Dr. Bas Wafelbakker’s grandfather was a dentist. In his day, and for much of the last century, the standard answer to a crowded mouth was simple: there is not enough room, so take some teeth out. Pulling permanent teeth to make space was routine, and plenty of parents reading this had it done themselves.
It worked, in the sense that the remaining teeth lined up. But it often left something behind. Narrower arches. Smiles that showed less of the upper teeth. Faces that looked a little flatter than they might have.
The approach at Wafelbakker Anderson Orthodontics starts from a different question. Instead of asking which teeth to remove, it asks how much room a growing child can make.
Kids Are Still Building Their Smile
A child’s jaws are still growing, and that changes everything. Bone that is actively developing responds to gentle guidance in ways an adult jaw does not. With the right timing, an orthodontist can encourage the upper and lower jaws to grow in harmony, widen a narrow arch and create space for teeth that are still on their way in.
That is the window families hear about when the American Association of Orthodontists recommends a first check around age 7. Most kids that age will not need treatment yet. Some will benefit from a small, early step that makes everything later easier.
The Wafelbakker Smile Starts Here
Patients in the Gilroy office coined the phrase “the Wafelbakker smile” years ago to describe a wide, beautiful and youthful result. It rests on three principles:
- Keep the permanent teeth. No pulling teeth to make room when growth can make it instead.
- Show the full upper smile. A full display of the upper teeth reads as bright and confident.
- Follow the lower lip. The edges of the top teeth curve in an arc that matches the line of the lower lip, the way a natural, youthful smile does.
All three depend on planning ahead. Growth is the best tool an orthodontist has, and it only comes around once.
What It Feels Like From the Chair
For a child, none of this sounds like a philosophy. It sounds like picking band colors, a sticker after the appointment and a team that knows their name. Dr. Wafelbakker has been doing this since 1985, and he built a practice that feels friendly and warm, where kids and staff alike have fun. Dr. Chris Anderson has been part of those visits for 20 years. Many of the kids in the chair today have parents who sat in the same chair.
WAO uses self-ligating braces that hold the wire without elastic ties, which helps with precision and makes brushing easier for small hands. For the hardest cases, WAO is one of only a few practices in the country offering the Multiloop Edgewise Archwire technique, a non-surgical way to correct how the jaws line up.
A Good Month for a First Look
Winter break has a way of arriving fast, and the holiday calendar fills up even faster. November is the easiest time to fit in a first visit. A complimentary initial exam at any of our four offices in Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Hollister and Walnut Creek gives parents a clear picture of what is ahead, even if the answer is simply to check back in a year.
The growth years only happen once. It is worth knowing what they can do.
#WAOSmile