dental – gtg

The following information will help you through the physical and emotional adjustment that accompanies new dentures. Each mouth is unique and no two people’s experience will be identical, but we have attempted to answer questions most commonly asked by denture wearers.

What to Expect From Your New Dentures:

Despite all the time and effort they took to make, dentures aren’t your natural teeth. Learning to use them will require practice and patience. Dentures are a foreign body and at first their presence will create excess saliva, forcing you to swallow more often. Usually missing or badly broken-down teeth have been replaced, or a new denture replaced a badly worn one. This will result in some change in appearance. A tendency to gag and some initial soreness may also be present. Looseness, especially in the lower denture, will be a problem at first. All of these are normal, early sensations with new denture wearers. Don’t be alarmed by any of them. Patience and practice are all that’s required to overcome them.

Speech:

The new dentures will feel foreign to your tongue and this may cause initial speech difficulty. Practice reading out loud, repeating difficult words and speaking slowly and deliberately. You may have to control your tongue’s tendency to thrust out and dislodge the lower denture at first.

Eating:

* * Ideal dentures restore 1/3 of the biting ability of natural teeth. You learn to compensate for this by:

* * At first avoid hard or sticky foods.

* * Bite with your knife & fork — i.e. — cut food and place it between your back teeth. Learn to chew on both sides of your mouth at once.

* * Cut food into small bites and chew straight up and down.

* * Eat slowly.

* * Be careful with hot food and drink. It’s easy to burn parts of your mouth when dentures disguise the heat at first.

* * Avoid biting on front teeth as much as possible, as this is damaging to the mouth. When you must bite something off, push the food in toward the teeth and bite, don’t pull it away.

Soreness and Adjustments:

There may be some initial soreness. If you can’t come to the office that day, take your dentures out and rest your mouth. The following day wear your dentures until you feel some soreness again. Call our office and you’ll receive care that day. Don’t repair or adjust dentures yourself or you may damage them. There is no fee for adjustments for one year after insertion. Any adjustment fee after this period will depend on the care required.

Once natural teeth are removed, there is a continual change in the mouth’s shape. This occurs to varying degrees in all denture wearers, most rapidly after insertion of immediate dentures (dentures put in the day your teeth are removed.) These changes require periodic adjustments and possibly relines. Mouth changes will be minimized if dentures fit properly and are kept clean.

Care and Cleaning:

Clean dentures are a must for healthy, pleasant-smelling mouths. Brush them twice daily with a special denture dentifrice and brush. Hold dentures over a sink full of water or above a wet towel while cleaning to avoid breakage if they are dropped.

Stain and odor can be reduced by soaking dentures for 30 minutes in 1 cup of warm water, 1 teaspoon Calgon and 1 teaspoon Clorox, once or twice a month. Food debris gets inside dentures too, so brush the insides and the outsides of dentures. Use a soft, regular toothbrush to brush and stimulate your gums and tongue, and rinse with a mouthwash to freshen your mouth.

Dentures should be left out of your mouth 8 of every 24 hours to allow blood to return to the tissue and keep them healthy. Nighttime is best, as many people clamp their teeth together in their sleep, and this is more damaging to dentures and your mouth than eating. While resting your tissues, leave dentures submerged in water with a little mouthwash added for freshness.

Looseness:

You’ll discover dentures will feel looser or tighter at different times of the day. Lower dentures are much harder to control due to less bone to hold them, and the perpetual movement of the tongue and lips. Practice placing the tip of your tongue on the inside of the lower denture and teeth to help seat it. Bite down and swallow to reseat upper dentures.

Coughing and sneezing will dislodge most dentures, so cover your mouth to avoid embarrassment and damage to teeth. If you are ill and feel you may vomit, remove dentures to protect them.

Use a denture adhesive only when advised to by our office. ‘Gluing” dentures in to create excessive tightness can damage the mouth. As with most denture problems, practice and patience are better permanent answers.

When you need help or have questions, never hesitate to call us. We’ll be glad to assist you.

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Now Everyone Can Enjoy the Smile of Their Dreams!

Modern dental science has created a cornucopia of cosmetic wonders. For example, tooth whitening is possible by numerous methods and has become a safe, predictable procedure. A new product called Go-Smile can whiten teeth several shades by simply rubbing the material on one’s teeth twice daily for a week. Go-Smile is a safe, effective, comfortable, and inexpensive ($89 in our office) way to quickly enhance one’s smile.

