Ask a Dumb Question Day

It seems that there’s a day for everything – and we do mean everything. Tomorrow is Ask a Dumb Question Day, and while we don’t believe there are any dumb questions when it comes to orthodontics, we’ll go over the answers to some questions you may be too bashful to ask.

1.       Will I be able to talk normally with braces?
Absolutely! At first, they may feel a bit weird and like they’re getting in the way, but in a day or two, your tongue and mouth will adapt and you’ll sound just like you did before!

2.       Can I still play sports after I get braces?
So many think that they will have to stop playing sports with braces to avoid causing cuts or sores, but this is not true. It’s always a good idea to wear a mouth guard though, especially when playing contact sports.

3.       Will I still be able to play my instrument?
We’ve had many clients who are musically gifted and play in their school’s band. While it will take some time to readjust your embouchure, having braces will not prohibit you from playing an instrument. Just be prepared for extra practice time to get used to the new feeling!

4.       Am I too old for braces?
You can never be too old for braces. If you’re worried about the look, Invisalign is a great alternative!

Never be afraid to give us a call if you have any doubts, questions, or concerns. We’re here to help clear any confusion and get you ready to have the smile you’ve always wanted! Remember, there are no dumb questions, but what better day to ask them than tomorrow?

 

Teeth Matter

Many people dream of their teeth falling out. Maybe “dream” isn’t the right word – most people would describe it as a nightmare. Why is that? Teeth are important, but have you ever stopped to think about why they’re so vital and why losing them is a scary thought? We have and we have to say, a world without teeth would be a difficult one to live in!

Teeth obviously help us to eat and even appear more attractive. Without them, eating many of our favorite foods and treats would be impossible! Say good bye to chips, burgers, and chewing gum! The way we communicate would be drastically different as well. Teeth play a huge role in our language. Try saying “that’s terrific” without your tongue or lips touching your teeth. How’d that work out for you? Without teeth, language as we know it would cease to exist.

Those are the obvious benefits of teeth, but we bet you didn’t know some of these lesser known ones. Anthropologists love teeth because they reveal so much about people. Teeth can help determine the age and race of a person, past or present. Further, everyone’s teeth are unique which is why dental records and x-rays are sometimes used when solving a crime using fingerprints isn’t an option.  

If we didn’t have teeth, life would be much different from the one we know. Remember, if we’re fortunate enough to have teeth, we should do our best to take care of them. Brush twice a day, floss, and make routine visits to your dentist! Keep those pearly whites in shape and life will be that much easier.

Types of Cavities

The importance of cleaning and flossing your teeth consistently is key to avoiding cavities. We all can agree that cavities are both uncomfortable and a hassle to get rid of. Although all cavities generally have the same effects on a person, there are different types of cavities. It is important to recognize these differences and to know the root cause of the cavity (no pun intended), as to avoid the cavity from appearing to begin with.

The Oral-B website sheds light on the three different types of cavities below:

• “Root decay. This type of decay is the most common type among older adults who are more likely to have receding gums. It occurs on the surface of the roots of the teeth.
• Pit and fissure decay. This type of decay occurs on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. It can be prevented with proper tooth brushing; however if you’re inconsistent in your oral hygiene, this type of decay can quickly become severe.
• Smooth-surface decay. This type of decay occurs on the outside flat surface of the teeth when bacteria is not removed and plaque builds up. It’s the least serious kind and may be treatable with fluoride. It’s also helpful to know that this type of decay may be positively impacted by regular and proper dental flossing.”

The development of cavities can cause extreme tooth sensitivity if not taken care of quickly. Moreover, if you think you’re developing cavities, be sure to still clean your teeth regardless of sensitivity. Doing this helps to avoid infection. 

National Love Your Teeth Day

People are always on the go. We get up in the mornings, shower, eat breakfast, go to work, go to the gym, and whatever else one may do during their typical weekday. When do we ever sit back and take the time to really appreciate and reflect on how important our teeth are? One does not simply stop whatever they’re doing to check their smiles everyday when we have so many other important things going on around us. That’s why there is one day out of the year that honors smiles around the world: National Love Your Teeth Day! September 20^th is a day to celebrate and promote dental health and awareness for all people worldwide. The theme for this year is “Healthy Mouth, Healthy Family.”

