Hambleton Orthodontics

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Hambleton Orthodontics 3 generations. 1 address. Since 1955. Drs. Robert, Lindsey & Charles Hambleton
Braces + Invisalign for kids, teens & adults
📍200 S.

Oak Knoll Ave, Pasadena
📞 (626) 795-0634 ↓ We are dedicated to provide the highest standard of orthodontic treatment. We are committed to care for our patients in a kind, professional and respectful atmosphere, and to form lasting relationships with our patients and their families.

What happens years after the lower arch is expanded?University of Washington researchers spent four decades collecting r...
10/20/2026

What happens years after the lower arch is expanded?

University of Washington researchers spent four decades collecting records from patients 10 or more years out of treatment. In their study of children whose lower arch was enlarged, all 26 lost at least part of the gain, and 89% ended up with alignment judged clinically unsatisfactory. A separate meta-analysis of 26 studies found lower canine width goes back to about where it started.

The fair nuance: not every study shows relapse, back teeth hold better than front teeth, and lower teeth tend to crowd with age in most people. That’s why we plan around the lower arch a child already has, and why retainers matter for everyone.

Part 3 of 8.

Sources:
• Little RM. Stability and relapse of mandibular anterior alignment: University of Washington studies. Semin Orthod. 1999;5(3):191-204.
• Little RM, Riedel RA, Stein A. Mandibular arch length increase during the mixed dentition: postretention evaluation of stability and relapse. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 1990;97(5):393-404.
• Burke SP, Silveira AM, Goldsmith LJ, Yancey JM, Van Stewart A, Scarfe WC. A meta-analysis of mandibular intercanine width in treatment and postretention. Angle Orthod. 1998;68(1):53-60.
• Solomon MJ, English JD, Magness WB, McKee CJ. Long-term stability of lip bumper therapy followed by fixed appliances. Angle Orthod. 2006;76(1):36-42.
• Housley JA, Nanda RS, Currier GF, McCune DE. Stability of transverse expansion in the mandibular arch. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2003;124(3):288-293.
• Little RM. Stability and relapse of dental arch alignment. Br J Orthod. 1990;17(3):235-241.

General information, not personal medical advice.

Hambleton Orthodontics · Pasadena since 1955
Free consults: 626-795-0634 or the link in our bio.

3 Generations, 1 Address. Pasadena Weekly stopped by the office to tell our story — how Hambleton Orthodontics has been ...
10/20/2026

3 Generations, 1 Address.

Pasadena Weekly stopped by the office to tell our story — how Hambleton Orthodontics has been straightening Pasadena’s smiles from the same spot on Oak Knoll since 1955.

Dr. Richard Hambleton opened the doors. His son, Dr. Robert Hambleton, has treated this community for decades and still does. Today, Dr. Lindsey MacFarlane and Dr. Charles Hambleton carry it forward — same address, same standard: finishing cases to ABO quality.

Thank you to Pasadena Weekly for the feature, and to the Pasadena families who have trusted us for 70+ years. Full article at the link in our bio.

Orthodontics FamilyPractice BracesPasadena Invisalign

The what-can-you-eat-with-braces list, straight from the AAO playbook — green lights, bracket-breakers, and the part nob...
10/19/2026

The what-can-you-eat-with-braces list, straight from the AAO playbook — green lights, bracket-breakers, and the part nobody tells you about sugar. Save it, and send it to whoever's hosting the next sleepover. Broken bracket emergencies: 626-795-0634.

Dentist, orthodontist, board-certified orthodontist: three different things.Every orthodontist starts as a dentist. An o...
10/18/2026

Dentist, orthodontist, board-certified orthodontist: three different things.

Every orthodontist starts as a dentist. An orthodontist then completes a full-time residency of two to three years in an accredited orthodontic program. A board-certified orthodontist goes one step further, passing the American Board of Orthodontics' written and clinical exams and renewing every ten years. Certification is voluntary.

You can check any orthodontist's certification with the ABO's public locator at americanboardortho.com.

At Hambleton Orthodontics, two of our three orthodontists are ABO board certified, and the third is completing certification.

Sources: americanboardortho.com · aaoinfo.org

Why can’t you expand the lower jaw? Anatomy.The upper jaw has a seam down the middle of the palate that stays open throu...
10/17/2026

Why can’t you expand the lower jaw? Anatomy.

The upper jaw has a seam down the middle of the palate that stays open through childhood, so an expander can widen the bone. The lower jaw’s two halves fuse at the chin in the first year of life. After that it’s one bone with no seam to open.

In a randomized 3D-imaging study, a lower expander tipped the teeth outward about 9 degrees. The jawbone’s width didn’t change.

Part 2 of 8. Next: what long-term studies found years after lower expansion.

