Dr. Mark W. McDonough

03/11/2019

People who see me for a consultation have a lot of questions. The question at the top of the list is often which type of appliance to use to correct their orthodontic problem – braces vs clear aligners? How do they decide?

clear

4 smart Apps to keep you smiling

01/11/2019

OUR SMARTPHONES are never farther than an arm’s length away and help us do everything from track our calendars to track our calories. Today, we want to show you the wonders they can do for our daily hygiene routines with the help of these apps!

clear

Swimmer’s Ear? More Like Swimmer’s Tooth!

12/21/2018

Since we have so many patients who participate in competitive swimming, I wanted to review what to look for in your competitive swimmers. HAVE YOUR TEETH ever felt extra sensitive after a swim at the pool? That’s no coincidence, although it can take quite a lot of swimming before the effects become noticeable. What is it about the water in swimming pools that damages teeth?

clear

Wisdom Teeth Removal

11/16/2018

WISDOM TEETH REMOVAL is a major rite of passage for many in their late teens and early twenties. They post images of their swollen cheeks on social media, share videos of themselves acting loopy from the anesthetics on YouTube, and enjoy an excuse to drink as many smoothies as possible. But why do we have these teeth in the first place if most of us just get them removed?

clear

Supernumerary Teeth

10/12/2018

MOST PEOPLE WILL develop a total of twenty baby teeth that are gradually replaced by a total of thirty-two adult teeth. In about 3-5% of people, those teeth don’t all appear and the patient is missing adult teeth, a condition called hypodontia. In even rarer cases, all the normal teeth will be present, plus at least one extra! These extra teeth are supernumerary teeth, and the condition is called hyperdontia. When the tooth develops between the upper front teeth (pictured above) this is called a “Mesodens”

clear

Friends Don’t Let Friends Do Their Own Orthodontic Treatment

09/18/2018

Some online orthodontic companies (like Smile Direct Club, Candid, Smile love, Snap Correct) make their treatment sound so easy. Perhaps you take a selfie and/or an impression of your teeth or get your teeth scanned. Next, you receive aligners in the mail and after so many months - straight teeth! Right? What else is there to think about?

clear

Protecting Your Smile From White Spots

07/17/2018

White spots appear on our teeth for a variety of reasons. Although not all of them are harmful to our oral health, they still prevent our smile from truly shining through.

clear

The Effects of Thumb Sucking and Pacifiers

06/12/2018

BEING A PARENT, though wonderfully rewarding, can also be stressful and full of uncertainties, especially when it’s your first child and everything is new and overwhelming. Our practice might not be able to take away all of the uncertainties, but we can certainly help you out when it comes to pacifiers and thumb sucking and their effects on your child’s dental health.

clear

5 Tips for Success with Braces

05/08/2018

Braces are one of the most popular ways to get the smile you’ve always wanted. But you need to take care of them. If you’re not taking care of your teeth while receiving orthodontic treatment, you’ll be disappointed in your results.

clear

Myths or Facts

03/05/2018

Common Myths and Facts about Orthodontists and Braces.

clear

Scanning the future

09/22/2017

We have a scanner that can show you the final result of your Invisalign treatment before you start treatment

clear

Retainers - What you need to know

07/14/2017

Learn about how to take care of your retainers

clear

Do you grind your teeth?

06/16/2017

If you grind your teeth or have sore jaw joints you may need a night guard

clear

Benefits of straight teeth

04/28/2017

Want to appear more intelligent...an attractive smile is your best investment

clear

The battle in your mouth

03/10/2017

Learn about the epic battle that is raging in your mouth right now!!

clear

Tooth Whitening Info

02/04/2017

Learn about how to whiten your teeth

clear

Smiles

01/02/2017

If you’re so self-conscious about your teeth that you stifle your smile, you are needlessly depriving yourself of many of life’s benefits.

clear

Funny Tasting Food

12/05/2016

It’s a common misconception that mint-flavored toothpaste causes the unpleasant taste when eating that first meal after brushing. In reality, it’s a chemical found in most toothpastes called sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) or other variants like sodium laureth sulfate (SLES).

clear

Impacted Canines

10/01/2016

While mandibular (lower-jaw) third molars are the teeth most likely to be impacted, maxillary (upper-jaw) canine teeth are also prone to impaction.

clear

Dating And Smiles

08/01/2016

What do you think singles initially look for when they are sizing up a potential dating partner? When a popular online dating website posed this question to nearly 5,500 unattached adults aged 21 years and older, both male and female respondents ranked “teeth” as most important

clear

Open bite

07/04/2016

The malocclusion (“bad bite”) known as an “anterior open bite” is characterized by top and bottom front teeth that do not touch while the back teeth are clenched. This problem, which may arise from abnormal skeletal growth or habits such as tongue thrusting, thumb sucking, or extended pacifier use, can result in difficulty biting, chewing, and swallowing.

clear

Midlines

05/02/2016

If you were to draw a vertical line straight down the middle of your face, you would expect the border between your top front teeth to line up directly beneath the middle of your lips and the center of your nose. While most of us might be expected to have some misalignment in this dental “midline,” it is often so slight that it is barely noticeable.

clear

Finger Sucking

04/04/2016

While young children find finger- and thumb-sucking to be comforting, these habits are usually abandoned between two and four years of age. Beyond that, thumb-sucking can improperly influence the position of erupting “adult” teeth and jaws.

clear

Early Treatment

03/07/2016

While parents can often spot at a very early age a number of conditions affecting their children, subtle problems with emerging teeth and jaw growth often escape their notice. For this reason, the American Association of Orthodontics recommends that all children have their teeth checked by an orthodontist around age 7.

clear

Crowding

02/01/2016

Tooth crowding can result from large teeth (inherited from one parent) packed in small jaws (inherited from the other parent), irregularly shaped tooth arches (the crescent arrangement of teeth in either jaw), or displaced tooth roots.

clear

Welcome to our blog!

01/04/2016

Thank you for taking the time to visit our website and read our blog! We like to keep our patients up-to-date with what’s happening in the office, so check often for the latest posts.

clear

Blog