Posts

teenager smiling in libarary

Teenagers Go Invisalign (FIND OUT WHY) | 7 Amazing Facts

In the past, a trip to the orthodontist for a teenager almost guaranteed a mouth full of metal. Spending the majority of high school with hardware on their teeth. It was devastating. Yet, teens no longer have to panic. Often, the use of Invisalign can straighten teeth without any noticeable hardware. In this post, we’ll get into why teenagers go Invisalign. Let’s get into it.

Read more

disabled montage

(5 Facts) Children with Chronic Health Conditions & Orthodontics

Parents today are much more aware of dental procedures that can improve or enhance their kids’ teeth for life. Pediatric dentists frequently refer children who are patients to an orthodontist who can evaluate them for the potential benefits of wearing braces. Diagnosing an orthodontic issue at a child’s optimum age can help to ensure that timely, effective treatment is provided. However, children with chronic health conditions sometimes need extra support or precautions when getting orthodontic work done. Here are a few tips for parents of a chronically ill child who is in need of orthodontic.

Read more

Doctor Checking little boy's teeth

What Kind of Training Do Pediatric Orthodontists Do?

What is a Pediatric Orthodontist? If you have aspirations of becoming a pediatric orthodontist, you are certainly not alone; in fact, millions of people across the country enroll in dental school each year to help bring this dream to fruition. However, it worth noting that the journey can be long, particularly for those interested in a dental specialty like orthodontics, for example. If you enjoy working with children, you will most likely enjoy the role of a pediatric orthodontist, but what does becoming a licensed practitioner in this field entails? In this article, we will be taking a closer look at the profession to help readers decide whether or not this is the right career choice for them.

Read more

invisible braces

The Invisible Braces Race

The field of orthodontics is full of excitement since new technology is constantly being developed that makes it faster and easier to get straighter teeth. While it is great to have options, you may also feel like your head is spinning every time you read about some new type of invisible braces. Naturally, you have a few things that you expect for your orthodontic treatment such as to feel comfortable throughout the process and get a better smile as fast as possible.

Read more…

reputation

Are Braces Painful? (5 ANSWERS)

Are Braces Painful? Your orthodontist just told you that you need to get braces. Undoubtedly, you are feeling a little anxious. When your first learned that you needed some form of tooth-straightening device to improve your smile, it is likely that there were many questions that went through your mind. First and foremost, you may have asked, when am I going to be able to get these things off? You are also no doubt concerned about what the end results would be or how will your teeth look.

Read more

smiling children

Wear a Smile: Be the Height of Fashion 2017

Lee Mildon believes that most people won’t notice your old clothing when you wear a smile. Your face is the first thing that people look at when meeting you, and having an attractive smile with straight teeth can make a difference in how you are greeted.
Read more
runner on track

How to Start Orthodontic Treatment 2017

Robert H. Schuller was a motivational speaker who believed that in order to succeed at anything, you have to start at the beginning. When you have crooked teeth that are difficult to brush and floss, you must begin to solve this problem by visiting an orthodontist.  Read more
?

Can Orthodontic Treatment Improve Your Future?

A healthy mouth and teeth are incredibly important to both our physical health and mental well-being. Basic dental care and appointments are essential, but sometimes not enough. Furthermore, orthodontics is the practice of treating irregularities of the teeth which impact the mouth or jaw.

Read more

manhattan beach office

Orthodontic Reputation Checklist 2017

reputation

What Makes a Good Orthodontist?

An orthodontist’s prime duty is to deal with correcting misaligned or malpositioned teeth. However, like many professions, there’s a difference between a good orthodontic specialist, and just an okay one. Here’s what makes an orthodontic practice a good one.

The Character of the Orthodontic Specialist

Just like any doctor, you want an orthodontic specialist who carries themselves in a way that makes you feel like you’re in good hands. This doesn’t apply just to the doctor. You would want everyone in the office to have a modicum of professionalism. The staff is an extension of this.
If you walk in, or call, and don’t feel at ease, then you will likely not want to deal with the practice.

A good orthodontic practice knows this and builds a reputation on it. The office will do everything possible to make you understand they know they’re doing. They want you to feel comfortable while they do it.

 

The Integrity of the Orthodontic Practice

Integrity is extremely important, and it consists of a lot of different things.

The truth about procedures and pricing – The practice should remain upright and honest about all things. This can include pricing, how a procedure works, and what outcomes to expect. For example, when discussing pricing for a procedure, the practice should readily let you know what that price includes. Is everything in there?

  • Appointments
  • Appliances (and additional appliances)
  • X-rays
  • Retainers
  • Other fees

The office should let you know if everything is included, or if you’re paying piecemeal for certain things. If they offer payment options, they should let you know about all the ones available to you, and not just the ones they would prefer you use. In addition, the office should make absolutely sure of what your insurance can and cannot cover. From there they should work with you to fill in any gaps in your coverage.