Sources:
• Angelieri F, Cevidanes LHS, Franchi L, Gonçalves JR, Benavides E, McNamara JA Jr. Midpalatal suture maturation: classification method for individual assessment before rapid maxillary expansion. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2013;144(5):759-769.
• Lione R, Franchi L, C***a P. Does rapid maxillary expansion induce adverse effects in growing subjects? Angle Orthod. 2013;83(1):172-182.
• Breeland G, Aktar A, Patel BC. Anatomy, Head and Neck, Mandible. StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; updated 2023.
• Becker MJ. Mandibular symphysis (medial suture) closure in modern Homo sapiens: preliminary evidence from archaeological populations. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1986;69(4):499-501.
• Tai K, Park JH, Mishima K, Shin JW. 3-Dimensional cone-beam computed tomography analysis of transverse changes with Schwarz appliances on both jaws. Angle Orthod. 2011;81(4):670-677.
• Guerrero CA, Bell WH, Contasti GI, Rodriguez AM. Mandibular widening by intraoral distraction osteogenesis. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1997;35(6):383-392.

General information, not personal medical advice.

Hambleton Orthodontics · Pasadena since 1955
Free consults: 626-795-0634 or the link in our bio.

Two of these are true. One is a myth we hear every single week. Vote in the comments — wrong answers encouraged. (Answer...
10/16/2026

Two of these are true. One is a myth we hear every single week. Vote in the comments — wrong answers encouraged. (Answer's on the last slide, no peeking.)

What do the rubber bands actually do? Braces line up the teeth. Elastics fix how the top and bottom fit together.Class I...
10/15/2026

What do the rubber bands actually do? Braces line up the teeth. Elastics fix how the top and bottom fit together.

Class II elastics pull the upper teeth back and the lower teeth forward. Class III do the reverse. Vertical elastics help the teeth settle together. A systematic review of 11 studies found Class II elastics work, mainly by moving teeth, not jaws.

Save this one for the day you get yours.

Part 1 of 2. Next: why they need changing.

Sources:
• Farret MM. Orthodontic biomechanics with intermaxillary elastics. Dental Press J Orthod. 2023;28(3):e23spe3.
• Janson G, Sathler R, Fernandes TMF, Branco NCC, de Freitas MR. Correction of Class II malocclusion with Class II elastics: a systematic review. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2013;143(3):383-392.

General information, not personal medical advice.

Hambleton Orthodontics · Pasadena since 1955
Free consults: 626-795-0634 or the link in our bio.

What is a palate expander actually for? A narrow upper jaw. That’s the job it has the strongest evidence for: a Cochrane...
10/14/2026

What is a palate expander actually for? A narrow upper jaw. That’s the job it has the strongest evidence for: a Cochrane review of 31 randomized trials found expanders reliably correct crossbites in growing kids.

Does it make room for crowded teeth? Some. Long-term studies show a real but modest gain when the jaw is narrow to begin with. It isn’t a routine fix for crowding when jaw width is normal.

This is the first of eight posts on what expanders can and can’t do, each with its sources.

Sources:
• Ugolini A, Agostino P, Silvestrini-Biavati A, Harrison JE, Batista KBSL. Orthodontic treatment for posterior crossbites. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021;12(12):CD000979.
• McNamara JA Jr, Baccetti T, Franchi L, Herberger TA. Rapid maxillary expansion followed by fixed appliances: a long-term evaluation of changes in arch dimensions. Angle Orthod. 2003;73(4):344-353.
• Adkins MD, Nanda RS, Currier GF. Arch perimeter changes on rapid palatal expansion. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 1990;97(3):194-199.

General information, not personal medical advice.

Hambleton Orthodontics · Pasadena since 1955
Free consults: 626-795-0634 or the link in our bio.

You notice six teeth. The American Board of Orthodontics grades twenty-eight.At Hambleton Orthodontics, an ABO-quality f...
10/13/2026

You notice six teeth. The American Board of Orthodontics grades twenty-eight.

At Hambleton Orthodontics, an ABO-quality finish is the standard we strive for in every case we treat.

A board-quality finish is scored on every tooth except the wisdom teeth: whether the back teeth meet, whether they stand upright, whether the ridges between them are level, and whether the roots are parallel on a final X-ray.

A straight smile from the front is where treatment starts to look finished. It isn't where we call it finished.

Source: American Board of Orthodontics, Cast-Radiograph Evaluation (third molars aren't scored unless they stand in for second molars).

Hambleton Orthodontics · Pasadena since 1955

Nobody loves asking the cost question, so we answered it before you have to. Short version: it's a range for good reason...
10/12/2026

Nobody loves asking the cost question, so we answered it before you have to. Short version: it's a range for good reasons, insurance usually helps, monthly plans do the heavy lifting — and you'll see the exact number in writing before deciding anything. Free consults: 626-795-0634 or link in bio.

Address

200 S Oak Knoll Avenue # 201
Pasadena, CA
91101

Opening Hours

Tuesday 7:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 7:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 7:30am - 4:30pm

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