Did you know that Smile Direct club was started in 2013 by four businessmen from Nashville, TN? Smile Direct club offers simple orthodontic treatment – limited to the front 6 teeth for mild crowding or spacing. The patient completes an online questionnaire and buys a $95 impression kit. They take their own impression and take 7 photographs of their teeth at different angles. The doctors who are employed by SDC submit the treatment plan to Align technology to make the aligners which are then mailed to the patient. The patient then orders retainers as well which are made by Align. Did you know that Align is the company that makes Invisalign? Here are the issues with SDC treated patients. The patient assumes responsibility for errors in impression taking. It takes a lot of training and practice to be able to take an error free impression. Impressions are less accurate than…
Month: June 2017
Soda, Braces, And Your Teeth
Categories: Brace Yourself Blog
What’s In That Drink? You probably already know that soda is chock full of sugar, but did you know that it’s also highly acidic? For reference, stomach acid, one of the strongest acids, has a pH of 1.5, whereas water is neutral at a pH of 7. Sodas generally range in acidity from a pH of 2-4. The strong acidity from citric and phosphoric acids is actually the reason for all the sugar—without it, soda would be too sour to drink! Effects On Teeth The sugar and acid in soda launch a two-pronged attack on your oral health. Sugar is bacteria’s favorite food, so you’re giving the bacteria in your mouth a feast when you drink anything full of sugar, which allows them to reproduce faster. You’ll end up with bad breath and a higher risk of cavities as a result. As for the acid, the protective enamel coating your teeth…