by | Feb 27, 2014 | Orthodontic Treatments
When is the right time for an orthodontic check-up?
People often wonder when they should first go for an orthodontic check-up. The American Association of Orthodontists has a simple answer to this question as they recommend that a child should pay his or her first visit to an orthodontist at 7 years of age.
This magic age of 7 has been earmarked as it is when the child is starting to gain a combination of both baby and permanent teeth. An early visit to the orthodontist will reveal any problems that are currently affecting the teeth. Once the baby teeth have all been lost and there is an underlying problem emerging, the permanent teeth may be at risk of damage later on. At a first consultation, the jaw and its relationship to the jawbone are closely scrutinized too.
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by | Feb 25, 2014 | Tootbrushing Mistake
Tooth brushing Mistake No.7: “Skipping Inner Tooth Surfaces”
Tooth brushing is a holistic task and is designed to ensure that teeth are thoroughly cleaned within the recommended two minutes that it takes to undertake the job well. Skipping over the front surface of your teeth, both front and rear, is not what is called a good teeth cleaning job. Places where you don’t clean, plaque and bacteria will thrive and the end result will be cavity formation and tooth decay. In the long run, this will lead to tooth loss and expensive tooth restorative treatment – and all because in your routine teeth brushing event you did not bother to clean the inner surfaces of your teeth.
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by | Feb 20, 2014 | Orthodontic Treatments
What is an Orthodontist?
An orthodontist is a dentist who has completed three years of extra study to gain an orthodontic qualification. Most reputable orthodontists are a member of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO).
An orthodontist’s specialization is in the treatment of misaligned teeth and jaws. If these misalignments are not corrected, people can experience such handicaps as speech defects, chewing problems and difficulties in the maintenance of oral hygiene.
An orthodontist can treat “under bite,” which is what results when the bottom teeth are further forward than the top teeth and “overbite,” which is when the top teeth are further forward than the bottom teeth. Poor chewing can result from these imperfections.
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by | Feb 18, 2014 | Tootbrushing Mistake
Tooth brushing Mistake No.6: “Starting in the Same Place Each Time”
We are all creatures of habit at some time or another. Holding our toothbrushes in the same hand day in day out is no exception. Many of us will use our brush with the very same routine every day, sidling it from one side of our mouth to another. Unless we are pro-active teeth cleaners, we will most likely spend a lot more time on the first minute of the teeth cleaning exercise than the last minute, meaning that the place we start this daily routine in will most likely get more attention than anywhere else in the mouth. This is a dangerous practice to get into. It’s like the pesky mosquito which always knows which part of your flesh you expose on a hot sultry night and makes a beeline for it to get its daily feed.
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by | Feb 13, 2014 | Orthodontic Treatments
How do Suresmile robots straighten teeth?
There are many patients who are a bit apprehensive about having machines working on their orthodontic appliances rather than the steady hands of an experienced orthodontist. Many orthodontists are turning to the help of a mouse rather than their traditional pliers for more accurate, efficient and comfortable treatments for their patients. Suresmile is a popular digital format that many orthodontists are using to produce orthodontic appliances which are more efficient and comfortable than ever before.
Just as you might receive Lasik eye surgery from a robotic device, the Suresmile system uses computer aided design and manufacturing to perform wire bending tasks and to produce orthodontic appliances in a much more accurate format than any orthodontist could produce using traditional methods. Treatment times are cut by almost 40% because of the sheer accuracy of these devices. To understand more about Suresmile and its process we have included the steps that are needed to produce an orthodontic device using this technology:
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