Dentists and orthodontists usually have different perspectives. General dentists look at the overall health of your child’s teeth and mouth. He or she examine how well your child is brushing/flossing and if there are any cavities. And while the dentist looks at both the upper and lower teeth, they may not be focused on evaluating how your child’s teeth fit together. Orthodontists are looking at the bit, meaning, the way the teeth match up together. A perfect smile not only includes straight teeth, but also how the upper and lower teeth match up when biting. This is the orthodontist’s specialty....
What is an Orthodontist?
What is an Orthodontist? Orthodontists and dentists both help patients improve their oral health, but in different ways. Dentistry is a broad medical specialty that deals with the teeth, gums, nerves, and jaw. Orthodontics is a specialty within dentistry that focuses on correcting bites, jaw alignment and growth and the straightness of teeth. Orthodontists attend a 2-3 year residency program after becoming a dentist. These years are spent mastering the nuances of tooth movement, growth and development and malocclusion so they can best treat people of all ages. Think of it this way. You have your primary care doctor, they...
What Is That Noise (Do I Have TMJ)?
What Is That Noise (Do I Have TMJ)? Place your hand on either side of your face. Now, open and close your mouth. That is your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) at work. The joint connects the lower jaw to the temporal bone on either side of your face. The joint is capable of both hinge and sliding motions, which is what allows us to do important things like chew, talk, and yawn. While people often refer to problems with the joint as TMJ, that is the name of the joint itself and the pain is actually a disorder of the TMJ....
Facebook Trends That Are Destroying Teeth
Facebook Trends That Are Destroying Teeth I can not tell you how many times patients get finished with the treatment and want to whiten their smile. We get questions all the time about the latest crazes that are finding their way onto facebook about “cheap” and “whiten at home” options. While they are effective at whitening teeth, they are actually doing more harm than good. Let’s take a look at a few: Use of lemon juice or other natural acids to whiten teeth. Acid erodes the enamel. Enamel is the hard, outer surface layer of your teeth that is protects...
How To Maintain A Healthy Diet In Braces
How To Maintain A Healthy Diet In Braces Getting used to life with braces means learning what you can and can’t eat. When you get braces, you will need to change some of your eating habits because eating certain foods, such as nuts or hard candy, can damage or break your braces, ultimately leading to prolonged treatment. The most important thing to remember is to avoid foods that are hard, chewy, crunchy, sticky or gooey! Here are some great tasty options to eat: Dairy (yogurt, pudding, soft cheeses) Steamed instead of raw veggies Soft Breads like tortillas Spaghetti, macaroni &...
Caring For Your Smiles After Braces
Caring For Your Smiles After Braces Caring for your smile does not stop when your braces come off. Your retainer is a KEY component to your orthodontic treatment. Retainers are typically worn full time for 8 weeks following the removal of braces, followed by indefinite nightwear for the rest of your life. Maintaining your beautiful new smile requires wearing your retainers as directed. Your teeth will begin to move, even if the movements are minor, if retainers are not worn as directed. Sometimes, movements are large enough, correction can only be made with braces. Sometimes, if the movement is minor,...
Thumb Sucking And Binky Wearing
Thumb Sucking And Binky Wearing Did you know that every child is born with the need to suck? Thumb sucking and binky sucking habits are normal behaviors for children to soothe themselves. But the question we hear all the time is: when do I need to stop my child! As the child grows, the comforting habit can begin to cause more harm than good. While it is completely natural for children to engage in thumb sucking during the first few years of life, prolonging the habit can do damage to the jaw’s growth pattern. Dr. Hough recommends completely stopping the...
Maintaining Good Oral Hygiene
Maintaining Good Oral Hygiene While undergoing orthodontic treatment, oral hygiene is extremely important. Proper brushing and flossing is vital to keeping your teeth and gums healthy. It is essential in preventing the development of stains, streaks or other structural damage on the teeth. The damage can present itself in the form of permanent white spots, brown spots, cavities, and/or gum disease. In order to prevent this from happening, you must develop a good system of cleaning your teeth and gums every day. At your initial braces or appliance placement appointment, one of our staff members will teach you how to...
What’s the Difference Between a General Dentist & an Orthodontist
What’s the Difference Between a General Dentist & an Orthodontist? How many times a day or even a week, do you search for something on google? The internet has ushered in an amazing time, the Information Age. The downside to the vast knowledge of humankind at our fingertips is that there is a plethora of information that often is misinformation and/or confusing with conflicting articles available in top searches for consumers. Myth or Fact? Someone who offers braces or Invisalign is an orthodontist. That is in fact a myth. While general dentist are able to perform orthodontic treatment, only an...