If you’ve ever vaped before, you’ve likely done so primarily because you’ve been told that this practice is much better for your health than smoking. While there are some benefits that come with vaping when compared to smoking, there are a variety of issues that can stem from using e-cigarettes. Although e-cigarettes lack the tar found in standard cigarettes that leads to the decay of teeth, your teeth can still be adversely affected by them.
UPDATED 31-12-18
How to Deal with Orthodontic Emergencies. We’ve been there before. Part of the orthodontic treatment is understanding that emergencies happen. This guide will help you know what to do if you or your child runs into any of these issues.
UPDATED 28-11-18
What sport do you think causes the most dental injuries with kids? If you guessed football… you are right. The ADA estimated that faceguards and mouth guards prevent approximately 200,000 injuries each year in high school and college football alone. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry states the children between the ages of 7-11 are the most susceptible to injury. When all is said and done, it is up to parents to ensure their kids are protected during practices and games. Especially at a younger age, train kids of the importance of wearing mouthguards when they are older and on their own.
While many people use the terms interchangeably, there is actually a big difference between a dentist and an orthodontist that boils down to experience, education, and specialty. While both begin with a similar educational background, orthodontists choose to continue their training to become specialists in orthodontics, an area of dentistry focusing on correcting occlusion, bites, and the straightness of teeth.
UPDATED – 17- 9 -18
Invisalign is an effective alternative to traditional braces for the treatment of mild to severe orthodontic issues. Including underbite, overbite, overcrowding and gaps between the teeth. The smooth, clear plastic aligners worn over the teeth are comfortable and virtually invisible, providing an excellent option for treatment without the pain and embarrassment that can come with traditional braces. The aligners are made of BPA-free plastic and won’t irritate your cheeks and gums.
UPDATED 16-7-18
Why Is It Necessary to Visit Your Orthodontist Regularly? That first visit to your orthodontist for a consultation should never be your last. This is because receiving treatment requires multiple visits over a period of time, and you may still need to visit your orthodontic office again since changes in your teeth alignment can occur as you or your child gets older. While everyone’s situation is different, making sure that you attend those regular visits is worth it when you receive these benefits for your oral health and smile.
UPDATED 29 – 07 -18
Wearing retainers after treatment. Getting your braces off is an exciting day for everyone who goes through the treatment. After months or years of having braces, they will finally be removed to reveal the straight smile you’ve been dreaming of. But treatment doesn’t end after the braces are off. While you may have the permanent fixtures removed from your mouth, you will probably still need to wear retainers to maintain the new straight smile that you’ve invested so much time – and money – into.
At What Age Do Baby Teeth Normally Fall Out?Teething can be an ordeal for you and your baby. It is an experience that requires patience and perseverance. Sadly, it is an inevitable painful experience for the young born who is now between 4 and seven months old.
Did you know that teeth development is hereditary? So if your teeth emerged early, the chances are that your baby will too. Babies get their 20 first baby teeth in pairs, and the lower central incisors are the first teeth to come on board followed by higher central incisors, lower and top lateral incisors, second molars, canines and first molars.
At the age of between 4 to 8 years depending on how early the baby teeth erupted, most kids start to lose their first tooth. The same order in which baby teeth erupted is the same order in which they will begin to fall off. They fall off to about the age of 12 or 13, and by now the kids should have a full set of permanent teeth.
Also, between these ages, it is vital for a child to get an orthodontic evaluation. An orthodontist specializes in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dental irregularities. Misaligning of teeth can happen to babies too.Having an orthodontic evaluation early enough identifies the problem at an early stage and allows corrective measures to be equally taken soon.
Common oral health problems such as thumb sucking, tongue thrusting or prolonged use of bottle may cause a baby to lose a tooth or delay eruption. A permanent tooth might grow into the empty space. As such, it can crowd permanent teeth causing them to become twisted, crooked, or even overlap.
Other reasons may include
Braces can be suitable for your child as early as the age of 7. By this age, uneven bite and overcrowding have become permanent, and the teeth are conducive for straightening. They can stay for as short or long as advised by the orthodontic and depending on the severity of the dental problem.
They apply pressure to the teeth and jaws and move them into the desired position. There are different types of braces that orthodontics would recommend. They include,
This is a headgear recommended for correcting a misaligned bit and also for creating more space for crowded teeth by moving the molars further back.It is normally used especially in kids for a short time.
