Orthodontics at our Office

Orthodontics is defined by the American Association of Orthodontics as, "the branch of dentistry that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental and facial irregularities. The practice of orthodontics requires professional skill in the design, application and control of corrective appliances to bring teeth, lips and jaws into proper alignment and to achieve facial balance."

Modern orthodontics does allow the practitioner to influence and compensate for faulty growth through a variety of systems and techniques of which braces is an important part. The two most interesting fields of research in this area have led to the straightforward conclusion that the shape, size, position and alignment of the jaws decide to a good degree:

1. The health (or sickness) of the joints around which the lower jaw hinges, so called Temporomandibular joint or, TMJ. This opens the possibilities for dentists/orthodontists trained in diagnosing and treating the jaw joints to consider and address these during orthodontic treatments.
2. The quality of breathing (mouth breathing vs nose breathing, healthy saturation of oxygen in the body). This when correlated to the knowledge dental sleep medicine has accumulated in the last fifteen years allowed dentists trained in the “sleep disordered breathing” field to treat snoring and sleep apnea. This, in turn, has helped people and their room partners sleep better and decrease the serious risks of high blood pressure and stroke often aggravated by the inability to have a sufficient concentration of oxygen while sleeping.

Through a wide variety of opportunities, Dr. Tabbara has pursued the field of Orthodontics for 28 years, TMJ diagnosis and management for the last eleven years and the sleep dentistry field for the last three. Various equipment and expertise has been added to our practice in order for patients to benefit from comprehensive treatment under one roof. Referrals to other health care professionals is always considered if needed. For screening purposes, patients now have the option of having the sleep test done in the comfort of their own home.

After years of participating in residencies, conferences, seminars and symposiums, he has been honoured with the title of “Fellow of the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain” after being recognized as a "Fellow of the American Association for Functional Orthodontics.”