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How Does Orthodontics Affect The Environment? | FACTS 2020

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How does orthodontics affect the environment? A straight, white smile and healthy teeth are important to us. We screw up the courage to go to see the orthodontist to make our teeth straight and healthy. Sitting on the chair awaiting the application of hardware to make it so, we have no thought of sustainability. That’s okay because our orthodontist does. He has a duty not only to us but to the environment. We don’t even think of the carbon footprint of his office. We don’t recognize there are items inside that office that impacts our world. Our orthodontics professionals do their best work to make both better. In this post, we’ll show you how they do it? Let’s crack on…

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Teeth-friendly Fruits & Vegetables No. 3: Kiwi 1

Teeth-friendly Fruits & Vegetables No. 3: Kiwi

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A Healthy Smile is a Happy Smile

You know how important your teeth are. You are faithful about flossing every day and brushing after every meal. You see your dental hygienist and visit the dentist’s office when you should. You eat the right kind of foods as well, such as kiwi, to protect your teeth from decay. No matter how well you take care of oral hygiene, orthodontic issues can still get in the way. If you are dealing with spacing problems, an overbite, or an underbite, an orthodontist can help.

Learn About Your Treatment Options

When you hear the word orthodontist, you think braces. There have been many advances in the field, providing you with more options. You don’t have to go the route of traditional braces with metal brackets and wires. You can consider Invisalign. Invisalign allows you to wear aligners that are clear at least 22 hours a day. They are custom-made for you and will shift your teeth into the proper position over time. The treatment time and cost is similar to traditional methods. Many patients prefer the clear aligners because they are removable and no one notices them while you are wearing them.

Fix Your Smile Today

Contact Gorton & Schmohl Orthodontics today to set up your consultation. There’s no reason to put off a visit to our helpful team of professionals. It is our goal to help you make the most of your smile.

Dr. Jasmine Gorton

Dr. Bill Schmohl

When your teeth are aligned properly and your jaw is flowing smoothly, you will find more reasons to flash those pearly whites every day. Let Gorton & Schmohl Orthodontics be your partner in good oral hygiene.

Gorton & Schmohl Orthodontics 900 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 200, Larkspur, California 94939 415-459-8006

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5 Reasons Widely Spaced Teeth Impact Your Health

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How Can Widely Spaced Teeth Impact Your Overall Health? Widely spaced teeth are a concern not merely for the vain or those overly concerned about their appearance. There are a number of serious concerns associated with widely spaced teeth, including Gingivitis, mouth sores, and tooth decay. In general, widely spaced teeth lead to the extra build up of bacteria including tartar and plaque. The impact of this can be severely life-damaging and, at the very least, highly inconvenient.

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Chronic Health Conditions & Extra Dental Care [2019 FACTS]

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Children with long-term health issues require special care. While you may carefully monitor your child’s health by attending extra doctor’s appointments and watching for new symptoms, you may be unaware of the effects that their condition has on their oral health. Many of the most common chronic health conditions that children face create changes in their mouth that require you to prioritize helping them pay extra attention to their teeth and gums.

 

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Mandibular Advancement {a New Approach to Fixing an Overbite}

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Larkspur, CA – Gorton & Schmohl Orthodontics, a leading orthodontic practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, is now using the Mandibular Advancement version of Invisalign clear aligners to help teens correct their “overbite.” This new, modern method has been adopted to make it more comfortable to provide treatment for teens whose lower jaw is positioned too far back, resulting in extra space between their top and bottom teeth in a front to back direction. Parents looking for a more patient-friendly approach to correct overbites, gaps, and overlapping teeth for their children can contact the office for a consultation via their website.

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Devices that Speed-Up Treatment (Explained!) 2

Devices that Speed-Up Treatment (Explained!)

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Devices that Speed-Up treatment. The one similarity among many human beings is the fact that no one frowns upon the notion of a beautiful grin. The reality, however, is that not so many people are thrilled about having to use braces for years in order to attain a straight smile. For many adults and teenagers alike, receiving the news that orthodontic treatment may take as much as three years for you to notice results often tends to be a very bitter pill to swallow.

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The Real Effects of Sugary Snacks on Teeth (EPIC FACTS) 3

The Real Effects of Sugary Snacks on Teeth (EPIC FACTS)

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What you eat can make a stark difference in preventing cavities from forming and reducing the number of dental procedures needed to correct problems with the teeth, gum, and jawbone. Sugary foods, including sugary snacks and beverages, can create dental problems for toddlers, children, teenagers, and adults. Persons wearing dental appliances such as expanders, braces, aligners, or retainers are even more vulnerable. These are orthodontic treatments designed to straighten crooked teeth and correct jaw misalignment.