Bonding is the art of employing a dental resin to change the shape and color of teeth without numbing shots or drilling of tooth structure being required. For two decades dentists have been able to repair fractured teeth, close unsightly spaces between teeth, make rotated teeth appear straight and countless other cosmetic wonders thanks to these marvelous materials that bond so tenaciously to tooth structure.

Veneers are thin layers of durable porcelain (less than a millimeter in thickness), that are three times stronger than enamel. Veneers are bonded over teeth to create whatever tooth shape or shade is desired. With the assistance of veneers, we can straighten crooked teeth, close gaps, and permanently lighten one’s smile. Within three weeks’ time (one appointment is needed to shape the teeth and take a model of them, a second to insert the veneers after a dental laboratory has fabricated them), veneers can create a cosmetic dental miracle that is sometimes referred to as “instant orthodontics.”

All-ceramic crowns repair teeth weakened by decay or fillings. Due to a filled or fractured tooth’s more vulnerable condition, more tooth structure must be removed than is needed for veneers. But all-ceramic crowns contain no metal, so they look naturally wonderful in any light. Never again need darkness around the gumline revealing the presence of existing crowns.

Valplast partial dentures have no metal clasps or frame. They are made entirely of a durable resin guaranteed by the company for life. They are incredibly light, flexible, and almost undetectable in a wearer’s mouth. They require no more work or expense than conventional metal-frame partials do to fabricate.

Cosmetic dentistry has something for every need and for every patient. Smile makeovers are no longer the exclusive right of the ultra-rich or movie stars. Today it is possible for everyone to have the smile of their dreams!

Healthy Gums for Healthy Babies
Our children are our future, so enlightened individuals and/or societies do everything possible to protect this most precious asset. But even in our affluent United States 12.3% of children are born preterm. According to an article published in the Journal Pediatrics, preterm infants are 75 times more likely to experience an early death. Long-term disabilities for surviving preterm children include lung abnormalities (such as asthma), cerebral palsy, neurological and developmental disabilities (such as low I.Q. and poor motor skills). Not surprisingly, surviving preterm children’s medical costs over their first five years of life average $20,000 greater than non-preterm children’s expenses.

There are many causes for preterm births, such as tobacco, alcohol, and drug use by the mother, mothers under the age of 18 or over 35, being underweight or overweight before pregnancy, and low socioeconomic status. But a less well-known and preventable risk has been identified over the past decade. This is an infection of the genitourinary tract called ‘ bacterial vaginitis. ‘ This condition leads to an inflammation of the maternal-fetus membranes (called chorioamnionitis) that may initiate preterm labor, or rupture of the involved membranes.

This inflammatory state has been linked to periodontal disease in mothers. A pregnant woman with active gum infections has been shown to experience 7.5 times, more adverse pregnancy outcomes than periodontally healthy mothers.

Studies have shown no risk to the fetus or mother if dental care is offered during the second or third trimester, but the ideal situation is to establish exemplary dental health before becoming pregnant!

If you are pregnant and have sore or bleeding gums, please seek the help of a dental professional. In addition to the risks detailed above, pregnancy gingivitis can become painful, and hamper one’s ability to eat and even sleep properly at this critical time in a mother’s and fetus’ life. If you are considering having a child, I’d urge you to be certain you have attained ideal oral health before conception. This is a marvelous gift, for you and your baby.

Teeth Whitening
The patient had moderate staining on the upper teeth. Pre-treated with whitening trays and patient had one-hour in-office whitening. Whiter teeth by 8 shades!

Veneers
The patient had moderate staining and decay. She received five porcelain veneers to complete this beautiful new smile.

Bonding/White Filling
Removal of amalgam/silver fillings and replacement with natural tooth-colored fillings.

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Approximatlely 20 years ago medical and dental researchers began to probe the link between chronic infection and systemic diseases ( illnesses effecting the entire body). In a nut-shell they found that if one has infection anywhere, thanks to thecirculatory system’s function, one has it EVERYWHERE.

It makes no difference to the body where the source of infection is located, but few people will tolerate red, swollen, tender and bleeding feet or hands, for example. Yet many allow the same symptoms to exist in their gums. Gingival tissues are also a form of ” skin” that protects our body from invasion by pathogens. When our bodies’ defenses are over-run, redness, swelling, pain and bleeding result.

Here is a current list of illnesses suffered by those who tolerate chronic infections: Seven times the strokes, three times the heart attacks, being more prone to oral and pancreatic cancer, lung disease, diabetes, dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, premature and low-birth-weight babies (who average three hospitalizations in their first year of life), Osteoporosis, gastric ulcers, and even obesity.

