Our Blog

When it comes to orthodontic treatments, it's always best to start earlier rather than later. After all, most children begin to develop adult molars by age six, and it is recommended that children as young as seven make their first orthodontic appointment. Eastern Virginia Orthodontics work with children, adolescents, and adults to achieve a healthy smile. Our business features locations in Norfolk and Chesapeake plus a Virginia Beach Military Orthodontist, all of which are staffed with friendly faces and professional doctors of dental surgery.

Here at Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, oral surgery is a common occurrence. But, for you, oral surgery might be an intimidating option to have on the table. As a leading Virginia Beach military orthodontist, we have performed oral surgery on kids and adults, including military members and veterans.

Here at Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we take pride in helping to give patients the best possible experience. Having to wear a fixed appliance can be troubling at first since it is hard to know exactly how to take care of these appliances and what to do - and not to do - while wearing them.

Straightening your teeth or your child's teeth is a decision that involves a lot of thought and planning. Here at Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we have seen the benefits of both Invisalign and braces. But which one is going to work best for you?

From a deviated septum to enlarged adenoids, mouth breathing can have a wide range of causes. Even a nasal blockage stemming from influenza, allergies, or a cold can cause mouth breathing. Luckily, an orthodontist in Chesapeake from the experienced, top-level professionals at Eastern Virginia Orthodontics can help you overcome mouth breathing. With locations in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Chesapeake, our orthodontists are highly-trained in solving any issue relating to your oral health.

Wearing braces will create a beautiful smile, but the process goes beyond cosmetic needs and ensures that your jaw and teeth are aligned properly. If you’re visiting an orthodontist in Norfolk to start treatment, then there are some important questions you’ll need to ask. Getting orthodontic work done can be a bit scary and stressful. During your first visit with an orthodontist, make sure to ask these five important questions.

At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, our mission is to provide quality orthodontics and dental care to all our patients. We are passionate about oral health and strive to impart the importance of good oral hygiene care no matter your age. These days, teens live very busily, on-the-go lifestyles. Between classes, clubs, sports, and jobs, it can be tempting to skip what may feel like small things here and there, such as oral hygiene practices. However, skipping these can add up to big problems over time, so as your trusted provider of quality orthodontics, Chesapeake’s Eastern Virginia Orthodontics has created this list of dental tips and treatments for teens.

At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we pride ourselves on providing a wide variety of orthodontic treatments. From basic metal braces or Invisalign to Temporary Anchorage Devices, we’re proud to be your go-to orthodontist in the Hampton Roads area. Orthognathic surgery, also known simply as corrective jaw surgery, is used to correct more severe skeletal and dental issues and it takes a bit more time to recover from than many basic orthodontic treatments. To ensure a full and healthy recovery after jaw surgery, follow these helpful tips from your friends at Eastern Virginia Orthodontics.

Are you ready for braces? So, you’ve finally decided to take the next step on improving your smile, but you’re not sure which route to take? Let your Eastern Virginia orthodontics team help you work through that decision. Here we will go over the difference between ceramic braces vs. metal braces.

At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we want all of our patients to have straight teeth for life. For our patients to keep their teeth straight after orthodontic care, they’ll need to wear a retainer. Retainers are aligners that are used to hold teeth in their position after surgery or any method of realigning teeth. If you’re someone that is about to start treatment (or is in the middle of their treatment), learn the importance of retainers.

Invisalign remains to be one of the biggest orthodontic appliances on the market. And it’s a perfect choice for college students! The benefits Invisalign provides can help college students feel confident and secure, knowing that they’re improving their oral health and well-being. We know how busy students are in their daily lives; everything from homework, activities, and work makes it hard to juggle schedules. But at Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we offer customized Invisalign treatment so college students can find ease in their orthodontic treatments. If you’re in college (or just about to start), here’s why Invisalign might be a great option for you.

Orthodontic treatment has always been a staple of adolescence, but in recent years it is becoming trendier for adults to straighten their teeth using traditional braces or braces alternatives such as Invisalign. At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we treat patients of all ages from early care, through adolescence, to adult treatment. No matter what stage in life you visit us, you’ll find the appropriate care to suit your needs at our Chesapeake, VA orthodontic office. You may be wondering; am I too old for braces? The answer is no, and here’s why.

Every day we put our teeth to the test—chewing food, helping us smile, and allowing us to speak is just an of the few items on the long list of chores that we task our teeth with every day. Even with excellent oral hygiene, this workload takes a toll on our teeth, and as we get older, sometimes our smiles require a little extra help to stay fresh and healthy. Here at Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, your local Chesapeake orthodontics experts, we believe that adults can keep their teeth strong and bright well into old age—as long as you put in the work to maintain good oral health. Find out what you can do to ensure that your mouth is protected against decay and gum disease, so your teeth can keep up the hard work for decades to come!

So it’s finally time to get your braces off! You’re excited to eat all those tasty foods that were off-limits and revel in your beautiful new smile, but you might be wondering what getting your braces removed is actually like. At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics we’ve helped countless patients achieve stunning results with braces in Chesapeake, Norfolk and Virginia Beach, so we can tell you exactly what to expect on the exciting day when your braces get taken off.

