With three sons in the midst of orthodontic treatment, Alison Karrh decided to take a closer look at her own teeth.
Karrh, 43, had braces in high school, and has always been proud of her smile. But over the last few years, she’s noticed her bottom teeth shifting slightly, so she asked the orthodontist treating her sons, Dr. Andy Vondran, for advice.
She’s not the only one. According to the American Association of Orthodontists the number of adults in braces increased by 14 percent between 2010 and 2012 alone to more than 1.2 million patients, a record. Nationwide, 21 percent of people in active orthodontic treatment in 2012 were over the age of 18, and that was up 40 percent from the number in 1989.
For more, see Wednesday’s Family section.