Establishing trust – You should find it easy to trust the practice and everything it does. The practice shouldn’t hold back any information from you about anything concerning a procedure.

Showing references and allowing you to look into the practice – The practice should offer references. You should be able to look up reviews of the practice and see what others have to say. Finally, peruse the practice’s website for testimonials. All of these things tie into the office’s integrity.

 

Professional Associations, Accreditation, and Ongoing Training

You want a Board Certified specialist. Board certification means the specialist has gone through 100’s of hours of training beyond what they need to claim the title of Orthodontist. This points to a degree of dedication above and beyond the norm.

In fact, that certification must be renewed every 10 years. This means the specialist goes through continuing training. Continuing training means the specialist is up-to-date with their knowledge and the techniques involved with orthodontics.

 

reputation
When on the practice’s website, you can also look for logos indicating they are a part of professional associations and boards.

Only specialists can claim the AAO association. All other associations and boards typically include AAO certified specialists. There are also associations by locality and greater geographic area. Associations and group affiliations show you are dealing with a professional.

Specifically, you’re dealing with a professional that maintains their credentials. These distinctions are important. They differentiate an orthodontic specialist from those who just practice some aspects of orthodontic dentistry.

 

Reputation is Key

A good orthodontic practice will offer various options, and help you to choose which will work best for you. That also means the practice should have the equipment and technology available to do the kind of work you need.
For example, if you had your heart set on clear aligners, you wouldn’t want the specialist to tell you that’s just not possible. You wouldn’t want them to say they don’t have the proper equipment.

The practice should let you know exactly why you’re not a candidate, and offer you a solution. Or, they should let you know there are alternatives that can work better or cost less.

 

The Ability to Answer Any and All Questions

A good orthodontic specialist can and should answer all of your questions. In fact, you should compile a list of questions to ask before your first visit. There’s no reason a specialist or the office cannot answer even your most detailed questions. Questions about treatment:

  • What does whole treatment plan entail?
  • When’s the best time to start the treatment?
  • Are there alternatives to the particular treatment?
  • What happens if you don’t go through with the treatment?
  • Questions about timeframes
  • Questions about all costs
  • What should you do between visits?
  • Questions about the practice and prices
  • How long has the practice existed?
  • How long has the specialist practiced?
  • Does the office have any references

Correspondingly, a good practice will not leave you in the dark about anything you want to know. So feel free to ask your questions. The practice should give you straightforward and honest answers to your questions, without fail.

 

A Good Rapport with Children and Young Adults

Many people who need braces find out at an early age. That means the specialist should have a good rapport with young people. Both the specialist and the office should make young people feel comfortable and welcome.
The specialists should have the ability to put both parents and children at ease about any procedure. They should have the ability to explain to both you and your child what a procedure entails and how it will affect their life.

This means the specialist should have compassion and empathy, as well as an overall friendly demeanor.
All of these things are the hallmark of a good orthodontic specialist. They’re also all signs the orthodontist has a reputation that he or she cares about and cultivates. Therefore, if you want a good orthodontic specialist, start with the professionals at Beach Braces, an orthodontic practice for all ages.

 

Beach Braces Orthodontics
220 N. Aviation Blvd
Suite A
Manhattan Beach
CA 90266
Phone: (310) 379-0006
Skype: Beachbraces
https://www.beachbraces.org/

Orthodontic Reputation Checklist 2017

orange-juice

2 Food Checklists to Avoid Brace Problems 2016

food

Food is essential. Most of us pretended our chewing gum was braces more than once throughout our childhood, but we didn’t have to live with them. It’s safe to say we all went through a phase where we thought wearing braces was cool, especially when our friends were showing off their cool new colorful bands. Orange and black during the Halloween season, and they boasted red and green when it was Christmas. We looked at our straight teeth in the mirror and tried to convince our parents they were crooked and we needed thousands upon thousands of dollars in metal in our mouths.

What were we thinking? There’s nothing particularly enjoyable about needing our smiles corrected, but many people go through life with crooked teeth easily fixable with the help of some orthodontic correction. Growing up, wearing colorful bands was a fun idea. Our friends who did require a mouth full of metal didn’t think it was so much fun when they realized just how limited they really were as it pertained to eating and basic oral hygiene. Braces might seem like a lot of fun to those who don’t wear them, but there’s some serious limitation involved. The biggest challenge comes when you can no longer eat your favorite things. Your orthodontist recommends avoiding a number of specific food items with orthodontics in your mouth.

Food to Avoid

Your orthodontic appliances are nothing more than metal and wire holding your teeth together to help straighten them and keep them in line. They’re not nearly as strong as you might imagine, which leaves them highly susceptible to damage from certain food items.