Quite a list of stuff nobody wants, huh? How does one avoid this fate? By elimination of all chronic infections (Usually periodontal disease is our primary villain). So let’s consider what must be done to restore one’s mouth to health, beauty, and function for a lifetime (and make it smell good, too!).

1. Meticulous oral hygiene is essential. Brushing takes 2.5 minutes. Most people brush for around 30 seconds. And even excellent brushing cleans only 70% of tooth surfaces. The area where the teeth touch must be cleaned separately, using floss, or an outstanding electric brush ( Called Rotadent, which boasts soft nylon 5000 bristles, compared to a manual brush’s 250. Rotadent also has a lifetime guarantee, and multiple heads, so several people can use the same brush).

2. If gum infection is caught early, a stage called gingivitis, only a professional cleaning and the above-described hygiene are needed. (Be aware that BLEEDING GUMS ALWAYS INDICATES THE PRESENCE OF AN ACTIVE BACTERIAL INFECTION!)

3. With more serious infections, the pathogens (destructive germs) that cause gum disease and decay hide beneath a rock-like substance called calculus or tarter, and in deep spaces below the gum-line called pockets. They exist in a community (called a biofilm) which must be broken up for the germs to be destroyed. Tartar removal and “community disruption” is what our excellent hygienist and her able assistant do while cleaning teeth.

This process is referred to as a “deep cleaning” as the pathogens are located well below the gum-line. Often a gel that numbs the gums is employed to make this comfortable, and occasionally local anesthesia might be needed, but these destructive germs and calculus must be removed.

4. In cases of severe infection, even deep cleaning can’t restore oral health. But these anaerobic pathogens (bad germs) have a deadly nemesis: Oxygen. If a sufficient quantity of oxygen can be forced below the gums for a long enough time these germs are goners. Until recently this simply wasn’t possible, but it is now, due to a revolutionary, and FDA-approved technique called Perio-Protect. If such care is needed for your periodontal infection, we have literature that describes the technique in detail.

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The Invisalign system (sometimes referred to as “clear braces” or “invisible braces”) is a proprietary method of orthodontic treatment whose unique set of features often makes it a very attractive alternative to traditional braces. Unlike dental braces composed of brackets and wires that are firmly attached to a patient’s teeth, the Invisalign system produces tooth movement by way of the patient wearing a series of clear, removable plastic aligners that fit snugly over their teeth.

Your Invisalign treatment will consist of a series of aligners that you switch out about every two weeks. Each aligner is individually manufactured with exact calculations to gradually shift your teeth into place. Since your Invisalign system is custom-made for your teeth and your teeth, with a plan devised by you and your dentist or orthodontist, you know you’ll end up with a smile that truly fits.

If you’re ready for a smile that transforms your appearance, Invisalign is your answer. Although there are many choices out there, no other works as effortlessly as the Invisalign system.

History:
Invisalign is a series of clear, removable teeth aligners that both orthodontists and dentists use as an alternative to traditional metal dental braces. Invisalign is designed, manufactured, and marketed by Santa Clara-based medical-device company Align Technology, Inc. Align says that over 35,790 doctors are trained to provide Invisalign treatment in the U.S., with 48,130 doctors worldwide. The company has 133 patents.

Align Technology was in a legal battle with the makers of a competing product, OrthoClear, from early 2005 until September 2006. Zia Chisti, one of the founders of Align, had started OrthoClear to compete against Invisalign. In a complaint filed with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) on January 11, 2006, Align alleged that OrthoClear utilized Align’s trade secrets and infringed twelve Align patents, comprising more than 200 patent claims, in the production of OrthoClear aligners at a facility in Lahore, Pakistan. On September 27, 2006, Align Technology settled its litigation with OrthoClear. OrthoClear has stopped accepting new cases and discontinued its aligner business worldwide. Align acquired all disputed intellectual property. Contrary to some reports, Align did not purchase OrthoClear.

Align Technology is also defending a class-action suit on behalf of dentists and orthodontists who were suddenly dropped as approved Invisalign prescribers because they failed to meet a never-before-mentioned quota requirement. After prescribing doctors paid thousands of dollars each for Invisalign training, Align Technology unilaterally implemented a requirement that every prescriber start at least 10 new cases a year. The doctors are seeking a refund of the training cost because the training has no utility except in the prescription of Invisalign products.

