Dental Checkups and Orthodontics Go Hand In Hand

Dental Checkups and Orthodontics Go Hand In Hand

One of the many questions asked of the orthodontist is “If I have braces do I still need to go to the dentist every 6 months for my dental checkup?” The answer to this question is yes. Dental checkups and Orthodontics go hand in hand! While your orthodontist will monitor your braces and teeth in regards to movement and fixing the bite, it is through regular dental exams that tooth decay and other oral health concerns can be spotted. With braces being food traps that can cause cavities, proper oral hygiene and regular scheduled dental checkups are imperative to maintain a healthy mouth. There are some instances where patients may experience a more difficult time cleaning around their appliances that may require them to go in every 3-4 months for a dental checkup. The common goal for both the orthodontist and the general dentist is to work together to ensure the patient maintains a healthy functioning bite that will last lifetime.

Adult Orthodontics Now is the Perfect Time!!

Adults and orthodontic treatment, why do so many think NOW is the perfect time to begin? Many orthodontist’s will agree that an increasing number of patients they see on a daily basis are adults.  One of the main reasons adults seek orthodontic care is dissatisfaction with their dental and/or facial appearance.  Another common reason is the need for isolated dental movements so other procedures can be executed within an interdisciplinary treatment plan.  This accompanying the fact that cosmetic procedures are becoming increasingly popular in all areas of aesthetics. 

Most adults remember the horror stories of braces from when they were growing up. We often joke at Aleman, Sternstein & McDaniel that parents will send the kids in to “test the waters” before starting treatment themselves. With advancements in orthodontics, the wires and brackets are more discreet and comfortable. Many wearing braces have stated that it is not as they had feared and for the most part has not impacted their daily lives.

With that being said, there are a few areas where it is better to have youth on your side. For example, like most of us teeth can be set in their ways. Teeth are held in place by elastic fibers. When the tooth is moved to the proper position the fibers move with the tooth but are still stretched. This stretching causes the tooth to want to move back to the original location. This is why retention is so important (we will cover this topic in another blog).  The longer the tooth is not in the proper location the more “memory” the elastic fibers will have and the more prone to relapse. 

If you have ever wanted to have a great smile, or to “change your appearance” without plastic surgery, join the fastest growing segment in orthodontic patients nationally. Your smile is one of the first things that people see and will last you a lifetime if taken care of properly!

Family, Turkey, Football & Braces!!

When you look at this title you may think wow where is this blog going. Like most of my fellow football fanatics Thanksgiving is like hitting the jackpot. Not only do you get to have a great meal with your family, but it’s a football feast too, with all the games being broadcast.   Many of you may not know this but I am an avid football fan and actually play football (well fantasy football does count right?).  As we embark on this joyous time of year, I am taking a minute to reflect on some of the things I am thankful for.  One of those is the career path of orthodontics.  It has afforded me the opportunity to create beautiful smiles, and change people’s lives.  Working together with dentists in the community and building relationships with them, their patients and families is one that makes it enjoyable to go to work every day. Basically the title explains it all. I am thankful for Family, Turkey, Football and our great patients at Aleman, Sternstien & McDaniel Orthodontics.

The Mystery Behind What Moves Teeth!!!

How many of you have sat around on a Friday or Saturday night and wondered the great mystery of what moves teeth?  Well never fear, Tuthmvr Orthodontics is here to shed some light on the Mystery.  If you have ever been a patient or worked in the office you may have heard Dr. Sternstein ask the staff (especially the newly hired staff) “what moves teeth?”. The answer of course is… Light Continuous Force.  Ok, so now you are thinking what does that mean?  Teeth are attached to the bone with ligaments that are kind of like little rubber bands, which allow your teeth some movement when you eat and chew.  These ligaments have a little space between the tooth and the bone(periodontal ligament space). When you apply the right amount of pressure (force) to one side of the tooth it stretches the ligaments on one side and squishes them on the other side. This causes the bone to move on one side of the tooth, while adding it to the other side (basically allowing the tooth to move through the bone).

We use braces to allow us to deliver these forces to the teeth.  With the braces we use many different techniques to achieve light, continuous force. Often we will ask patients to wear rubber bands. When patients are asked to wear elastics, the braces are set up to deliver light continuous force to the teeth with the added help of the rubber bands.   If patients are not compliant, the affect can be the opposite and treatment time could be extended.   Believe it or not some patients do not wear their rubber bands and try to “cram” (double up) their wear a day or two before their appointment to make up for missed time.  However, this isn’t the best solution because you have to be careful if you apply too much pressure (force) the movement will stop.

So now you know the orthodontist secret to moving teeth….. sshh don’t tell anyone!!

Back to School Back to Braces!!

So summer is over, and it is time to get back to reality. For many that usually means having to get back into some form of a routine.  It usually involves creating specific times for extracurricular activities, homework and personal grooming.  Sometimes it may feel like you are meeting yourself coming and going.  To think that you have to add the orthodontic maintenance and visits on top of everything else that you juggle can be a little overwhelming.  But what most don’t realize is that the brackets and wires used at Aleman, Sternstein & McDaniel Orthodontics are the most advanced systems Patients that are in orthodontic treatment will visit the office about once every 6 weeks.  Appointment times generally will be less than an hour in length.  Typically a student will miss about a class a quarter for an orthodontic appointment.

