Straight Talk with Dr. Alissa Morris of Imagine Orthodontic Studio

Here’s an interesting fact – the American Association of Orthodontists estimates that as many as 65% of adults in the United States have misaligned teeth and could benefit from orthodontic treatment. That’s a lot of people. It’s also a reminder that it’s totally normal to need treatments like braces!

We wanted to get the straight talk about the options available today, as well as the best age to bring our kids in for their first orthodontic consultation. It’s younger than you might think! So, we’re turning to Dr. Alissa Morris, a mom of two and orthodontist with Imagine Orthodontic Studio.

First, since we’re here at your office in Pinellas Park, Imagine Orthodontic Studio isn’t just for kids.

Dr. Morris: Yes. We see kids and adults. We offer both metal braces and clear aligner treatment, and we have a couple of different systems that we use for those different treatment options. We also do appliance therapy, so if an appliance is recommended for a patient, we have a lab that custom-creates those for our patients now. We are a one-stop shop for many different orthodontic treatment modalities.

Is there a cost for a consultation?

Dr. Morris: It’s free. There's no cost, so it never hurts to get checked out. We are very honest here. We’re not aggressive; we're conservative treatment. We are only treating if we see an actual necessary reason.

Braces aren’t just for teenagers. When should we bring our children in for their first consultation with an orthodontist if we suspect, or a dentist suspects, orthodontic care may be needed?

Dr. Morris: The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that a child be seen as early as age 7 to see if they are ready to start treatment, or sometimes even earlier, if a dentist is referring them to us.

It might sound crazy at first to put braces on a 7-year-old. We did it for my son, but it is necessary in some ways to avoid a more painful and expensive experience down the road, right?

Dr. Morris: When we are looking at treating a patient as early as 7, we are looking not only at the alignment of their teeth, but also taking into account their growth and some growth modification, especially in situations where we can help. Expanding their palate, for example, since they are still growing. If that same patient came in when they were 30, we couldn't use that same treatment, and jaw surgery may be the only way to fix something like that.

We also have situations where there's crowding; we have teeth that start to drift in the wrong direction, especially those canine teeth. If we aren't able to make the space for those teeth to come in the appropriate position, later on down the road, patients have to have a more extensive surgery to go after those canines. Whereas if we saw them at age 7, we could make the room, make the space; they might not need this more extensive treatment in the future.

For kids and adults who need braces, the metal braces aren’t the only option anymore, right? Would aligners like Invisalign be a better fit?

Dr. Morris: That's a tricky question. It really depends on the child and their personality. We have found that the younger age group, they are often very compliant and very excited to get started with treatment, and some of them have fantastic results and success because they are willing to do what their parents are asking them to do.

Now, if you ask the same question with some of my teenage patients, it again really depends on the patient’s personality.

I think some of our rule followers are great candidates to be in aligner therapy because you have to be wearing those aligners about 22 hours a day, whereas some of these teenage boys who are eating all the time (and I know they're hungry; their moms tell me they're hungry), if you are always taking those aligners in and out and you're not wearing them the full 22 hours a day, you are not going to get that maximum result that we're expecting. So it really depends on the patient.

When it comes to metal braces, there are a lot of options nowadays!

Dr. Morris: Yes, absolutely. As far as the metal brackets go, we offer multiple different colors. One of the most popular is champagne. They’re a metallic champagne color. They are really beautiful on the teeth, and they look great with the little color O-ties we put on them with the wire. But we also offer galaxy, which is like a rainbow kind of color, and royal blue metallic, and black metallic. And then we have your traditional silver as well. We also have the clear aligners.

The cost is a big concern for some families.

Dr. Morris: We offer monthly payment options. We break down those payments into multiple months. We try to make it affordable for our patients. We also accept many different insurance plans, and we do submit for patients who have Medicaid.

It is a little bit of an extensive approval process, so it doesn't mean just because you have that insurance that you automatically get approved. There is a checklist that we have to go through as the doctor to see if you'll get approved, but we take many insurances, and we also offer great payment plans in-house to make it more affordable.

Orthodontic care isn’t just an aesthetic thing. It can be for dental health reasons, too.

Dr. Morris: Absolutely. It is much easier to clean your teeth. If you have room to clean your teeth, they are in proper alignment. If they are crowded out, twisted, rotated or tucked behind other teeth, you really can't brush those teeth. You can’t even floss them sometimes. If you have too much space between your teeth, it’s easier for food to get packed in between those teeth, which can cause cavities.

It can sometimes be painful when braces need to be adjusted, but you have a solution for that.

Dr. Morris: Yes, we do have the exclusive to Imagine, the Dental Synapse Pen. It is basically an electric pulse pen that is almost like a distractor for your brain, kind of distracting you from the actual pain or soreness that you’re feeling in your teeth, and yes, that is something that our office exclusively offers.

You also have some pretty amazing technology in the offices!

Dr. Morris: We have a 3D X-ray machine, which allows us to look a bit more closely at teeth that might be impacted, and it gives us a better view for diagnosis on the prognosis of the tooth and what we want to do. We also use a 3D scanner so we don't have to take those goofy impressions anymore, which a lot of parents and patients love.

We use the 3D scanner to make our retainers and scan for appliances. We also have a 3D printer in our office too, so it's very easy if a patient loses their retainer. They can bring back their models that we've printed for them, and we can make the retainer off of that, and it's a pretty quick turnaround.

For you as a working mom, how do you find balance?

Dr. Morris: Yes, yes. I have a 6-month-old daughter, Helen, and my son Ryan is almost 3. We just went through the getting-rid-of-the-pacifier experience, which was a difficult one. But I definitely feel that being a mom now, I can put myself into a lot of my patients' and their parents' shoes, and understand the importance of choosing an orthodontic office or anyone treating their kids in any healthcare capacity. So I take that very seriously as a mom.

Okay, so let’s talk about that pacifier – what worked for you?

Dr. Morris: We had the Paci Fairy come, and we basically told my son that he had to get rid of that pacifier and has to go to younger babies who really need it, and she brought a little gift for him. So that was a big transition, but that's another reason why we like to see younger patients. If there are some oral habits still going on like sucking on fingers sucking the thumb, we also offer different treatment options to help.

Finally, what are your favorite things to do as a family in Tampa Bay?

Dr. Morris: We love to go to the St. Pete Pier. There's that splash pad, and there's a wonderful playground there. My son loves it. There's a little ramp for him to slide down, and there are some really big slides; he's kind of a thrill seeker. We also love going to Busch Gardens (Sesame Street Safari of Fun is great) and then just going on our daily neighborhood walks.

What are your Father’s Day Plans?

Dr. Morris: We will let Dad sleep in until 7:30 a.m., surprise him with his favorite breakfast followed by the park as a family, [and] then perhaps let him take an afternoon nap on the couch! For dinner, we’ll get take-out from his favorite Mexican restaurant.

Imagine Orthodontic Studio has 5 locations:

• Lakeland: 3595 S. Florida Ave.
• Tampa/Temple Terrace: 11502 N. 56th St.
• St. Petersburg/Pinellas Park: 7348 US-19
• Clearwater/Largo: 1581 Missouri Ave. N.
• Orlando: 1411 W. Sand Lake Road

Learn more: imagineorthostudio.com

READ MORE:

Imagine Orthodontic Studio: Offering Fast & Fun Smiles!

*Presented by Imagine Orthodontic Studio | Originally published in the June 2025 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.