Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Keeping Your Teeth Clean While Wearing Braces


If you are considering traditional metal braces over Invisalign, keep in mind the upkeep required to clean your teeth. I always warn patients that they should always brush. If you don't brush, you may end up with stains on your teeth once the braces are removed. I suggest brushing 2-3 times per day.

Beyond brushing, it's also important to floss. This may be considered hard when you have braces, so it's a great thing that Paradise Dental Technologies came out with the Platypus Ortho Flosser.

Early reviews are stating that this patent pending product is well liked by patients with braces. If this is something you're interested in obtaining, you can contact your orthodontist for more information.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Keeping Your Invisalign Aligners Up to Shape

Many people know that Invisalign is a great solution to braces if you don't want to experience the look and feel of traditional metal braces. What few people know, though, is that just like traditional braces, Invisalign requires proper care to work effectively. Good oral hygiene is highly important, even when you are wearing something in your mouth that you can take out to eat with. It's still likely that your aligners can build up plaque if not treated properly. When wearing your Invialign aligners, ask yourself the following questions:

1.) Am I eating with my aligners on? - These aligners are removable and should be taken out when you eat.
2.) Am I drinking anything other than water with my aligners on? - Though it's not a necessity for you to take out your aligners while you drink, think about how sticky a soda is. If you take out your aligners when drinking a soda, you have a better chance of keeping your aligners clean.
3.) Am I brushing before putting the trays on? - The aligners have both an inside and outside. Keeping the outside clean is easy. Keeping the inside clean is also easy: just make sure you've brushed your teeth before putting the trays on.

These are all very simple steps, and ultimately, they help to keep you building good oral habits.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Braces aren't just for teenagers


The other day, while channel surfing, this image of a smiling 80 year old woman caught my eye. The title of the story being aired: 80-year-old Women Finally Has Straight Teeth. As an orthodontist in Charlotte North Carolina, I have come across patients of all ages, but this story touched a special note in my heart. It's never too late to get that perfect smile!

"Oh wow," she exclaimed while looking in the mirror. "Now my son won't have to say, 'You don't ever smile, mom,' because I'll always be smiling!"

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Braces Today vs. Yesterday

I came across a great article the other day: It’s not wins, but braces helping athletes smile. This was pretty interesting, well written, and filled with some inspiring true life experiences. The author recounts his childhood with braces, explaining the pain and longevity he endured just to get that perfect straight smile. Now, years later, he coaches a basketball team where every member has braces. The comparison of his experience to theirs is something worth noting:

What past and present braces-wearing youngsters are told is they can continue to eat anything they like minus popcorn, hard candy; anything gooey and definitely off-limits is the chewing of ice. OK, that essentially wipes out movie-going during the years one wears braces. As for pizzas, orthodontists certainly can’t expect preteens to stay away from a hot cheese pizza, smothered in whatever. If mine did, I disobeyed his order.


While he viewed his time as nothing short of horrible, his students love their braces and can't help but show them off! This is testament to all of the recent innovations in orthodontics and another reason to smile!!