Another thing that patients think may be more difficult to manage while time is at a premium is the “dry brushing” Dr. Aleman asks his patients to do this every day for a ½ hour.   There are a couple solutions to doing this.  The first solution is to do it while you are on your way to and from activities. You can get a good 10-15 minutes while you are riding to your destination. There is no toothpaste needed so there is no need to rinse.  Also, you can do dry brushing while you study for that history test or read that English novel.

One other thing that I often hear students concerned about is brushing their teeth while at school.  Since this is something that really should be done, for a couple of reasons 1) your buddies are not going to want to see what you had for lunch, and 2) left over pizza in the brackets isn’t very attractive.  An easy fix for this is to grab your traveling kit (the one you received the day you began your treatment with Aleman, Sternstein & McDaniel Orthodontics). Next, run the toothbrush under the water and then if you don’t want anyone to see you brush, pop into the stall real quick and get the junk off your teeth.  When you get home that evening you can do a thorough cleaning with toothpaste and floss. 

Bond Another Day!

Did you know that Orthodontists have been successfully bonding braces to teeth for over 45 years!! Before 1970 braces actually wrapped around every tooth, I bet some of you or your parents probably remember having braces like that.  Some probably even remember the “TAPPER”. We have parents that come into the office and say how they hated the “TAPPER”, and when I tell them that we don’t use that anymore they look at their child and say you are lucky.  Braces and the field of orthodontics have made great advancements since then. Direct bonding to teeth became a reality.  And today here at Aleman, Sternstein and McDaniel Orthodontics we have been bonding brackets to teeth for over 35 years. During those 35 years we have worked to perfect the bonding experience and set up a protocol for each bonding appointment.  We have found that the bonding success or failure starts with the tooth surface. The proper conditioning of the tooth’s surface is a variable that must be controlled when bonding a bracket with adhesive. A surface that is not conditioned properly or one that becomes contaminated will not produce satisfactory bond strength regardless of the materials used. We have also found that sometimes the bonding appointment can be a little intimidating to patients for the “fear of the unknown”.   In order to calm some of these fears and alleviate some unanswered questions the following is a list of the steps involved in a bonding procedure:

·         Preparation

o   Teeth must be free of all plaque, calculus & food debris.

·         Isolation

o   Use of lip retractors & cotton rolls to keep the lips and tongue from contaminating the etched surfaces.

·         Etch

o   An etching agent is brushed or dabbed for 15 seconds onto the enamel surface of each tooth to be bracketed.

o   The etch will be then rinsed away.

o   The etched surface will have a chalky appearance.

·         Sealant

o   A thin layer of Pro Seal should be uniformly applied over the etched surface.

·         Bonding

o   A small amount of adhesive will be applied to the back of the bracket and the bracket will be placed on the tooth surface.  The doctor will position it properly and shine an LED light for 20 seconds per tooth to cure the bracket to the tooth surface.

o   Once all brackets are in place wires will be placed to begin the movement of the teeth. 

THE GOLDEN RULE!!!

 Recently at our staff meeting our facilitator asked the staff to do an exercise on the top 10 Signs McDaniel, Sternstein & Aleman Orthodontics is Top Notch!!!  The overwhelming results for the #1 reason basically can be summed up by the golden rule we all learned in kindergarten.  We Treat others they way we want to be treated. That along with the remaining 9 reasons help us to create an overall patient experience that we hope makes our patients agree that their orthodontist is top notch! 

If you are wondering what we consider it takes to make McDaniel, Sternstein & Aleman Orthodontics Top 

Notch here are the top 10 Reasons:

10.          Expectations Plus – Not only meeting but exceeding patients expectations with treatment      results.  Flexibility & understanding of payment plans, flex accounts and payment options.

9.            Cleanliness – High Tech sterilization process. An organized, clean & updated modern            office.

8.           Hygiene Control – Continuous monitoring of patient oral hygiene. We keep the teeth in as      good, if not better condition after orthodontic treatment than when they first began.

7.            Lab – In house lab which offers quick service, very close communication between Dr. and    lab for customized appliances and models.

6.            Positive, Professional Atmosphere – highly trained staff that works together as a team to        create an upbeat fun, caring place you enjoy coming to, and from time to time can win          some cool prizes.

  

5.            Technology, Experience– 50+ years of combined experience along with the latest in              technological advancements such as laser capabilities, digital x-rays and self ligating                brackets.

4.            Communication – open lines of communications not only between Dr, staff and patients but    also we are a liaison between patients and other offices with coordination of appointments    and treatment follow up.

3.            Healthy Functioning Bite - Not only straight teeth, but a correct bite with centric stops and    cuspid protection.

2.            Stability – A perfect smile for life, retention follow up, stable                                                  results.

                                      

1.            GOLDEN RULE – Treat others the way you want to be treated, strive to work with          patients along the entire treatment to ensure the best patient experience.