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ortho – new 9/8/2020 – gtg

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The Opro Shield line of mouthguards were designed by Dr. Anthony Lovat BDS, the founder of OPRO which is the largest supplier of custom mouthguards in the world. The Opro Shield Line introduces the patented OproFin retention system which gives the OproShield line of mouth guards the best retention (fit) performance of any self-fit mouthguard in the world. The highly technological cross-sectional profile means maximum protection against front and concussive blows while keeping the palate clear for improved breathing and speech. The OproShield is the world’s most advanced self-fit mouthguard.

The OproShield Ortho Bronze is the basic model in the line, but the Ortho is designed to work with Orthodontics. There are no fins, and the channel is wider to accommodate appliances in the mouth. Unlike the silver, and gold models, the inside and the outside of the bronze are the same material. However, the Ortho is only available in the bronze line. The mouthguard is designed for ages 7 to adult.

The mouthguard comes with a hard plastic clear case and includes a sticker to attach to the case that you can put your name on to clearly identify your mouthguard. Fitting instructions are in the box, but it also includes a mini-cd so you can actually watch someone fit the mouthguard before you do it yourself. This will help you get an even better fit from your mouthguard. NOTE: This mouthguard is only for use with fixed orthodontic braces.

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If you are someone that snores every night, has exhausted every home remedy ever endorsed, followed old wives’ tales, family secrets, and just about any other suggestion given to end the nightmare maybe it is time to go visit your dentist. It is quite possible that your snoring problem stems from jaw placement rather than loose tissue and an enlarged uvula.

A Dentist Can Create An Orthodontics Anti-Snoring Appliance Especially For You

The very popular orthodontics anti-snoring appliances, also known as dental appliances, are effective for many snorers that suffer from mild snoring due to jaw placement while sleeping. These oral splits bring the lower jaw forward and lift the soft palate in such a fashion that it prevents the soft throat tissues from falling against the back of the throat and blocking the airway, which is what creates the sound of the snoring.

This type of oral splint is created by your dentist and can be quite expensive. The process of creating such a splint includes the formation of a mold that is then used to create the oral splint that is to be worn in the mouth at bedtime and throughout the night.

If you are looking for an inexpensive alternative to the oral splint created by your dentist, it is possible to mail order an orthodontics anti-snoring appliance replica that you fit yourself. This inexpensive version is sometimes referred to as a “boil and bite” because that is exactly how you fit it to your personal jaws. These oral splints are made of soft plastic which softens in hot water.

In order to use it, you place the splint into warm water to soften the plastic, then bite into the mouthpiece and mold it to your own jaw. If after a short trial period, you discover that this method does in fact decrease your snoring, you would be wise to have a professional splint made to fit your personal jawline, thus prevent any misshaping of your teeth or dental work done prior to the boil & bite usage.

The Orthodontics Anti-Snoring Appliance Shows Promise As A Snoring Solution

The studies supporting the use of the orthodontics anti-snoring appliance show great promise as a solution for many people that suffer from snoring. There are mild side effects that have to be taken into consideration such as dry mouth, tooth discomfort, and excessive salivation but the complaints about these were few and must of course be counter weighed with the idea of restful sleep.

If you decide to utilize this innovative idea to combat your problem snoring, be sure to check with your dentist first and maintain your annual visits to ensure that you do not suffer any long term damage on dental work or teeth placement.

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Choosing a Dental Plan these days can be just like pulling teeth. Pardon the humor, but for anyone who has tried to figure out the difference between dental plans, dental insurance, dental discount plans, dental health plans, etc., it can be an extremely frustrating and confusing experience.

First off, there are only two different things that we need to look at. Those are dental insurance and dental plans. Somehow there’s become a lot of different terminology for these two, but they’re the only ones that you need to worry about.

When most people think of dental care they think of insurance, which, twenty years ago was pretty much the only thing available to consumers. Many people could get coverage through their work either automatically, as an employee group benefit, or for a small fee. Things have changed a lot in the past two decades. Recent studies show that seven out of ten people in the United States have no type of dental coverage at all.

Dental insurance, unless provided by your employer, isn’t as “cost-effective” these days. Some of the drawbacks are annual deductibles, annual spending limits, non-coverage for pre-existing conditions, or a very long (usually 6-12 month) waiting period, and limitations and exclusions on certain types of care. You must also pay a monthly or annual premium which can be in the $25-$50.00 per month range for an individual person and even as much as $100.00 monthly for entire family coverage. At these rates, it’s no wonder that there are such a high number of people who aren’t covered. They simply cannot afford it.

Dental discount plans were introduced several years ago as an insurance “alternative”.