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TO PULL TEETH OR NOT? 4

TO PULL TEETH OR NOT?

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TO PULL TEETH OR NOT?

At Gorton & Schmohl Orthodontics, we are passionate about our work and our commitment to non -extraction techniques have always been an important part of our practice. Our extensive experience treating adults as well as children has only reinforced this, since we can see the long term effects of different orthodontic treatments on not only the teeth, but the surrounding gums, bone and overall health.
There are 2 approaches to resolving significant crowding- make room so that the teeth can fit or remove permanent teeth so that the teeth don’t need to fit because they are not there anymore. Both approaches will result in the teeth looking straight and fitting together well, yet there are many other esthetic, health and patient experience issues that should also be taken into consideration…

A few points to consider:

1) Q: WHAT IF THEY ARE JUST BABY TEETH?

What about removing some baby canine teeth so that the front permanent teeth have room to line up better?

A: Removing the baby canine teeth is officially the path to a process called “serial extraction”. Sometimes doctors are not clear in communicating that after the baby canines get extracted, then next comes removal of the baby first molars (x4) so that the permanent canines can come in. Lastly, the PERMANENT first premolars (x4) need to be removed, since at some point the severe lack of space still needs to be addressed. The parents are always very happy with the “easy” solution to have great esthetic improvement in the straightness of the front teeth once those first baby teeth are removed, but they don’t realize that the path ends in removal of permanent teeth

2) FACIAL APPEARANCE LONG TERM

The normal pattern of aging is for the face to flatten and sag. The position of the front teeth and thickness of the lips influence the extent to which this will happen. Removing permanent teeth can lead to less support of the lips, creating a more flat profile. The effects of this are less obvious at the end of treatment in a young teenager, only becoming more apparent in the adult years.

3) OVERALL HEALTH LONG TERM

Yes, your mouth can affect your overall health!
Research studies are showing that the collapse of the dental arches can contribute to sleep apnea /snoring later in life, as the tongue has less space and gets pushed back towards the throat. This appears to be more prevalent for people who were treated with removal of permanent teeth or with headgear, as these both maintain or even further reduce the space available inside the mouth. While snoring can be viewed as a lifestyle concern, it can also be indicative of a more serious health concern such as sleep apnea. The pauses in breathing that happen with sleep apnea are correlated with heart failure/higher mortality rates after age 50.

4) THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS OF EXPANDERS

There are 2 different approaches expansion for young children (usually 2nd/3rd grade). One approach is to widen the middle part of the face (upper jaw, nose) and the other is to widen only the teeth and the bone immediately above the teeth that holds the permanent teeth.

In our office, we have a low dose CBCT 3D x-ray to determine which kind of expander would be best for each patient. For patients with a narrow airway on the x-ray and/or a history of relatively consistent snoring, we recommend the more comprehensive approach of expanding as much as possible. Otherwise, have the alternative of a slower, more customizable expander or we can use Phase 1 Invisalign for the expansion (no difference in fee and more patient-friendly). For patients needing a lot of upper expansions, we also provide a lower expander to make sure the teeth don’t get too far away from each other in a side-to-side direction. We have photos of our expanders on our website https://marinortho.com/making-space/

5) Q: WHAT IS THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE LIKE WITH EXPANSION?

a) FIRST APPOINTMENT (RECORDS): In our office, parents need not be concerned about our triggering a gag reflex- we no longer take impressions/molds for anyone, only scans (no radiation exposure with those). https://marinortho.com/3d-scanner-3d-printer/

We also take photographs with a regular camera and a low dose digital 3D CBCT xray. With the xray, nothing goes inside the mouth, it just spins around, similar to a panoramic 2D digital xray that some dentists have.
Unless Invisalign will be used for the expansion, 2 little rubber bands called “separators” are flossed into the area between the last 2 upper teeth on each side. These can make the teeth feel a little bit sore for a couple of days and this can be soothed with either Tylenol or gentle vibration. https://marinortho.com/acceledent/

b) SECOND APPOINTMENT (EXPANDER): Unless Invisalign will be used for the expansion, the separators are removed and the upper expander is fit, adjusted, then “glued in” for the duration of treatment (usually 6-12 months). Since it can feel strange to talk/swallow for the first couple of days with the new expander, we do not do any activation that first appointment in order to minimize any soreness from tooth movement initially.

7) They can see exactly what the expanders look like on our website..