These are rubber bands used in children to apply more force to move a tooth and jaws to the desired position. They are colored differently to amuse them as they decorate their mouths.
These are mini-screws that are temporarily fixed into a bone to apply force to move the teeth. They are best used for tooth control.
Dr. Samuel Papandreas provides expert orthodontic care for adults, teenagers and children at his facilities in:
• Brunswick, Ohio
• North Royalton, Ohio
His patients are fitted with customized orthodontic devices that include:
• Braces – color-matching ceramic or metal devices
• Retainers – worn at night when your braces are removed
• Invisalign aligners – clear plastic devices
• Palatal expanders – worn before your orthodontic treatment begins
You can schedule an appointment with Papandreas Orthodontics to learn about the best type of orthodontic treatment for you and your children to improve your smile correct your dental bite.
Papandreas Orthodontics
3511 Center Road, Suite B
Brunswick, OH 44212
tel: 330-558-9092
***
14200 Ridge Rd
North Royalton, OH 44133
tel: 440-582-8585
https://drpapandreas.com/
Are There Alternatives To Having Teeth Removed For Braces?For anyone who has every had a tooth pulled, it becomes more obvious why those considering braces want to know if there are alternatives to having teeth pulled in order to have them installed. Most will look for any alternative to a tooth extraction and is usually one of the first questions that most will ask their orthodontist when discussing the process.
The answer to whether or not a tooth will need to be pulled will depend on a variety of factors. Some factors may include the age of the patient, how overcrowded the teeth may be, bite asymmetry and whether or not surgery or other procedures are an option. Below are some other factors and options to take into consideration before needing to result to a tooth extraction for the installation of braces.
One of the more popular options these days for orthodontic treatments is called the Damon System. This particular method has been proven to offer patients optimal teeth straightening results without the need to have any teeth removed prior to the installation of the braces. This system may be applied to the teeth using clear or metal hardware. The patient is also able to choose different colors of bands to create a more unique look and style. This is a simple and powerful system to help give the best results with minimal treatment time and discomfort.
The Invisalign system for aligners offers patients a completely different alternative to traditional braces with no need to use any clear or metal hardware. This system uses hardware that is similar to retainers or mouth guards to gently move your teeth into place. The benefits of this system is that it is easy to use and easier to keep your teeth clean compared to traditional braces. These are able to be used on patients in their teens and for adults. The only time when this is not a viable option is when a patient has unsalvageable tooth damage or severe stages of tooth decay. Invisalign generally reduces the need for a tooth removal because it works by gently expanding a patient’s jaw. This can create room for the teeth that are overcrowded and eliminate any need for extractions.
This method is another alternative to having teeth extracted for braces. It is an orthodontic technique used to slim down certain teeth in order to create more room on your jaw line. This is typically used when the width of your teeth is what is causing the overcrowding. When your orthodontic specialist slims down the sides of certain teeth, it will give your teeth more room to move and grow comfortably without having to have any other teeth removed. As we age, teeth naturally slim down on their own from years of chewing, flossing and brushing. However, this is sometimes not enough to make adequate room for braces being installed. In this instance, the use of manual tooth slimming is a great alternative to getting a tooth removed.
This option is typically only available for patients that are under the age of 16. A palate expander is put in to help widen your palate before it fully hardens into place. This commonly occurs around the age of 16. The use of the palate expander will create enough room for the teeth to grow and shift without needing to extract a tooth.
Unfortunately, some patients will ultimately need to have a tooth extracted. One last option, however, is dental surgery. In some cases, the option of dental surgery can offer the same results of a tooth extraction without needing to remove any teeth. Of course, dental surgery is invasive in its own way as well. It has two main objectives: to try and move the bottom row of a patient’s teeth forward or move the patient’s top row of teeth to the back of their mouth.
One last option is called the TAD option. This is a process that can bypass the need to have a tooth extracted prior to getting braces put in. The process includes securing one or more of your critical teeth in place by using a very small implant underneath the gums. These implants are important because they help make the control of your jaw alignment easier and will help ease the possibility of overcrowding problems as you get older.