Let’s define a discount plan – it’s really very simple. A dental discount plan allows you to visit a dentist at a reduced rate. You join the plan, which is usually very inexpensive and you may then visit any dentist in that plans “network”. This network is a group of dentists that have agreed to accept a reduced payment for services performed. They do this under the condition that the work is paid for at the time of the visit.

You see, it costs the dentist’s money and time to fill out forms for insurance payments or to finance someone’s dental work. Besides the paperwork, it usually takes anywhere from 45-90 days for them to be paid by the insurance company after they’ve completed the work. In some cases, claims can even be rejected after they’ve already performed the work. The insurance company can claim that the person treated was no longer covered for whatever reason or that the procedure performed was excluded from being covered, in which case, the dentist is left “holding the bag”.

With dental discount plans, you’ll pay a discounted fee for services rendered at the time of your visit. For example, let’s say that you need your teeth cleaned. The normal price for this may be $80.00, but you’ll get a discount card stating that you get a 50% (example) discount, so, in this case, you’d only pay $40.00.

Let’s do another example – let’s say that you need a root canal done and the price for a root canal is $800.00. Well, you’ve got a discount card that saves you 50% so you would only have to pay $400.00 out of pocket at the time of your visit to the dentist. Are you beginning to understand how this works?

This can be very cost-effective for a family.

Is this beginning to make sense now? It’s really very simple, isn’t it?

The 50% savings used was only an example. Many plans offer even higher discounts on certain procedures. Some even include discounts on procedures such as cosmetic dentistry, professional teeth whitening, Orthodontics, and more.

Also, pre-existing conditions are covered, there are no exclusions, no deductibles and no waiting periods to be treated. You can also see any dentist in the network. If for some reason you’re not happy with the first dentist that you see, you can simply start seeing a different one.

That pretty much sums it up. I hope that this was helpful so that you may make an informed decision when you decide to buy dental coverage.

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ortho- 3/26/2020 – gtg

Appliance
Anything the orthodontist attaches to your teeth to move your teeth or to change the shape of your jaw

Arch Wire
A metal wire which is attached to your brackets to move your teeth

Band
A metal ring which is placed on your teeth to anchor parts of your braces

Bracket
A metal or ceramic part that is glued onto a tooth and serves as a means of fastening the arch wire

Breakaway
A breakaway is a small plastic piece with an internal spring which is used to provide force on a facebow

Buccal tube
A small metal part that is welded on the outside of a molar bank. The buccal tube contains slots to hold archwires, lip bumpers, facebows and other things your orthodontist uses to move your teeth

Chain, Orthodontic Chain
A stretchable plastic chain used to hold archwires into brackets and to move teeth.

Facebow, Headgear
Facebows are wire apparatuses used to move your upper molars back in your mouth which creates room for crowded or protrusive anterior teeth. Generally, the facebow consists of two metal parts that have been attached together. The inner part is shaped like a horseshoe. This part goes in your mouth and is connected to your buccal tubes. The outer part has two curves. The curves go around your face and connect to the breakaways or high pull headgear. To properly use the product, the inner bow needs to be inserted into your buccal tubes. An elastic neck band is placed around the back of the neck while the triangular cast-offs on both sides of the neckband are attached to the outer bow of the headgear. Completing the apparatus is a plastic safety strap that is placed over the neckband and onto the outer bow of the headgear.

Ligating module
A small plastic piece, shaped like a donut, which is used to hold the archwires in the brackets on your teeth

Lip bumper
A lip bumper is used to push the molars on your lower jaw back to create more space for other teeth. The lip bumper consists of an archwire that is attached to a molded piece of plastic. You mount the archwire in the buccal tubes on your lower jaw, and the plastic piece rests against your lips. When you eat or talk, you push the plastic piece back which pushes on your molars. That pushes your molars back.

Mouthguard
A device that is used to protect your mouth from injury when you are participating in sports. The use of a mouthguard is especially important for orthodontic patients, to prevent injuries.

Neck pad
A neck pad is a cloth-covered cushion that you wear around your neck when you put on your facebow. Generally, the breakaways are attached to the neck pad to provide force for the facebow.

Palatal Expander
A device used to make your jaw wider

Retainer
A gadget that the orthodontist gives you to wear after the orthodontist removes your braces. The retainer attaches to your upper teeth and holds them in the correct position. You wear the retainer at night to make sure that none of your teeth move while your jaw hardens and your teeth get strongly attached to your jaw.

