Jeddrah Goes to School

We are excited to announce that we now have an in office orthodontic lab. Jeddrah is not only a clinical assistant but she has been doing Dr. George’s study models for many years. Dr. George sent Jeddrah to Great Lakes Orthodontic School in New York for further training. She will be making our retainers, soldered appliances, and custom sport mouth guards. What a bonus this will be for George Orthodontics and our patients!

Stay On Course

Before you begin your orthodontic treatment, Dr. George will give you an estimate on approximately how long you will be in your braces. This is an estimate because everyone’s teeth move at a different pace. There are things you can do to help get your braces off in a timely matter.

1. Keep your teeth clean and spotless. Clean teeth do not decay. If you do get a cavity while in your braces you usually have to come in to see us to have the bracket or band removed so the dentist can repair the tooth. This can delay your orthodontic treatment.
2. Try not to miss your appointments. Sometimes when you miss your appointment we are not able to get you rescheduled right away. This can slow things up.
3. Avoid the chewy, sticky, hard crunchy foods. These foods will bend or break wires and loosen up bands and brackets. When the braces get damaged it can cause teeth to move the wrong way. You also have to schedule an extra appointment to have the braces repaired. It takes time to get things back on course. 
4. If Dr. George gives you elastics to wear to improve your bite,  wear them like instructed. In some cases patients can be in their braces months longer if they are not diligent about wearing them. The braces can’t come off until you are biting correctly. The only way Dr. George has of improving your bite is by you wearing your elastics.

It will all be worth it on that happy day when the braces come off and you get to see that BIG BEAUTIFUL SMILE!

Why the Photo Shoot Session?

When you come for your first appointment you might wonder, why are they taking all of these pictures? Taking photos of your teeth and facial features is all part of the very comprehensive exam that Dr. George does on all new patients.  These photos aid Dr. George in identifying and explaining the orthodontic treatment you may need.     

They also provide a record of how you or your child’s teeth and facial features were before orthodontic treatment. At the completion of treatment we will take a final series of photos. It is always exciting to see before and after pictures of our patients.

Yikes, What Can I Eat Now?

Okay now you have your braces on, does this mean no more popcorn? You’re thinking, but popcorn is my favorite food! Don’t worry. We are not going to take away your popcorn. Many foods, like popcorn you can eat but you have to do things a little bit differently with braces on. It is the hard kernels that can break the braces or bend the wire. Eat one soft kernel at a time to avoid accidentally getting a hard kernel.

A good rule to remember is to avoid foods that are hard, crunchy, chewy or sticky. When you begin your orthodontic treatment Dr. George will give you an estimate of how long you will probably be in your braces. One of the ways to keep this on track is to avoid foods that will damage the braces. When braces are broken or bent you will need to schedule an appointment to have them repaired. Sometimes we are not able to get you in right away and that can slow up your progress. A bent wire can even cause teeth to move in the wrong direction.

FOODS TO AVOID:

Sticky candy

Bubble gum

Hard nuts or chips

Hard bread

Beef jerky

Crunching on ice cubes

YOU CAN EAT:

Apples and carrots-cut them into bite size pieces and chew them with your back teeth

Corn on the cob-cut the corn off of the cob

Popcorn-only the soft kernels

Gum-sugarless only

Colored Braces?

Believe it or not, most children are really excited to get their braces. What is the first question they ask? Can I have colored braces? The answer to that is a definite YES!

Just in case you didn’t already know, the actual brackets or braces that are placed on the teeth are not colored. The colors are obtained by little elastics that get wrapped around each bracket. Every time your child comes for an appointment they can choose different colors. We have every color under the rainbow. They can choose their team colors, holiday colors, or go with almost any color they can imagine.

Guess what, the colored elastics are just not for the kids. Many of our adults like to go with their inner child! Go wild with colors!

Retainers for Life-You’re Kidding, Right?

Now let me explain. Retainers are important for a lifetime because as we age teeth shift just like other body parts, right? Even people who never had braces and always had straight teeth might see some changes occurring later in life.

At Dr. George’s we recommend full time retainer wear for the first six months after your braces are removed. That means 24 hours a day. You can take them out when you eat and brush your teeth. After the first six months you can go down to night time wear. It is important to keep this up for a year. At that time, it is okay to reduce it down to a couple of nights a week to maintain the alignment. If you want them to remain straight for the rest of your life, keep this simple routine up.

We have many adults who had braces as youngsters and are back in braces now because they didn’t wear their retainers. Your retainer is your guarantee that your teeth will stay straight and your smile beautiful for the rest of your life!

Are Dental X-rays Safe?

First of all let’s talk about how x-rays work. When an x-ray is taken the rays strike the film that is behind the teeth and this creates an image on the film. This not only shows the dentist if you have decay or gum disease but it shows cysts, abscesses and tumors.

The panalipse x-ray that we take at Dr. George’s shows us impacted, missing or extra teeth. It also shows us if your child’s permanent teeth are erupting properly and if there is adequate spacing. Dr. George recommends taking a panalipse at your first visit, before orthodontic treatment begins, during the course of orthodontic treatment and also upon completion of orthodontic treatment in order to monitor tooth eruption and treatment progress. If a tooth is not erupting properly it is better to know this early. Often times some early interceptive care can help guide teeth in the right direction when necessary.

You are exposed to many sources of radiation every day including; sun exposure, minerals in the soil, and from home appliances.  The amount of radiation to which you are exposed during the taking of dental x-rays is extremely small. In comparison, the amount of radiation you are exposed to during a panalipse x-ray is comparable to the amount you would be exposed to during a flight from Seattle to Los Angeles. Without the ability to see inside a tooth and beneath the gums, more disease would go unchecked and more teeth would be lost because proper treatment wasn’t started in time. If some dental problems are found and treated early, dental care is more comfortable and affordable. Dental x-rays are not without risk, but the risk is minuscule compared with the huge diagnostic benefit of keeping your natural teeth healthy and disease free.

Invisalign, the Clear Braces

Have you ever considered Invisalign, the clear alternative to traditional braces? Call George Orthodontics (425) 258-1121 for a complimentary exam to see if you are a candidate.

Dr. George is a Premier Preferred Provider for Invisalign!

Adults and Braces-Is It For You?

In the not too distant past it used to be rare to see an adult with braces. Well things have certainly changed! Approximately 30% of our patients now are adults.

Many people did not get braces when they were young. Either their parents could not afford it, or their teeth could not be straightened with the techniques of 40 years ago. Now they have problems with their teeth and gums or they are unhappy with their smile. Other people did have orthodontic treatment when they were young, but they did not wear their retainers and their teeth have shifted. Most adults get orthodontic treatment because they realize that taking care of your smile is part of taking care of yourself.

It is important to note, there is no age limit! Marcia, our treatment coordinator likes to tell the story of an 83 year old woman that scheduled an orthodontic exam in an office she worked at. This patient said she had 20 more years to live. She had always wanted straight teeth and she wanted braces! My recommendation, don’t wait until your 83. Consider braces or Invisalign now and have the enjoyment of years with a healthy beautiful smile. 

Our exams are complimentary and very informative so please feel free to call our office today and schedule a complimentary exam. At that appointment Dr. George will be able to let you know what would be involved in creating that beautiful healthy smile that you have always wanted.

425-258-1121

http://www.georgeorthodontics.com/