At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we understand that patients want to straighten their teeth as quickly as possible and they want the most effective orthodontic treatment. The good news is - our orthodontists offer fast, yet effective orthodontic care like Invisalign to quickly straighten your teeth. Invisalign works by slowly shifting your teeth to the desired position through a series of clear, plastic aligners that are custom-made for your teeth and are changed every two weeks.

Getting braces is a very exciting milestone in your quest for your best smile and it comes with a lot to think about, from caring for your new appliance to dreaming about what your teeth will look like when it’s over! The team at Eastern Virginia Orthodontics has provided countless patients with braces in Norfolk and Chesapeake, VA, and we know that it can be a bit of a challenge to adjust to your new braces lifestyle. That’s why we’ve compiled five tips to make the first week with braces a breeze.

Jaw surgery might sound intimidating, but it can be one of the most life-changing treatments for patients with complex orthodontic issues. Orthognathic (jaw and maxillofacial) surgery can treat severe overbites and underbites, chronic TMJ, and sleep apnea. It also drastically improves the facial aesthetics and confidence of countless patients. At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we are committed to improving the lives of patients in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach. and surrounding areas through comprehensive orthodontic treatment. Here are 5 tips to speed up your recovery from jaw surgery and enjoy the results you’ve been waiting for.

With summer here and with the downfall of COVID-19, now is a good time to get back to normal. This means going out more in public and seeing friends and family that you haven’t seen in a long time. Why not improve your health by starting orthodontic treatment? At East Virginia Orthodontics, we are excited to help you this season. Whether you are a child or an adult, summer can be a great time to start braces.

Today, there are preconceived notions about basically everything, including braces and the orthodontist. Many people think the orthodontist is scary, too expensive, and not available for their age. Fortunately, our orthodontists and staff are here to set the record straight. Eastern Virginia Orthodontics wants to debunk 4 myths about braces, Invisalign, and the orthodontist!

Practicing dental hygiene is essential, but do you know when to see a dentist versus when to see an orthodontist? Here are the main differences between a dentist and an orthodontist.

At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, our orthodontists and staff work hard to provide patients with beautiful, straight smiles that fit their orthodontic needs and budgets. At the beginning of orthodontic treatment, it is very common to ask “how do teeth actually move.” This is the age-old question when it comes to orthodontics and our team is here to break it down for you.

To All of our Wonderful Patients and Family Members, Change is a part of life. It can be unsettling, but it also can be exciting as it creates opportunities.

At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we are proud to announce that October is orthodontic health awareness month. Fortunately, it’s no secret that our orthodontists and staff are passionate about health and orthodontic awareness.

Getting your braces off is unequivocally one of the most exciting days for many. After months or years of working towards having your teeth perfectly aligned you’ve arrived at the finish line. Firstly, congratulations from all of us here at Eastern Virginia Orthodontics! This new smile of yours has been earned and is now all yours.

At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, our mission is to help patients throughout Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach achieve beautiful, healthy smiles through comprehensive orthodontic treatment. Our expert orthodontists can use tools like braces or Invisalign to treat almost any orthodontic condition, but the majority of patients we treat have one of a few common bite problems or malocclusions.

The day you get your braces off or finish with your last Invisalign aligner is one of the most exciting days of your entire orthodontic journey. After all the patience and hard work, your new smile is finally yours to keep! But you're not quite finished with your treatment yet: after the active phase of treatment, you'll need to wear a retainer to help your teeth set into place and prevent them from drifting back to their old positions.

When patients come to Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, they often ask us which type of braces are right for them. Our team is committed to helping the people of Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, and the surrounding area get the best quality orthodontic care possible.

Visits to your orthodontist can be a little daunting. You may be nervous to see your doctor during your first visit and want to ask them about your future orthodontic treatment like dental braces or Invisalign. Sometimes, once you arrive at your appointment, you realize that you’ve forgotten what you were going to ask! Don’t be embarrassed—this happens to everyone. If you’re like us and sometimes forget to jot down notes or questions, we’ve come up with a solution for this! Below you’ll find a list of questions and answers that are commonly asked and may be on your mind. Hopefully, this will answer most if not all the questions that are pending on your mind!

At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we’re proud to create beautiful and healthy smiles for patients of all ages in and around Chesapeake. Our expert team of orthodontists provide exceptional treatments from braces to Invisalign. It’s our goal to make the orthodontic experience as comfortable and seamless as possible, which is why we educate our patients on how to best care for their smiles during treatment and beyond.

Halloween is right around the corner! At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we want all of our patients to enjoy the holidays without letting braces stand in the way of having fun. Our patients are well educated on what they can’t eat with braces, but can they still enjoy Halloween and all the sugary sweets that go along with it? Absolutely! Keep reading for our braces friendly list of Halloween candy.

At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Norfolk, we are proud to offer a range of orthodontic treatments and services for children, adolescents, and adults. It is our goal to give every patient a smile that they love and deserve. And in return, we hope to receive a positive review of your orthodontic experience on Google, Facebook, or Yelp. We believe reviews are important, not only for the patient who can voice their experience but also for other patients who can read about previous experiences and feel confident when choosing an orthodontist.