In honor of National Love Your Teeth Day, here are a few fun facts about, well, teeth!

1. On a daily basis, your mouth is a home to about 100,000,000 micro-creatures who are swimming, feeding, reproducing, and depositing waste in your mouth. Makes you want to brush doesn’t it?

2. Most believe shiny, white teeth are beautiful here in our nation, but did you know in medieval Japan white teeth were considered unattractive? Women used roots and inks to stain their teeth black, which they felt was much more attractive. 

3. Dental floss was first produced in 1882. If you floss once a day, you will use about 5 miles of floss in your lifetime.

4. Dentists recommend that you keep your toothbrush at least six feet away from your toilet to avoid many airborne particles that result from flushing. 

5. A long time ago, humans utilized charcoal or ground up chalk, ashes, lemon juice, and honey tobacco mix to clean their teeth. It was only about 100 years ago that the toothpaste was invented. 

6. Did you know that you start developing teeth while you’re still inside your mother’s uterus? Teeth begin developing when a fetus is about 6 weeks old, but only erupt from the gums between the ages of 6 and 12.

7. No two people in the world have the same set of teeth. This is why your teeth can also function as your “fingerprint” because they are unique and only you have them. 

8. Did you know that an average human being spends just about 38.5 days of their lifetime brushing their teeth? 

9. Our teeth are valuable necessities in our lives. Our mouths are gateways into our bodies, so we must remember to maintain our oral health habits in order to have a strong, healthy lifestyle for years to come. 

So remember to show some extra love to your pearly whites this year on National Love Your Teeth Day!

When Your Child Loses a Tooth

You’re sitting with your family at the dinner table enjoying homemade burgers. Everyone is talking, laughing, and enjoying dinner when suddenly, your little one’s eyes widen and he stops chewing. He drops his burger, brings his hands to his mouth, and starts touching a tooth – just one tooth. Congrats, mom and dad! It’s loose!

If this is your child’s first loose tooth, it might cause a little bit of confusion and worry for him or her. Make sure to encourage your child not to try pulling the tooth out prematurely. It will hurt and exposing a root before it’s ready can lead to infection. Instead, teach them to gently wiggle loose teeth to help them along the process a little bit more quickly.

Don’t worry if your kiddo complains about pain. This is most likely caused by back molars starting to come in and is completely natural. However, if teeth start falling out before 4 years old, you should probably pay a visit to your dentist as it may be due to something else, like tooth decay.

At first, your little one is going to look pretty silly with missing teeth – be warned, they may look even sillier when adult teeth actually come in since they will look slightly out of proportion with the rest of their teeth and the size of their face. Don’t worry – he or she will grow into them!

While we don’t like that Santa encourages cookie eating, one legendary figure we can stand behind is the tooth fairy. Losing baby teeth means becoming one step closer to a beautiful, adult smile and the tooth fairy knows the importance of healthy teeth! If you think your kiddos need orthodontic treatment, you don’t have to wait until all of their baby teeth fall out. In fact, sometimes preventative measures can be taken before to make treatment less extreme in the future.

Take lots of photos during this stage of your child’s life. Toothless photos make for great albums!

Benefits of Braces (Besides Straight Teeth)

When we think of braces, we think of the end result-straight pearly whites. However, there are many more benefits to braces than what meets the eye. Below are four benefits of being a brace face. Let’s begin with the first one:

1   Tooth Decay and Gum Disease- Crooked and crowded teeth often overlap one another, which can make it difficult to brush and floss effectively, giving way to bacteria and plaque buildup. This buildup can eventually lead to tooth decay and gum disease. Orthodontic treatment can help remedy both of these issues by properly aligning teeth, which allows for effective cleaning and flossing.

2    Difficulties with Speech- Believe it or not, your teeth play a significant role in speech. When teeth are not aligned and spaced properly, lean too far forward, or too far backward, speech patterns are negatively affected. With braces, teeth are repositioned and make way for clearer speech.

