Staff Photos 2015

Here are the Beginning to our Century Staff Photo shoot we are missing a few staff members but that's ok they had other fun things going on today.  Shannon had her baby April 30th. Vicky is on Vacation so we will just have to take pictures of them when they get back!  I included photos of the 3 new babies that made it into the world this year from our office! 

Angi, Heather, and Shannon all had babies in 2015!

Angi

Heather

Jane

Kimberly

Michelle

Sandy

Tara 

Teri

Xavier

Preston

Zoey



Faster Treatment with Propel Orthodontics

What is Propel?

Propel is a micro-invasive treatment that uses mirco-osteoperforations to stimulate the bone to remodel faster therefore "Excellerate" your tooth movement.

What does Propel do?

Propel is a way to have straight teeth faster.  This process straightens teeth in almost half the time it would normally take to treat any patient. This product excellerates treatment and allows picture-perfect selfies delivered ahead of schedule.

Did you know?

74% of adults have incorrect bites or crooked teeth.  It makes it hard to difficult to remove plaque and food debris from teeth. 

If left untreated, there is an increased risk for tooth decay. 

Micro-Osteoperforation with Propel is:

• Clinically proven safe and effective
• Doctor-performed in just a few minutes during your regularly scheduled office visit
• Used with any form of tooth movement

Benefits:

• Faster results without inconvenience.
• Can be used with any from of tooth movement.
• Procedure is done at regular office visit
• Saves time with fewer visits
• Not surgery and no recovery time

What is an Expander?

What is an Expander?

Expanders are used for certain conditions when the upper jaw or palate is narrow. Expandtion can be done before adulthood, the palate is actually two seprate bones connected down the middle by a non-bony suture.

Fixed Rapid Palatal Expander

Advantages of this technique include more room to align the teeth, a broader more esthetic smile, a more stable final result and sometimes even easier to breathing through your nose!
Relatively heavy forces applied quickly (to minimize orthodontic tooth movement) will cause the two palatal bones to separate.  After a period of time new bone fills in and preserves the increased width of upper jaw.

A typical expansion procedure involoves activation of the appliance once a day for about 3-4 weeks.  This is followed by 3-4 months of stabilization before the appliance is removed.

For most patients it is the size and bulkiness of the expander that make it the most uncomfortable. Soreness of teeth can be expected and, as the appliance expands the mid facial bones, some discomfort under the eyes and around the nose may occur.  A large space can be expected to open between the front, center teeth.  This is because one tooth goes with the right side the other goes with the left side, each is a seprate bone.  This movement stretches the gum tissue between the incisors; and over a period of a few months they will be pulled back together.  Fixed (glued in) appliances are almost always necessary to acheive an ideal alignment.

When expanding:

If you experience a GREAT deal of pain activating the appliance, you are unable to turn the screw, or if the appliance becomes loose we ask our patients to call our office and make an appointment IMMEDIATLEY!

If you are unable to make the observation appointment during the expansion phase DO NOT continue to expand past your appointment date.

The most important part: Might not be fun, but it is FAST!

Do you recycle braces?

Do you recycle braces?

 

Patients sometimes ask this question when they are getting ready to get their braces on.  The answer is NO.  When would NEVER put your braces/appliances on someone else.  Braces and appliances are unique to each patient and would not work on another patient.  The other reason we Never recycle braces and appliances is because it is unsanitary and we wouldn't want someone elses braces and neither would you.

 

We don't, however, throw them away.  We reuse them in the form of a mini sclupture that we give to our patients so they have a souveiner of their orthodontic experience.

Souveiner Appliance

Am I Too Old?

Am I too old for braces?

Our adult Patients ask this all the time. 
You are never too old to have a beautiful smile.  Teeth will move at any age.
(This is why we suggest all patients wear a removable retainer at night for the rest of their lives)

Patients think that coming to the orthodontist is something that is for teens only, but this just isn't the case.  We treat patients from all ages 3-85+.  Our oldest patients was 85 and drove a red mustang so you are only as old as you feel. 

We think that everyone should have the opportunity to have a pretty smile.  Patients may have had straight teeth all their lives may have movements or crowding in their adult years.  So if you are an adult don't feel bad you are not alone.

The rest of our bodies are always changing what makes are teeth different? NOTHING!

The leaps in technology allow our adult patients options that were not available 20 years ago.  Orthodontist can now offer you straight teeth without anyone knowing you are straightening your teeth.  There are now products on the market that allow doctors to straighten teeth using nearly invisible brackets and or clear plastic aligners.  These tools attract our adult patients because they won't have to show off a silver smile while the work is being done.

Clear braces and Invisalign give confidence to patients that could not have orthodontic treatment when they were young.

A smile is the best thing you can put on in the morning so wouldn't you like to show it off??
Make a call to the Orthodontist today if you are thinking about making your smile straight.

When should I see an Orthodontist?

What age should you first see an orthodontist?

The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends that children have an orthodontic check up before the age of 7.

The reason for this examination are to check the position of molars when they first erupt.  At this time the orthodontist can evaluate the position of the molars and the relationship of the biting surfaces.  This allows the doctor to discover any functional shifts or cross-bite as well.

At this time incisors (front teeth) have begun to erupt and problems can be detected such as crowding, biting issues, habits with tongue or fingers and also any jaw problems.

For some patients this allows the doctor to start early treatment. This early treatment can be beneficial when the patient is growing and significantly reduce later treatment time.

Resources:

www.braces.org

#CenturyORTHO @Centuryortho

Twitter & Instagram Leading the Way

For Social Media

 

Twitter and Instagram are the leading way people are getting their names across in Social media.  When our patients tweet: "Heading to @centuryortho to get my braces checked"  This helps us get our name out there.  Everytime a patient Tags a photo or #Centurysmiles (hashtags) we are putting our name out there not just for our city to see but for the whole world to see.  It allows our name to get out into the world of the internet.

 

This helps us get our name on the first page in a google search for Orthodontists in Ballwin.  It helps us provide an easy way to help our patients find us.

 

Hashtags help us keep in the loop it helps our name go viral.  If you love #CenturyOrthodontics and want to help us out, Hashtag, that our name and post a picture.

Thanks for your support!

Remember everytime you #Centuryortho or Tag @Centuryortho you are helping us!



#Centuryorthodontics