If you're considering improving your smile through orthodontic treatment, we're excited for you. A new smile provides a boost in happiness, confidence, and self-esteem that radiates through every area of life, and orthodontic treatment to achieving one. But you've also got a big decision to make: will you straighten your smile with braces or Invisalign? At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we strive to be a resource for every aspect of the treatment process – so here are a few things to consider when choosing between Invisalign and braces.

At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we're proud to help patients throughout Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Chesapeake, VA achieve beautiful, healthy smiles through quality orthodontic treatment. The aesthetic improvements of straighter teeth are obvious to anyone, but the truth is, achieving a new smile carries a host of benefits that go far beyond appearance. If you're considering straightening your teeth through braces or Invisalign, there's never been a better time to do it – and when you finally finish treatment, you'll get to enjoy a wide range of benefits.

At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, we're proud to help patients throughout Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach achieve gorgeous new smiles through quality orthodontic treatment. Thanks to advances in orthodontic technology, modern orthodontic treatments are more comfortable and convenient than ever. Modern braces are lighter, thinner, and more comfortable than those of the past, and we can now offer alternative treatments that make it easier than ever to achieve a new smile – and one of the best is Invisalign.

I have been practicing dentistry for almost 20 years, over 14 of them here at Eastern Virginia Orthodontics in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Chesapeake. I would like to thank each one of you for the opportunity to be your orthodontist or your child's orthodontist; the relationships we have built personally and professionally are what have made my career as your orthodontist so rewarding. It is therefore with mixed emotions that I make the announcement that as of January 19, 2019, I will be retiring from Eastern Virginia Orthodontics in order to spend more time with my family.

Fall is upon us, and as the trees shed their leaves and the weather starts to cool, we know people everywhere are looking forward to some time spent enjoying some delicious seasonal treats. If you're starting autumn with braces, though, you'll need to exercise caution: plenty of seasonal autumn foods pose a danger of breaking or damaging brackets and braces. At Eastern Virginia Orthodontics, our mission is to make every part of the orthodontic treatment process easier for patients throughout Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and the greater Chesapeake area, so here are a couple fall recipes you can safely enjoy with braces this year!

While it might not be on the front of your mind, Summer is actually a very popular time of year for school-aged children to begin the process of straightening their smile with braces. And with the new school year just around the corner, many children will be attending class with braces for the first time. Fear not! We’ve compiled some helpful back-to-school tips to help make this time of year enjoyable, and trouble-free.

Good oral hygiene is very important for your teeth and for your gums. We at Eastern Virginia Orthodontics encourage you, as parents, to teach your children tips, and get them into a routine of practicing good dental health.

This is a very common question for patients new to orthodontic treatment, and the short answer is, yes, you need to see your regular dentist during orthodontic treatment. Even though Drs. Shivar, Peluso or Andersen are checking your teeth at every appointment, they are focused on the movement of your teeth while your regular dentist will monitor the health of your teeth.

With the holidays here, we know a lot of people will be traveling, both our own patients and patients from other orthodontic offices. While a true orthodontic emergency is few and far between, we wanted to help you prepare for traveling with braces.

Orthodontic Health Is Always Important, But, During October, It Is Especially Important, As It Is National Orthodontic Health Month!

As an orthodontic team that works with many families in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Norfolk, we are often asked by parents why their children need braces. Many parents ask us to explain what the benefits of braces are, to help them understand the importance of spending time and money improving their children’s smiles.

While orthodontics might not be on the top of your list when it comes to summer activities, it’s actually a very popular time for children to start treatment. Without the pressures of lunch with friends or speaking in front of the class, summer gives children time to adjust to treatment.

When a patient tells us that his or her retainer is no longer fitting right, there are just two things that could have occurred. Learn more about what happens when retainers stop fitting correctly and contact us with any questions!

There is an abundance of information available that addresses the subject of how physical appearance affects happiness, self-esteem, and success. In every society, esthetic appearance is important. In different societies, cultures, and/or ethnic backgrounds, esthetic ideals or norms may vary; however, an individual who has esthetic characteristics that are similar to the norms has an advantage over an individual whose appearance does not conform to the norms for that society.

The holidays are right around the corner, and we know many of our patients are looking forward to some time spent relaxing, reconnecting with family, and enjoying some delicious holiday treats. Unfortunately, though, many of the treats we love to indulge in during the holidays can pose a serious danger to braces. Hard, sticky, gooey, crunchy, and sugary foods can all damage teeth, brackets, and wires, and it’s easy to forget to be careful about diet during the holidays. To help you navigate the season without damaging your braces, here are a few foods to steer clear of during the coming months.

Drs. Shivar, Peluso and Anderson and the entire team at Eastern Virginia Orthodontics are dedicated to providing patients with the personalized care they need to achieve the smile of their dreams. Whether you’re looking for an experienced orthodontist for your child, or want to improve your smile with Invisalign, you can trust our offices to deliver results. This October we’re not only celebrating Halloween, but also National Orthodontic Health Month. It’s the perfect time for us to stress the importance of maintaining your hard-earned treatment results, and being careful during this candy-filled time.