  • Sticky candy
  • Hard chocolate
  • Nuts
  • Hard taco shells
  • Popcorn
  • Ice
  • Pretzels
  • Crackers
  • Hard cookies
  • Gum
  • Hard candy

These are items your orthodontist wants you to stay away from at all costs. Each one is designed to taste amazing, but they’re not good for your mouth’s new hardware. Hard, sticky items such as these do a number on your orthodontics, which causes more problems for your mouth. These are foods most susceptible to becoming stuck in your metal or wires, and sometimes that’s more painful than anything else.

Its only for a while

It’s not easy to say goodbye to these items when your mouth is full of hardware, but you shouldn’t eat any of the items on this list. Try to remind yourself it’s not forever. You aren’t being asked to give up your favorite movie theater popcorn for the rest of our life. You’re only giving it up until your smile is picture perfect and your hardware is removed for good.

Your kids might not appreciate all the changes they’re making now that they have a mouth filled with hardware, but you will. Not only do they need to be extra careful with their food, they have to get rid of some nasty habits. Do your kids bite their nails or chew on their pens when they’re sitting in class? If they do, they have to stop now. These are both dangerous to the hardware in their mouth. It can cause the wires to snap, the metal to bend, and another trip to the orthodontist to become necessary.

Food to Be Careful With

As if avoiding things like hard Taco Tuesday when your mouth is full of metal isn’t depressing enough, that’s not all you have to be careful with. Your orthodontist is going to provide you a list of things you should be very careful eating when you have your new hardware applied to your teeth. These are foods you can eat, but you need to cut up, break apart, and be very careful with during your meals.

  • Subs
  • Corn on the cob
  • Croutons
  • Thin pizza crust
  • Bread
  • Raw veggies
  • Rolls
  • Burgers
  • Meat
  • Fruit

If you love these items, you’ll feel good knowing you can still eat them. Just be careful with them as you eat. Try cutting them into small pieces, breaking your bread apart, and pulling your corn off the cob. These items tend to get stuck in your mouth, which can cause some damage to the hardware in there. You’re not going to have a difficult time eating them if you’re just a bit more careful about what you put into your mouth.

The good news is you can still eat most anything you loved before, but you have to be careful. You might not be able to have hard taco shells on Taco Tuesday, but you can have soft ones for a while. When your hardware is removed, you can go back to eating anything you want without worrying about your expensive hardware breaking. If you’re a child reading this, it does get better.

Good Hygiene Habits

Right now the excitement of having a mouth filled with metal is wearing off for the kids, and you’re dealing with unhappy little people who just want hard candy and popcorn. They’re unhappy about all the life changes they’ve had to make since their visit to the ortho, and you’re left dealing with the aftermath. It’s going to become slightly more difficult when you have to inform your kids they need to be extra careful with their teeth cleaning and care with all that equipment in there.

One of the first things you’ll do when your kids come home from the ortho with their new mouth accessory is replace their toothbrush. They need one with very soft bristles, as they are much less likely to damage the wires and metal. Your kids also need to begin flossing right away. If they weren’t great about it before, now is the time for them to get used to it on a regular basis. The ortho wants your kids to start brushing and flossing every time they eat. Food tends to get stuck in the wires and metal in their mouth. It can cause far more issues than not if it remains there.

It’s a good idea to provide your kids with a secondary soft toothbrush and some floss to carry with them to school. You might provide their teachers with a note stating they need a moment after lunch to run into the restroom and brush to keep their mouth healthy.

In Addition

In addition to practicing extra precaution with their new accessory, your kids need to consider additional mouth protection when playing sports. Your kids can still pay sports. There’s no reason they need to quit just because of their new accessory, but they must practice extra care to prevent damage or injury. A custom mouth guard is the best idea on the top and bottom of the mouth. It’s important not only to keep hardware from becoming damaged but to keep your child’s mouth from becoming injured. It’s not uncommon for a child to tear his or her lips or another child’s skin a contact sport with their metal, and we know you want to practice extra precaution to prevent this from occurring.

It might seem that life is ending with all these rules and worries, but the reward is worth it in the end. Your child’s smile will light up a room when it’s perfect. The added confidence they receive from their new smile will change their life. It’s a bit of sacrifice for a time, but it’s not the end of the world. The kids will become used to things, and they will appreciate this sacrifice later in life. If anything ever happens to the hardware in their mouth, call the orthodontist right away. Make sure to schedule an appointment to repair it as quickly as possible with https://www.beachbraces.org/. Dr. Panucci is there for you when you need additional care for your mouth, if you have questions, or if you have concerns about your new hardware.

Beach Braces Orthodontics
220 N. Aviation Blvd
Suite A
Manhattan Beach
CA 90266
Phone: (310) 379-0006
Skype: Beachbraces
https://www.beachbraces.org/

2 Food Checklists to Avoid Brace Problems 2016