3     Bone Erosion-Bone and gum tissues begin to deteriorate when there are no teeth to support. This is true crooked teeth that allow for spaces and gaps or place too much pressure on the jawbone due to a bad bite. With braces treatment, the bones and tissues are less likely to deteriorate and can continue to support the teeth in their new alignment.

4   Digestion- Your teeth are the first helpers in the digestion process. Before food enters into your body, your teeth break down the food into sizes that are easily digestible.  If teeth are severely crooked, this digestion process can be disrupted, as food is not broken down properly before entering into the stomach. With braces, your teeth will be able to properly breakdown food into the necessary sizes for eating and chewing. 

Wisdom Teeth

Who doesn’t remember that fantastic comeback in The Little Rascals when Alfalfa claims he’s just had his wisdom teeth removed and Spanky replies with, “Well that explains why you’re acting so stupid!” It makes for great cinematic enjoyment, but wisdom teeth actually have no impact on how smart you are. What they can impact is your oral health by causing damage to other teeth, the jawbone, or nerves. It’s also possible that wisdom teeth only partially break through the gum which makes it easier for bacteria to enter and cause infection – yikes! So what if your dentist tells you it’s time to yank them out? Don’t panic! Inform yourself about why it’s important and what kind of procedure to expect.

So you’re having your wisdom teeth removed. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid the pain. You can choose anesthesia or laughing gas – typically, it’s up to the patient. What’s the difference? The biggest difference is that if you choose laughing gas, you will be awake and able to hear and see everything. The anxiety will go away and you won’t feel pain, but if you think watching will make you uncomfortable, go for anesthesia.

After the procedure, you will experience some pain and discomfort as well as swelling. Don’t expect swelling to go down immediately – in fact, it will probably get worse before it gets better. Have fun taking chipmunk selfies! It’s important that you stick to a liquid diet for the first 24 hours – think yummy smoothies and milkshakes! Don’t drink from a straw though, as this may cause blood clots to loosen. In the few days after, munch on soft foods like mashed potatoes and pasta. Stay away from steak or anything else that requires a lot of chewing.

Remember that having wisdom teeth removed now will help you prevent more painful complications in the future. There’s no need to worry about the procedure since you’ll be in the hands of professionals who remove thousands of wisdom teeth a year – literally. If you’re considering orthodontic treatment, removing wisdom teeth may also be necessary. Ask your dentist about the development of your wisdom teeth and whether or not it’s time to get them removed. 

Bite Impressions

Your smile is often the first thing people notice about you. First impressions say a lot about who you are and how you take care of yourself. Having straight teeth can improve your overall health and self-esteem, and people will really start to take notice.

Having straight teeth makes it much easier to correctly clean your mouth. Those with crooked or overlapping teeth are capable of missing food particles in between each tooth and around the gums, while having straight teeth makes it easier to brush and floss. Aside from making it simpler to clean, it also makes it easier to eat! Crooked or crowded teeth can compromise chewing and may even result in digestive problems at times.

Do you ever slur your words or bite your tongue when you speak? These may also be side-effects of having a crooked smile. Straightening your teeth can improve your speech and boost your self-confidence to make your everyday life easier and more enjoyable. Straight teeth will also help you avoid having an accident-prone smile. Sometimes protective mouth guards can solve the problem, but often times crooked teeth prevent mouth guards from fitting correctly. Protruding teeth are more likely to break during any kind of collision or hit to the mouth. Not only may your teeth be susceptible to damage, but there is also a chance of injuring your gums, tongue, and inner cheeks.

This may come as a surprise to you, but having straight teeth can also lead to fewer headaches! Crowded teeth may cause them to wear unevenly. This disproportion and wearing puts pressure on the jaw and muscles that surround it, which leads to soreness and headaches. 

The most important positive outcomes from having straight teeth are better overall health and increased self-esteem. Improving your oral hygiene will help keep your teeth free of tooth decay and gum disease, which can both lead to other problems throughout the body such as heart disease and high blood pressure. Having a clean, straight smile can boost your confidence in whatever setting you may be found. Whether you are at school, work, or any other social environment, having a confident smile will not only make your day more enjoyable, but can also be contagious to others around you and make them want to smile as well.