About Orthodontics

More Effective than Braces

Administrator — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:47:41 +0000

“I would probably be sitting here with a mouthful of metal instead of almost going on a year with a retainer” – Jennifer Long, patient.

According to KNBC News Los Angeles, there is a latest treatment that is actually more effective than braces. It is called “SureSmile”. It’s much faster than the traditional braces treatment and this has been proven by Orthodontist Adam Weiss when he treated his patient Jennifer Long.

The new treatment utilizes 3D scanning that aids the orthodontist to see a three dimensional view of the patient’s mouth. It’ll only take months for the teeth to align compared to the usual year or more treatment for braces. However, the bad side of this treatment is that, it is only available in developed countries such as the United States. It’ll perhaps be available to other countries soon.

Common problems

editor — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:28:20 +0000

Common problems include misaligned, discolored or chapped teeth set which disrupts the natural movement of the mouth. This is corrected by cosmetic dental procedure.To finish off one’s smile make-over, the dentist will create a detailed treatment agenda to meet the patient’s desire smile. This treatment will involve both cosmetic and functional feature as well as restorative procedures which will include teeth bleaching, bonding, crowning, veneers, orthodontic procedures, gum reduction as well as oral maxillofacial surgery. These kind of surgery tend to have post operation pains but with the right kind of anesthetics, there should not be that much problem with regards to coping with the post operation stress. The time it comes to be a serious problem is when the patient fails to follow the dentist’s orders. This could be as simple as eating cold food immediately or inability take the prescribed dosages a day. Either way, its best to follow the dentist’s advice.

Man gets freedom from TMJ pain

Administrator — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:01:08 +0000

I believe myself to have quite a high pain threshold but one of the things I can�t stand is an impacted tooth. But this� this story is a bit gruesome. Unfortunately, it is also true.

David Sisson, 55, was born with misaligned teeth, clinically known as malocclusion. For the last thirty years, he developed grinding of the teeth while asleep, got more pronounced when under stress which eventually led to pain in the neck, shoulders, head, and facial muscles. His appetite was suppressed and he developed bouts of depression.

He was eventually diagnosed with temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ, in 1984 but despite countless dental appliances and an accumulation of dental bills, he was still experiencing pain.

Until Dr. Jeff Loftus, an experienced dentist in Rapid City (his practice is Amazing Smiles), came along. He used specialized equipment such as �transcutaneous electrical neural stimulation (TENS), electromyography, jaw tracking and other scanning equipment.�

Source: Rapid City Journal

Reasons why to get braces

Administrator — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:41:21 +0000

First of all, having your teeth straightened out by wearing braces can do a lot of wonders for your smile. After all, one�s smile can light up the face more than an expensive face-lift does (okay, that was just my opinion, but don�t you agree?).

Another reason to have braces is that straightened teeth can help you chew your food better. Chewing is one of the preliminary steps in the process of digestion. Food not properly chewed can lead to incomplete digestion which then leads to indigestion. More nutrients can be extracted when food is properly chewed.

Two other reasons why to get braces

Administrator — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:41:22 +0000

Orthodontic treatment can prevent further problems in the future. Problematic teeth will be harder to clean and that means painful gums and your teeth will wear out by unnecessary abuse due to wrong positioning.

Another reason is that having your teeth fixed may help avoid developing a breathing problem. Teeth that are not aligned or positioned properly can affect the roof of your mouth. If it starts to block the air passages in your nose, you get breathing problems and not to mention snoring problems. Speech can also be affected. It has been known that certain lisps are affected by the positioning of the teeth.

Brace yourself!

Administrator — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:44:48 +0000

So you�ve decided to get braces. What next? Getting an orthodontic treatment involves multiple visits to your orthodontists. The first of which is spent in reviewing your dental records and then taking x-rays of your moth and head. These are needed so that a model of your teeth can be made accurately. The orthodontist will be able to design a plan for the treatment. Plans vary as they are suited to the needs of the patient. Oral surgery and recovery may be performed if necessary. The treatment may also last years, and retainers may be needed after the treatment.

When to get braces

Administrator — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:43:50 +0000

I�ve seen people as old as Methuselah wearing braces. Okay, I was half-joking on that part, but I do wonder when the right time to get orthodontic treatment is. According to a dentist friend, you can have it done at any age. But the best time to get one is during your teens as permanent teeth are formed during this period. The thing is, once you get older, the treatment also takes longer and probability of experiencing pain is higher. But I hope that does not prevent you from getting one, even if you are fifty or seventy. Everybody has the right to a beautiful smile.

3D Dental Impalnts in One Session

Administrator — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:05:37 +0000

Now that’s fast in the world of dental reconstructive surgery that normally took several months for the complete surgery to attain completion. There used to be a time when fitting after fitting follows the initial implant surgery that wasted time and increased dental phobias as dentists tried to get the best fit they could to make implants the best they could make them. Today’s powerful imaging technology and the accompanying software allows dentists and orthodontists to devise the best possible approach, creating single implants that can be inserted in a single day, no waiting for months till you get your full mouth of teeth and no repetitive fitting sessions, all done beforehand through computer imaging.
The final design for the impalnt being saved onto storage media or transmitted through the internet to the dental lab for fabrication, coming to the dental office as one complete unit ready for installation. Healing time is faster and the patient has less trauma should they have a tendency to fesr the dental chair for there is no repeat fitting all procedures done in one day using a precisely made implant complete with the necessary crowns and other parts.

Cone Beam Imaging Technology – Better Braces

Administrator — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:50:35 +0000

Computer cone beam imaging technology has allowed doctors to take more than just 2-D images of teeth but a whole and 3-d image of the teeth along with underlying bone structure. It has revolutionized the way braces are made, ensuring a tight fit most of the time if not all the time. There is however a hidden danger to such advanced and powerful imaging technology, radiation exposure that has been found to be more than three times that of traditional dental xrays. This has prompted the EU and UK dental industry to establish specific guidelines on how bets to protect patients and dentists alike form the hidden danger that is radiation from these powerful machines that really have been a far cry from previous hit and miss dentistry, but with accompanying risks as all technology brings.

Premature children Need more Orthodontic Attention

Administrator — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:44:38 +0000

As found out by researchers who have found that there is a higher risk of developing dental problems that may require extensive orthodontic attention through childhood to address any malformed teeth and underlying tissue that exaggerates itself as the child grows. these children who are born prematurely not only have insufficiently formed internal organs but may also have under-formed bones hence the high risk of malformed jaws, teeth and gums. Thankfully, orthodontics can fix these problems with ease, if they are caught and identified early and treated promptly enough to go ahead of developing malformations. This makes ample attention to any malformations as early as possible to give the child more chances of a normal set of teeth and a healthy smile.