How Orthodontic Patients Can Avoid a Sticky Situation this Halloween

Five orthodontic-friendly recommendations from McSURDY Orthodontists October is National Orthodontic Health Month. And each October, thousands of kids have one thing on their mind: Halloween candy!  For orthodontists, the Halloween season is all about helping patients avoid potentially sticky situations. October is the perfect time of year to learn about orthodontic health and how an orthodontist helps patients achieve beautiful, healthy smiles. Besides, everyone knows that Halloween candy can give any orthodontist a scare! Here are five timely tips to help protect braces, aligners and other orthodontic “appliances” while protecting teeth from decay. Let sticky foods RIP. If it’s hard, sticky, chewy or crunchy, stay away! Avoid caramel, taffy, bubblegum, licorice, gummies or any snack that can damage brackets or wires. Also, be sure to say “boo” to hard-shelled peanut candies, nuts or nut-filled candies, taco chips and popcorn (especially un-popped kernels). Choose “spooktacularly” soft foods. Opt for soft chocolates, peppermint…

Maintaining Your Post-Invisible Aligner Smile

Invisible aligners have become an attractive alternative to braces in recent years. Being able to get all the benefits of braces with such a low-profile appliance that can be removed for brushing, flossing, and eating can make the orthodontic process far more palatable. But what’s next after you’ve progressed through every aligner tray and your teeth are perfectly aligned? What will it take to maintain the smile you’ve always wanted? Wear Retainers As Recommended In some cases, the final invisible aligner tray can be used initially as a full-time retainer and eventually as a nighttime one after the patient’s teeth are correctly aligned. In others, a separate retainer will be recommended, and those tend to be sturdier. No matter what type of retainer you end up with, be sure to follow the care instructions in order to keep it clean and effective as long as possible. The reason it’s important to use retainers after…

Why Choose Invisalign?

There are many reasons to choose Invisalign over braces. These include: similar costs, better esthetics, no emergency visits and better soft tissue comfort. Align technology highlights all of the advantages very well. Amazingly though, there is still a better reason that Invisalign should be chosen over braces wherever possible. Invisalign offers the huge advantage of virtually NO PAIN. I personally self-treated with Invisalign and I was amazed that I experienced no pain. Hundreds of others that I treated reported the same thing and they remembered well the tooth soreness from prior braces treatment. Below is a picture of a patient who had Invisalign Teen. Treatment time was only 10 months. If this patient chose to do traditional braces, treatment time would have been 18 months.   Having treated over 1,100 Invisalign patients, I can think of only a few who told me they actually felt soreness. I’ve treated nearly 20,000…

Referral Program

Starting January 16th we will be changing our rewards program. As always, we want to thank you for sending your family and friends to our office. Please see below how the program has changed. We are looking forward to implementing this program and giving out some awesome prizes!  When you refer any non-family member to our office (and they start active treatment*) you will be rewarded two ways: A $25 gift card to a retailer of your choice. A chance to enter the grand prize drawing.  The grand prize is a Fuji Film Instax 70 Camera. There will be two winners, one per office location. *Active treatment is considered traditional braces or Invisalign.

Self Improvement

Orthodontics is all about self-improvement. We are very thankful to have the opportunity to improve your smiles. Helping you look great boosts your confidence and enables you to optimize your dental health. The trend today is to want to look your best, stay healthy, and fit. Workout centers are everywhere and they are always busy. I urge you to seek self improvement in every way possible. The past few years, I’ve enjoyed staying fit, but also have focused on reading. I am not just reading anything, but I am reading books that focus on self-improvement. I’ve shared these books with my friends and family. It is consensus that the favorites are by Andy Andrews. The Noticer and The Traveler’s Gift being the most liked. Adults favor Og Mandino and well as Andy Andrews. Og wrote The Greatest Miracle in the World and The Greatest Salesman in the World. Reading these…