Dr. Samuel Papandreas provides expert orthodontic care for adults, teenagers and children at his facilities in:
• Brunswick, Ohio
• North Royalton, Ohio
His patients are fitted with customized orthodontic devices that include:
• Braces – color-matching ceramic or metal devices
• Retainers – worn at night when your braces are removed
• Invisalign aligners – clear plastic devices
• Palatal expanders – worn before your orthodontic treatment begins
You can schedule an appointment with Papandreas Orthodontics to learn about the best type of orthodontic treatment for you and your children to improve your smile correct your dental bite.
Papandreas Orthodontics
3511 Center Road, Suite B
Brunswick, OH 44212
tel: 330-558-9092
***
14200 Ridge Rd
North Royalton, OH 44133
tel: 440-582-8585
https://drpapandreas.com/
LAST UPDATED: MAY 29, 2018
If you are undergoing orthodontic treatment with braces, then you probably wonder when your orthodontist will remove the devices. The amount of time required for repairing malocclusions can vary, depending on the type of abnormality along with the individual patient. Children have extremely soft bones, so when they are undergoing orthodontic treatment, it is typically a fast process unless they have major abnormalities. A teenager will experience a faster treatment time than an adult.
By having a complete examination at an orthodontic facility, you can determine what type of abnormalities you have. Repairing these abnormalities of the mouth can improve your smile to give you a more attractive facial appearance, but more importantly, orthodontia will improve your bite. With a good bite, you won’t develop problems such as temporomandibular joint dysfunction or migraine headaches. Many individuals have bad bites that are caused by these malocclusions:
In addition to having one or more of these abnormalities, it is essential to determine where these problems occur in the mouth. While visiting an orthodontic facility, you will have many medical images collected to understand your abnormalities. In addition, a hygienist will collect molds of your mouth and teeth to see additional abnormalities.
When you need braces or Invisalign aligners, the items are 100 percent customized to repair your malocclusions. By following the recommendations of an orthodontic team, you will repair abnormalities faster. Some of these recommendations will include wearing the aligners as much as possible or following a healthy dietary plan. If you eat sticky or hard foods, then it can dislodge a bracket or break a wire, disrupting your orthodontic treatment.
There are numerous types of orthodontic treatments available, including:
By have the proper type of archwires along with taking care of your brackets and wires, you will have faster orthodontic treatment. However, if you break wires while sticking pencils in your mouth or dislodge a bracket while chewing on gum, then you will disrupt your orthodontic treatment plan.
Brackets and wires move your misaligned teeth by applying pressure against your teeth. Occasionally, you must visit an orthodontic office to have the wires tightened so that the brackets will continue to apply pressure on your teeth. When you fail to visit an orthodontic facility to have the wires tightened, it will lead to an increased treatment time.
An adult with severe malocclusions may need to wear brackets and wires for as long as four years, but the average amount of time required for treatment is two years. Children and teenagers tend to have faster treatment times because the alveolar bone in their jaw is softer and will regenerate faster.
If you consume a nutritious diet, then your bones will regenerate faster, helping your teeth to shift into the correct positions. While undergoing orthodontic treatment with wires and brackets, you must eat softer foods, so you should learn how to prepare numerous recipes. You can’t eat hard or fibrous foods because these items will break your wires and damage your brackets. When preparing meals, you must cook the ingredients until the meat or vegetables are soft. Some of the foods that you can eat include soups, stir-fries or casseroles that have tiny sections of carrots, potatoes or beef rather than large chunks of these ingredients. In addition to eating healthy snacks and meals, you can benefit from using dietary supplements that contain an assortment of minerals and vitamins.
Dr. Samuel Papandreas provides expert orthodontic care for adults, teenagers and children at his facilities in:
• Brunswick, Ohio
• North Royalton, Ohio
His patients are fitted with customized orthodontic devices that include:
• Braces – color-matching ceramic or metal devices
• Retainers – worn at night when your braces are removed
• Invisalign aligners – clear plastic devices
• Palatal expanders – worn before your orthodontic treatment begins
You can schedule an appointment with Papandreas Orthodontics to learn about the best type of orthodontic treatment for you and your children to improve your smile correct your dental bite.
Papandreas Orthodontics
3511 Center Road, Suite B
Brunswick, OH 44212
tel: 330-558-9092
***
14200 Ridge Rd
North Royalton, OH 44133
tel: 440-582-8585
When Do I Get My Braces Off?