Align Technology has provided orthodontists with a novel treatment that has enabled us to serve patients who otherwise would never have considered treatment with traditional braces. Initially, we only offered Invisalign® in simple cases with moderate spacing or crowding. We did not attempt to correct severe bite problems, such as overbite and open bite cases. The past few years have brought significant changes to our Invisalign® possibilities. Technological advances such as digital scanning of teeth contours and improved aligner plastic have contributed to a farm more accurate fit of the appliance. A better fitting aligner means more streamlined movements of teeth. Thus Invisalign® has become the treatment of choice for most adults and teenagers. The advantages of having Invisalign® treatment vs. braces include shorter treatment times, less discomfort, and easier cleansability. The cost of treatment is about the same, so increasingly patients are choosing Invisalign® treatment. Coming soon are overbite…
Author: smilespecialadmin
Do it Yourself Orthodontists…
Categories: Brace Yourself Blog
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…
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…
Align First, Then Check the Bite
Categories: Brace Yourself Blog
Following this simple rule has prevented jaw surgery for many of our patients! Often, the upper front teeth are poorly positioned so that the lower jaw has to move away from it’s proper position in order to find closure. Usually in this type of situation, the lower jaw will posture forward and often to the side. When this occurs, the patients face appears asymmetrical and / or the lower jaw looks over-sized. Over the years dozens of patients have been misdiagnosed elsewhere and came to us for a second opinion- and they were spared from radical treatment. Both of these patients were informed that they needed to have jaw surgery-they sought our opinion to avoid surgery.
Patient Appreciation Party Rescheduled
Categories: Brace Yourself Blog
We are sorry to say that we have to CANCEL our patient appreciation party this Saturday, May 6th due to the unfortunate weather. Saturday’s forecast looks like it will be raining all day long and to make the best of the party, we have decided to move the the party to another date. Rain Date: Saturday, June 24th 12pm – 4pm If you already received your T-Time, please keep that time for June 24th. If you need to cancel your reservation, please contact the office at . If you can make the June 24th date and would like to join the party, please call the office to sign. up. We are very sorry that we have to cancel this event but we want to make sure that all of our patients get the best patient appreciation party that they deserve. We plan on having a day filled with mini-golf, music,…