
Step 2: Dr. Minh Creates a Custom Treatment Plan
Next, Dr. Minh will design a treatment plan tailored to your teen’s growth, goals, and Excelsior Smile Score. The plan will focus on improving bite alignment, tooth position, spacing, and facial balance while guiding your teen toward all 10 features of a confident, healthy smile.
Step 3: Begin Orthodontic Treatment
Once the plan is in place, your teen will begin treatment with the appliance that best suits their needs, lifestyle, and smile goals. At Excelsior Orthodontics, we offer several options:
- Traditional Metal Braces – Strong and effective for all types of cases, especially those needing precise bite correction.
- Ceramic Braces (Clear Braces / Invisible Braces) – A discreet option that blends in with your teen’s natural tooth color.
- Pitts21 Braces – A self-ligating system for more efficient, comfortable movement with fewer appointments.
- Spark™ Aligners (Clear Aligners / Invisible Aligners) – Removable, nearly invisible trays designed for flexibility and aesthetics.
In addition to braces or aligners, we may recommend other appliances such as expanders, elastics, or bite correctors to support jaw growth, improve function, or guide teeth into ideal positions.
Braces
Aligners
Herbst
Facemask
No matter the tools used, your teen’s treatment will follow our signature five-stage system designed to achieve all 10 features of the Excelsior Smile:
Stage 1: Foundation and Function
This first stage of treatment focuses on correcting the underlying structure of your teen’s bite and jaw position. Alongside braces, Pitts21 braces, or Spark™ aligners, we may use specialized appliances—like expanders to widen a narrow upper jaw, a Herbst appliance to help the lower jaw advance forward, or even a facemask to guide upper jaw growth. These tools help us improve how the teeth fit together (occlusion), balance the smile profile, and support healthy jaw development. Establishing this foundation early ensures a stable, functional bite and a smile that’s in harmony with your teen’s face.
Occlusion
Smile Profile
Smile Width
Stage 2: Alignment & Smile Arc
Once the bite and jaw position are corrected, we shift our focus to straightening the teeth and closing any gaps. During this stage, we carefully position each tooth to follow a smooth, natural curve—what we call the smile arc. This helps create an attractive, flowing smile that follows the shape of the lips and enhances overall facial aesthetics. It’s not just about getting teeth in a row—it’s about how they look when your teen smiles.
Alignment
Smile Arc
Stage 3: Smile Symmetry & Display
In this stage, we focus on how the smile looks when your teen grins naturally—from corner to corner. We make sure the smile is wide, balanced, and fills the space between the cheeks, so it doesn’t appear narrow or uneven. Creating symmetry in the smile display enhances overall harmony and ensures the teeth show evenly on both sides. It’s a detail that makes a big difference in turning a good smile into a great one.
Smile Symmetry
Smile Display
Stage 4: Tooth Shape
With the teeth in the right position, we turn our attention to the shape of each tooth. Sometimes small adjustments like smoothing edges, refining contours, or reshaping worn or uneven teeth can make a big visual difference. This stage helps ensure that every tooth looks proportionate and fits naturally within the smile, adding polish and harmony to the final result.
Tooth Shape
Stage 5: Gum Shape & Display
The final stage focuses on how the gums frame the smile. If too much gum shows when your teen smiles, or if the gum line appears uneven, we may recommend gentle procedures to improve the overall appearance. This can include laser gingivectomy to reshape the gum line or using TADs (Temporary Anchorage Devices) to help reduce a gummy smile by adjusting tooth and lip position. These finishing touches help create a clean, balanced look bringing harmony to the entire smile.
Gum Shape/Display
Gummy Smile Treatment TADs
Step 4: Celebrate the Smile
After months of teamwork, encouragement, and steady progress, it’s time to celebrate. Your teen’s new smile is the result of intentional care, detailed planning, and a partnership between our team, your child, and your family. We take this moment seriously because a confident, healthy smile is something to be proud of.

We’ll walk you through final photos, provide retainers, and of course, make it a celebration. This is more than just the end of treatment—it’s the beginning of a lifelong smile they’ll carry with confidence.
Step 5: Maintain The Smile
A beautiful smile is built to last but it still needs care. After treatment, your teen will receive custom retainers to help preserve the results and prevent teeth from shifting over time. We’ll give you clear instructions on when and how to wear them, and we’ll schedule periodic check-ins to ensure everything stays on track.
Retainers are a simple but essential part of protecting the smile you and your teen worked so hard to create and we’re here to support you every step of the way.
Consultation Available
If you notice any of these signs in your teen, it may be time to schedule a consultation with us at Excelsior Orthodontics. Our team is here to provide expert guidance and personalized care.