8) We do not charge for our consults – they can book online https://marinortho.appointlet.com/ or by phone 415-459-8006

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I Don’t Have Any Dental Problem: Should I Still Visit and Orthodontist

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You’ve gotten a clean bill of health from your dentist, but does that mean there are no more oral health issues that can trip you up? No. Even if your teeth are strong, it is a good idea to check with a specialist to ensure that that your teeth are aligned correctly.

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How to Maintain Your Braces

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Metal Braces

How to Maintain Your Braces

Braces are something that many people use to get a more beautiful, straighter smile. But while braces are designed to provide minimal hassle to the wearer on their journey to the smile of their dreams, you can’t exactly continue to live your life as you did before your braces went on. Braces require upkeep and care if you want them to perform to their highest efficiency.

But what exactly do you need to do differently when wearing braces? What is the correct way to maintain your braces?

Oral Hygiene and Your Braces

We all know that oral hygiene is important. Proper brushing and flossing keeps bacteria in the mouth to a minimum and can prevent tooth decay or gum disease. But when you have braces, the need for proper oral hygiene habits can increase.

Braces provide more spaces and crevices for food to get stuck in. They can make it more difficult for our toothbrush to reach the area around or gums and flossing can be a hassle with the metal bars in the way. Furthermore, the metal of the braces can cause a bleaching reaction on the teeth if not properly taken care of. If you want your braces to be removed to reveal a beautiful smile, you’ll need to properly clean your teeth, the area between your braces, and the gaps between your teeth.

Although proper oral hygiene habits can be slightly difficult with braces, they are still incredibly important – possibly even more so. Talk with your orthodontist about the best way to clean between your braces or if they have special tools to help remove all the unwanted food and bacteria.

Listen to Your Orthodontist

With each visit to your orthodontist, you will probably be given more or a new set of instructions on how to maintain your braces. This may include the use of rubber bands or other additional items created to help give you the results you’re after.

Take your orthodontist’s instructions seriously and follow through with everything you are told. While the extra step of care may seem unnecessary to you, it is a crucial step to ensuring your braces are doing their job and that they are staying on schedule.

Your orthodontist may also give you advice on how to better take care of your braces, such as new ways to clean them or recommendations for getting in hard to reach areas. While you may think your orthodontist is just being overly precautious because it is their job, they do know best.

Follow a Braces-Friendly Diet

Maintaining your braces can also come from eating a diet that won’t do damage to your teeth or the braces themselves. This usually means avoiding things that are high in sugar, high in acidity, or extremely sticky or tacky items that may pull some of your braces right from your teeth – a problem that is a hassle for everyone involved.

High sugar foods, such as sodas and candy, increase your risk of developing tooth decay. While sugar should be avoided with or without braces, because your braces make it more difficult to efficiently clean your teeth, you’re more likely to leave bits of sugar behind. If the sugar is not properly removed, your teeth may experience the consequences.

Highly acidic foods can damage your tooth enamel. Like sugar, your braces can make it difficult to remove the food completely from your teeth. While you have your braces on, it is best to stick to foods with low acidity, including bananas, milk, water, and eggs.

Choose a Mouth Guard

Playing a high contact sport with braces can cause damage to your braces, teeth, and mouth if you’re not properly protected. If you should be hit in the mouth by a ball or other player, you could break your braces, cut your mouth on the metal of the braces, or even cause damage to your teeth.

The use of a mouth guard can help protect you and your braces from any flying balls or flailing limbs. While a mouth guard purchased at a sports store would be better than nothing, a custom made mouth guard from your orthodontist can provide the best level of protection and comfort.

Not all sports would require a mouth guard. If you are involved in low contact sports such as swimming, cross country, or certain track events, you may not need a mouth guard even if you have braces. However, players of high impact sports, including football, soccer, and hockey should definitely use a mouth guard for protection.

Your braces are there to give you the smile you’ve always dreamed of having, but in order to get there, you need to put in the work to maintain them and keep your teeth healthy. With proper cleaning, protection, and care, you can have your braces removed on time to reveal a beautiful and healthy smile underneath.

Fix Your Smile Today

Contact Gorton & Schmohl Orthodontics today to set up your consultation. There’s no reason to put off a visit to our helpful team of professionals. It is our goal to help you make the most of your smile.

Dr. Jasmine Gorton

Dr. Bill Schmohl

When your teeth are aligned properly and your jaw is flowing smoothly, you will find more reasons to flash those pearly whites every day. Let Gorton & Schmohl Orthodontics be your partner in good oral hygiene.

Gorton & Schmohl Orthodontics
900 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 200, Larkspur, California 94939 415-459-8006