Four Surprising Facts About Orthodontics

 

Surprising Facts about the Origins of Orthodontics

1.      Straighter Teeth Started in Egypt.

2.      Braces have been around for almost 300 years.

3.      Braces used to have a whole lot more metal.

§  Before the 1970’s, orthodontists hand anchor brackets to teeth by winding wires tightly around each individual tooth

4.      The first book about dentistry was written in 1840.

§  Chapin A. Harris published his first book; “The Dental Art”. It describes practices about soldering knobs on bands to assist tooth rotation as well as applying gold caps to molars to open the dental bite.

RETAINERS FOREVER

Retainers are for life....

Life after braces is a long road that we would love to keep your smile straight and perfect.

When are you finish with your with your retainers?  Well the only insurance that your teeth will be straight forever is to make sure you wear your retainer on a regular basis for as long as you'd like to keep them straight.  So the answer is NEVER!

Now don't let that news scare you too much....

We ask our patients to wear their retainers for the first month full time (24/7 except eating and brushing) 20-22 hrs a day.  Then after they have worn it for the first month we ask our patients to wear retainers 1/2 the time (12 hrs EX: 6pm-6am) and then nightly after that.  

Sometimes you forget to wear a retainer over the weekend and your retainer is very tight on Monday morning???

How Much Toothbrush Are You Using?

When brushing your teeth many people are using way too much...

For years on commercials we all see the toothpaste companies swirling on a large dollop of toothpaste filling the whole toothbrush bristles from end to end.  

We suggest using a pea size amount of paste so that not only you can see where you are brushing but also minty fresh breath.  It is more important to get all of the food and plaque off of all of the teeth and gums.  For patients that are having a hard time removing this we tell our patients to brush for one minute with just wet toothbrush so that you can easily rid the teeth of debris and then use a small pea sized amount to freshen breath and add a shield for the teeth to help keep them clean and healthy throughout the day.

Some toothpaste have a 12 hour "shield" to help protect the teeth from the sugars and acids we put on our teeth when eating and drinking. 

The ADA (American Dental Association) recommends  brushing twice a day, with a soft bristled toothbrush.  It should fit in your mouth easily so that you can make sure you can use all the proper angles to get all the debris  off of every tooth and gums.

They also recommend switching your brush 3-4 times a year so that the bristles don't fray or flatten.  

The ADA also states people should see a dentist or dental hygienist at least every 6 months for a regular dental cleaning and exam.

Halloween Candy Sweet Swap!!

SWEET SWAP TIME

HALLOWEEN SEASON MEANS it’s time for our Sweet Swap! Do your kids bring home more candy from trick-or-treating than you want them to eat? Do they only eat a few of their favorite pieces and leave the rest to go stale? Whatever the reason for the excess candy stash at your house, we’re giving you a way to trade it for something that doesn’t cause tooth decay! 

Don’t Let Candy Turn Into Cavities!

The health of your children’s teeth is always one of our top priorities, and that’s even truer around Halloween. This is why we’re hosting an event to help your family get something out of all that candy—besides sugar-highs, toothaches, and upset stomachs.

The event in question is our “Sweet Swap,” where we give your children a chance to swap out their extra candy for sweet prizes!

When Is Our Sweet Swap?

 

Start turning in your extra candy today until November 16th!

Trunk or Treats have already begun so you are able to get that unwanted candy out of your house as soon as possible!

 

How Does Our Sweet Swap Work?

Bring your candy in and we will give  our patients points on the computer (Century Points) which will add to the total points they are collecting. Not only will our patients be rewarded for trading in your sweets, but you can be entered for sharing fun pictures on social media as well!

Participating Is Easy!

Step 1: Take a picture with a fun social sign to show you’ll be swapping your extra sweets for fun prizes.
Step 2: Post the photo to Facebook, and tag our practice location.
Step 3: Receive a raffle entry to win a prize!

We Hope You’ll Bring Your Friends Too!

Our Sweet Swap is not exclusive to our patients! If you have any friends, family, neighbors, or coworkers you think might be looking to get rid of extra Halloween candy too, invite them to attend and join in all the fun!

Check out our Facebook page for more Sweet Swap information and updates!

 

 

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

 

 

2015 Staff Photos

Century 2015 Staff Photos

Getting Braces Off! -TIME LAPSE

Sydney gets her braces off!!

How Much Do You Wear Your Rubberbands???

Everyday our patients come in, we ask, "How are your rubberbands doing?"  "Great"our patients respond.

If we ask, so how much are you wearing your elastics? Then we start getting some crazy answers that we aren't always sure how much that actually is.

It is really hard to get a straight answer.  This is how we judge the amount of time our patients are wearing them.

When patients say they are "trying" to wear them, Dr. Waxler response with a phrase from Yoda, "there is no try, there is do and not do"

The best way to figure out how much time they are wearing them is to ask when do they take the elastics out. That's the best way so far.