Safety Strap
A plastic strap which prevents a facebow from coming loose and hurting you

Separator
A plastic or metal part which the orthodontist uses to create space between your teeth for bands

Wax
A clear wax used to prevent your braces from irritating your lips when your braces are first put on

Band Remover
A special plier which the orthodontist uses to remove bands from your teeth

Bite Stick
A device the orthodontist uses to help put on your bands. The orthodontist puts the band in place, then asks you to bite down on the bite stick to help push the band in place

Cephalometric Viewer
An x-ray viewer

Cheek retractors
Small plastic pieces used to draw back your lips and cheeks so the orthodontist can more easily see your teeth and work in your mouth

Curing Light
A special UV light used to help attach brackets to your teeth

Distal End Cutter
A special plier used to cut off the ends of your archwires

Explorer
A hook-like fine pointed instrument used in examining the teeth

Interproximal Stripper
A device used to remove some of the enamel from the spaces between your teeth. The stripper is used to create extra space for crowded teeth

Mathieu Plier
A special plier which locks when it closes so it holds on to small parts

Pin and Ligature Cutter
A special plier used to cut off archwires, ligatures, etc.

Scaler
A tool with a curved hook on one end. The orthodontist uses the scaler to remove excess cement and check for gaps

Twirl On
A device used to help place ligating modules on brackets

Acid etch
A procedure where a weak acid is smeared on your teeth to ready your teeth for brackets. The acid etch helps your brackets stay on better

Banding
The process of cementing orthodontic bands to your teeth

Bonding
The process of attaching brackets to your teeth using a special safe glue

Cephalometric X-rays
An x-ray of the head that shows whether your teeth are aligned properly, and whether they are growing properly.

The Consultation
A meeting with your orthodontist where he discusses your treatment plan

Debanding
The removal of cemented orthodontic bands

Debonding
The removal of the brackets from your teeth

Extraoral photograph
Facial photos

Impressions
The first step in making a model of your teeth. You bite into a container filled with algenate, and the algenate hardens to produce a mold of your teeth

Interceptive Orthodontic Treatment
Orthodontic treatment usually done when you are 6-8. The objective of interceptive orthodontic treatment is to expand your palate and make other corrections, so that your later orthodontic treatment goes quicker and is less painful

Ligation
A process where an archwire is attached to the brackets on your teeth

Ligating
An adjective used to describe components used to attach archwires to brackets. For example a ligating module is a small plastic piece that goes over the brackets to hold in your archwires

Panoramic x-ray
An x-ray taken by a machine that rotates around your head to give the orthodontist a picture of your teeth, jaws and other important information

The records appointment
One of the initial appointments with your orthodontist. The orthodontist or his/her assistant takes pictures of you, x-rays, and impressions so that they can figure out what treatment needs to be done.

Tightening your braces
A process which occurs every 3-6 weeks when you have braces. You go into the orthodontist’s office and the orthodontist’s assistant either makes adjustments to the wires in your braces or changes the wires

Wax bite
A procedure to measure how well your teeth come together. You bite a sheet of wax and leave bitemark in the wax. The orthodontist looks at the bitemarks to see how well your teeth are aligned

Dental and orthodontic gadgets and materials not mentioned elsewhere

Archform
The shape of the dental arch. For example, the orthodontist could say that you have a horseshoe archform or a “v”-shaped archform.

Closed bite
A malocclusion where your upper teeth cover your lower teeth when you bite down. This is also called a “deep bite.”

Crossbite
A malocclusion where some of your upper teeth are inside of your lower teeth when you bite down

Crowding
An orthodontic problem caused by having too many teeth in too small of a space

Crown angulation
A tooth movement in which the root of the tooth is tipped forward or backward to correct the angle of the crown

Crown inclination
A tooth movement in which the root of the tooth is tipped toward the cheeks (lips) or toward the lingual (palate) of the mouth

DeepBite
Excessive overbite; closed bite

Dentition
The arrangement of the teeth

Diastema
A space between two teeth

Drift
Unwanted movement of teeth

Extrusion
Tooth movement in the direction of eruption. Natural extrusion: teeth grow until there is contact with another tooth. Mechanical extrusion: to pull the teeth so that it extends farther out of your gums

Fixed appliance
Any orthodontic component that is cemented or bonded to the teeth

Flared teeth
A term used to indicate the position of the teeth. The upper teeth are flared lingually (toward the lip)

Full orthodontic treatment
Getting braces

Inclination
The angle of the long axis of a tooth from a particular line of reference; the tilt or tip of a tooth

Interocclusal registration
A wax bite which is used to see how your teeth come together

