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Sensitive teeth…Have you ever experienced sensitivity in your teeth when drinking hot coffee or eating ice cream? How about when brushing your teeth? Ever wonder why this happens? Most of the time it is due to enamel wear of teeth. When this happens, the dentin (sensitive part of the tooth) is exposed and left vulnerable to all kinds of painful experiences, depending upon how severe. When the dentin loses the protection of hard enamel, the nerves under the tooth are less protected, triggering pain whenever it is hit with a hot or cold temperature. So, how do you fix this problem? When even brushing causes intense pain and even damage to sensitive teeth, how are you supposed to keep protected against sensitivity?

Looking to treat yourself or someone you love to a Smile Maker for Valentines Day? There is no way to measure the magnitude of a healthy, beautiful smile. If you are looking for that special gift that allows someone to become the best possible version of themselves, orthodontic treatment is a great way to show how much you care. The look of your smile can affect one’s level of satisfaction and happiness in life. If you are uncomfortable smiling because of crowding, spacing, or are embarrassed how your smile looks … it can affect your self-esteem and impact your daily life both personally and in the workplace.

Oral piercings of the tongue, lips, and cheeks are growing in popularity and acceptance, and are considered a way to express one’s personality in an art form like tattoos. However, did you know the human bite can be more “toxic” than an animal bite? Keeping this in mind, imagine what could happen to your mouth with oral piercings that collect additional food and debris (that breed bacteria and germs) while banging against your teeth over 1500 times a day when you swallow…

At Vinson Orthodontics, some teens and adults opt for Invisalign, the “braceless” alternative to traditional braces to straighten teeth. What would you do if something happened to your Invisalign aligners while you were out of town? What if an aligner breaks, is left behind at a restaurant while eating, or you lost your purse or luggage with your aligners inside? Here are some tips for Invisalign patients on what to do if you are out of town and something happens to your aligners!

Do Wisdom Teeth cause crowding of your front teeth? How many times have you heard this? Did you know this all started after a paper was written on by an orthodontist over 50 years ago? In 1961, orthodontist Dr. Leroy Vego published an article, “A Longitudinal Study of Mandibular Arch Perimeter” which examined the role of wisdom teeth on lower front tooth crowding. This study was run over six years with patients from ages 13 to 19. He reported that there was a significantly greater degree of crowding in patients with wisdom teeth. Dr. Vego concluded: “that the erupting lower third molar can exert a force on approximating teeth.”

Are you experiencing tooth sensitivity? Hot or cold temperatures, sweet or sour foods and drinks, and deep cavities or fillings often trigger this problem. Sensitivity is a common dilemma and an estimated 45 million Americans are victims! If you are undergoing orthodontic treatment, sensitivity is also not at all uncommon. Sensitive teeth normally occur when the enamel on the outside of the tooth wears away exposing the dentin layer of the tooth. The dentin layer is very porous with tubes that run to the nerve center. When exposed, the tubes react to changes in temperature and different foods. During orthodontic treatment, the discomfort a patient experiences are due to the pressure that is placed on your teeth by the braces. This level of discomfort varies from patient to patient. The sensitivity is not permanent and will only last a few days. At Vinson Orthodontics, we educate our patients on how to reduce this sensitivity to enhance a more pleasant orthodontic treatment experience. However, if you aren’t wearing braces, below are some common causes of tooth sensitivity.

Chalky, opaque-looking white spots on the teeth are not uncommon today. Maybe you have them or perhaps you’ve seen them on the teeth of friends or family. Many things can cause white spots on the teeth. They can be a factor of nutrition, genetics, an excess of fluoride intake at a young age, or poor oral hygiene. When undergoing orthodontic treatment, white spots can develop if plaque is allowed to remain “around the brackets and along the gum line” for an extended period of time without proper brushing and flossing. Good oral hygiene is critical during treatment. Since the bonding material that glues the bracket to each tooth creates an airtight seal, you seldom see white marks underneath the braces but around the braces and along the gum line after braces are removed.

Is it what can I eat? How do I brush? No… When do I get my braces off? While most patients are always eager to start treatment, they are even more eager to get them off. Even though each patient is given an estimated treatment time wearing braces when they start, patients always hope we can wave our magic wands and complete the process sooner. It makes sense that a patient may assume they are ahead of schedule when their teeth look straight in a mirror. Unfortunately, orthodontics isn’t just about straight teeth. The ultimate goal of good orthodontic treatment result is a beautiful smile as well as a healthy bite that lasts a lifetime.

A healthy perfect smile is why many children and adults choose to undergo orthodontic treatment. Around friends and family, a less than attractive smile is not as noticeable. However, when meeting new people, making new friends, and in the workplace, your smile is more obvious to those who don’t know you. When speaking one on one with others, a beautiful smile improves your appearance and increases confidence to better influence personal relationships. Undergoing orthodontic treatment is one of the best decisions you will make for yourself and family.

Most parents today are well informed when it comes to stopping adverse habits that effects tooth and jaw development in infants and toddlers. Prolonged thumb sucking, pacifiers, and use of bottles past the age of three are reported to cause problems with teeth and impact early jaw development. However, did you know that poor bites and abnormal jaw growth is mostly hereditary and not caused by habits? Even if you stop bad habits before the age of three or breastfeed your child, it is likely they still may develop a malocclusion requiring orthodontic treatment.