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Here’s how to have a conversation with your children about this (potentially dangerous) trend. As the parent, there’s a high chance you’ve heard the term “vaping,” or even come across a vape device itself. But don’t let the fruity odors, smoke blowing TikTok videos, and fact that it’s seemingly very accessible and prevalent fool you. The trendy accessory has the potential to do some serious damage to the lungs of children and young adults, according to recent reports.

It might seem like the best thing we can do is stay inside. In some cases, that’s true. But, as the worldwide struggle against COVID-19 continues, we must all adjust. In some ways, it’s more important to maintain regular medical checkups than ever before.

Big Picture thoughts: Flattening the curve didn’t mean stopping the infection, but spread it out so that the medical system could handle it. I am seeing anxiety about resuming business, and anger about continued regulations. People are feeling the need to choose one side or the other, then fight the opposition.

Perspective: My grandparents were born in the 1890’s and I was blessed to have them live only 2 blocks away and they were a constant part of my child hood. I have been thinking about their experiences lately. World War I started when they were teenagers and my grandfather fought in WWI in France in 1917 until the end of the war that killed 22 million people. I have recently read the love letters my grandmother wrote while he was in France. No complaints in any of the 100+ letters only hope for the future. They were married after the war only to live through the Spanish flu in 1918. Not a word was ever spoken of this pandemic tragedy that killed 50 million people. They experienced the Great Depression from 1929-1934 with 25% unemployment. This was followed by World War II in 1939-1945 which killed 75 million people.

What are you supposed to do with kids at home during this COVID-19 epidemic? It’s new territory for a lot of parents these days and we wanted to do something that might help out if you are thinking of ways to keep your kids occupied. Remember one of my favorite sayings is “It is not a problem if you plan for it”.

This past December 2019, we replaced our traditional 2-D Xray machine that had served us well for many years with a Cone Beam 3-D imaging system. I knew that the images would be valuable for our most challenging treatment involving impacted teeth and severe jaw discrepancies, but I did not appreciate that it would benefit all of our patients with a more accurate diagnosis that makes me more confident in the treatment plan that is created for each patient.

MOST PEOPLE OUTSIDE of teeth-related professions probably only think about their teeth when something’s wrong, like when there’s something stuck between them in the middle of a date, they’re sore from a toothache, or they’re stained after drinking coffee or juice. That’s why we thought our patients would appreciate an opportunity to think about teeth in a more fun and interesting context. So, get ready, because it’s time for some dental trivia!

A smile is priceless so the idea of getting the perfect smile through the mail, sounds good, almost too good to be true. Not everyone can afford the thousands of dollars it costs for braces or well-known products like Invisalign which is why Smile Direct Club hit the market. Smile Direct Club and other companies allows you to bypass the orthodontist along with the bills.

Several years ago, a popular talk show informed the public that dental X-rays could be a contributing factor in thyroid cancer. This was shared via emails and social media and incited fear in many people. People began declining dental X-rays and made dental professionals’ jobs quite difficult. Since that time, I still encounter patients that decline X-rays due to fear of excessive radiation exposure. Please read on to see why this is not a rational fear…

I love sports and want to help make sure my patients and their teammates are properly protected from sports-related injuries to teeth, mouth and face. We provide “boil and bite” mouth guards to our patients at no charge and also make custom mouth guards for a fee. We strongly suggest a custom mouth guard since the level of protection and comfort is much greater. Simple and relatively inexpensive protective sports gear – such as mouth guards – can make a big difference in reducing or preventing oral injuries.

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?

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!

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?

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?

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”

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?

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.

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.

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.

Common Myths and Facts about Orthodontists and Braces.

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

Learn about how to take care of your retainers

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

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

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

Learn about how to whiten your teeth

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.

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).

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.