Interproximal stripping
Reduction of the enamel of the teeth on both sides of the tooth. This procedure is performed to create space for crowded teeth

Intrusion
Movement of a tooth back into the bone

Lingual appliances
Orthodontic appliance fixed to the inside of your teeth. i.e. Lingual appliances are attached to the part of your teeth next to your tongue

Lingual arch
An orthodontic wire attached from molar to molar on the inside of your teeth. Lingual retainers are a variation of the lingual arch going from cuspids to cuspid

Malocclusion
Poor positioning of your teeth

Class I Malocclusion
A Malocclusion where your bite is OK (your top teeth line up with your bottom teeth) but your teeth are crooked, crowded or turned

Class II Malocclusion
A Malocclusion where your upper teeth stick out past your lower teeth. This is also called an “overbite” or “buck teeth”

Class III Malocclusion
A Malocclusion where your lower teeth stick out past your upper teeth. This is also called an “underbite”

Occlusion
The alignment and spacing of your upper and lower teeth when you bite down

Proper Occlusion
A beautiful smile where all of your teeth are straight and your top teeth line up with your bottom teeth

Open bite
A malocclusion in which the teeth do not close or come together in the front of your mouth

Orthodontics
The treatment performed to correct your bite and make your smile look wonderful

Orthodontist
A dentist who has been specially trained to do orthodontics

Orthodontia Braces Overbite
Vertical overlapping of the upper teeth over the lower

Overjet
Horizontal projection of upper teeth beyond the lower

Retruded
A term used when your front teeth are slanted lingually (i.e. toward the back of your mouth)

Rotation
A movement in which the tooth turned along the long axis of the tooth

Spee
The curve of spee is the curvature of the occlusal plane of the teeth

Stop
A bend or auxiliary attachment placed on a wire to limit the archwire from sliding or moving in the bracket slot of the bracket

Tipping
A tooth movement in which the root of the tooth is tipped labially (lip) or lingually (tongue) to correct the angle of the crown of the tooth

Torque
The rotation of a tooth on the long axis moving the root of the tooth in a buccal or labial direction

Tracing (cephalometric)
An overlay drawing traced over a cephalometric x-ray that shows specific structures and landmarks that provide a basis for orthodontic therapy

Traction
The act of drawing or pulling the teeth

Translation
A tooth movement in which the entire tooth moves forward or backward without tipping or rotating

Typodont
A plastic model of a typical mouth, showing the alignment of teeth. A typodont is used to teach orthodontic procedures

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There is no charge for your initial consultation. This is an opportunity for you to meet the members of our practice and get questions answered. The doctor will also have the opportunity to do an examination and give you some recommendations about treatment.
Possible outcomes of the initial exam are:

1. The patient is not ready or may not need treatment and is placed on recall to be seen at a later date.

2. The orthodontic treatment will be of a limited nature at this time and appointments can be scheduled for construction and fitting of the appliance(s).

3. If the problem appears to warrant comprehensive orthodontic therapy, a full set of diagnostic records will be needed. These may be taken at this time or they may be scheduled for a later time. After review of the records, a ‘report’ appointment will be set up. At this appointment, a complete diagnosis, outline of the proposed treatment, and estimated fees will be presented.

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Endodontics (root canal)

When you visit our practice, your smile and comfort is our top priority. Our entire team is dedicated to providing you with personalized, gentle care in Endodontic treatment, known as root canal therapy.

In the past, if you had a tooth with a diseased nerve, you’d probably lose that tooth. Today, with a special dental procedure called a root canal treatment, your tooth can be saved. A root canal is one of the most common dental procedures with millions of treatments performed every year. This simple treatment can prevent the need for dental implants or a bridge. Best of all, it can save your tooth and your smile! Having a root canal done on a tooth is the treatment of choice to save a tooth that would otherwise have to be removed. Some patients believe that removing a tooth that has problems is the solution, but what is not realized is that removing a tooth can ultimately be more costly and cause significant problems for adjacent teeth.

Part of our commitment to serving our patients includes providing information that helps them to make more informed decisions about root canal therapy. By choosing an Endodontic treatment, you are choosing to keep your natural teeth as a healthy foundation for years to come. Building trust by treating each patient as a special individual is fundamental to our success. We understand how uneasy some patients may feel about their dental visits, and how we can make a difference in providing a relaxing and positive experience.

Root canal treatments are highly successful and usually last a lifetime.
At the center of your tooth is pulp. Infection of the pulp can be caused by trauma to the tooth, deep decay, cracks, and chips, or repeated dental procedures. Symptoms of infection might include visible injury or swelling of the tooth area, sensitivity to temperature, or pain in the tooth and gums.

If you experience any of these symptoms, we may recommend a non-surgical treatment to eliminate the diseased pulp. This injured pulp is removed and the root canal system is thoroughly cleaned and sealed. This therapy may be completed in one or more visits depending on the treatment required.

One-Day Endodontic Services – It is now possible to have your root canal procedure done in ONLY ONE APPOINTMENT! Because the comfort of our patients is always of first concern, we utilize the latest in advanced dentistry techniques and equipment that will help make procedures quick, effective, and as comfortable as possible.

Final Restoration
Placing a suitable final restoration is almost as important as the root canal treatment itself. A good way to ensure against future problems is to crown the tooth. A root canal treatment without a crown is not complete and could cause further damage and possible loss of the tooth.

Keeping your teeth healthy from the inside out is vital. Our practice can help restore and retain even the most badly damaged tooth. We offer patients affordable and convenient payment plans including in-house payments, for all of our services. Call us today for a consultation.

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Mathematics and science help make sense of this world. Probabilities and statistics are a big part of quantifying important things so that someone can make easy-to-read pie charts and bar graphs in order to help simple people understand simple things. Some people aren’t very strong conceptual thinkers, and that’s okay because if everyone was, then I wouldn’t feel very special, and I personally really like feeling special. It’s feeling special that makes me feel confident in my abilities, which in turn allows me to accomplish things that I wouldn’t be able to or want to if I felt like I was like everyone else. We’re all unique individuals with our own set of talents and skills, and just like everyone one of our fingerprints are our own, so are our smiles and our bites. I’m serious, our teeth are often the only identifying physical features still left in certain grisly scenarios where there’s nothing left of our bodies, and a forensic dentist is able to use them in order to determine the identity of the victim or subject. So, without getting into forensic science, I just want to make it a point to explain how important all of our individual smiles are with regard to expressing our unique personalities, in a physical sense.

We all need to feel special if we want to have healthy self-esteem and as long as we don’t feel overly special, we’re where we need to be on that spectrum. So, if self-esteem, feeling special, being confident, and our teeth are all interconnected, then wouldn’t you agree that one feeling good about their smile is an important piece of the ‘feeling special’ puzzle? Sure, you can be special and look like Steve Buscemi, or you can feel special and look like John Stamos. Yeah, go ahead and make your choice on that one and extrapolate how things go for most people on the Steve Buscemi end of the smile spectrum who aren’t lucky enough to have made it in Hollywood. Some of the best orthodontists in the world reside in the Los Angeles area and why wouldn’t they? That’s where the money and the best-looking, most perception-concerned people in the entire world are located. So, if LA is at the center of the beauty and the perception-based world, where do you think the rest of the US falls on that spectrum in a global sense? Well, if it’s hard for you to put that into conceptual terms, try drawing a pie chart to help you make sense of it, so you can come to the conclusion that people in the US care more about their appearances than just about anyone else on the planet. So, if this is the place that you live, you’re playing a game where your smile matters as much or more than anything else regarding your appearance, and it doesn’t matter if you feel like you signed up for it or not. You can decide to stay on the bench, but you’re still in the same arena that everyone else is, it’s just a matter of whether you’re going to feel good about yourself when the camera finds you and you show up on the Jumbotron. So, even though there may be a whole lot of superficial people in Hollywood, some of them are actually pretty down-to-earth people, and they’re not the only ones who care about their teeth and got teeth braces at some point in their lives.

You could be fat, skinny, tall, short, smelly, ugly, or beautiful, but if you’ve had work performed to straighten your teeth, then you are much better off than you would be otherwise. You are far better capable of making a good first impression on those you come across in life if you’ve got an impeccable smile that you don’t have to feel self-conscious about when flashing it at anyone who looks your way. There are a lot of people in this world who are scared little cowards on the inside, but they are able to be successful and get what they want in this life because they’re able to produce an air of confidence by being comfortable with their smiles. This life is a game, and if you don’t see it that way then it means that you’re most likely losing and you need to get off the bench and try to make a play. If you didn’t have the privilege of having braces when you were a kid, then it’s time to get some advice from your coach about what you need to do to get some playing time. If you ask, there are all kinds of advice he can provide you with that will get your grill to a place where you feel comfortable smiling ear-to-ear when that camera finds you and your mug is displayed four-stories tall on the Jumbotron of life.

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