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Orthodontics can create nice and straight smiles, but after the braces are taken off, the teeth will move back to their original position if left to their own devices. This is why we strongly urge our patients to wear their retainers to ensure a beautiful smile that lasts a lifetime.

Vivera retainers are popular in our office for a number of reasons. They are clear, which makes the retainer much more esthetic when worn in public. Also, the come with 4 duplicate sets of retainers. So when the dog gets to them, or they get left on the lunch tray [...] Read More

Disorders of pain in the TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) can range from a minor annoyance to debilitating pain. The cause of discomfort is very difficult to diagnose and is often multifactorial. Because of the severity and difficulty in treatment, sufferers often seek the professional advice of numerous medical specialties including Physical Therapists, dentists, Pain specialists, ENT doctors, chiropracters, and of course, ORTHODONTISTS!

Despite popular belief, malocclusion is only suspected to contribute to about 10% of TMJD, largely overshadowed by factors such as stress and joint problems. The study of the relationship between malocclusion and TMJD is where the orthodontist’s role comes [...] Read More

Dentistry may have been around longer than we thought. The need for treating teeth has certaintly been around. Anthropologists have taken a closer look at 6,500 year old human remains from Slovenia and found evience of tooth fillings (made out of Beeswax!). Another interesting note is that by today’s standards, this individual had excessive attrition of the teeth, possibly caused by a diet that required extreme chewing. Here is a link to the article.

Could it be possible that math can explain something as subjective as the perfect smile? The “Golden Ratio” is number used to describe an occurence when the ratio of two numbers is the same as the ratio between the sum of those two numbers with the larger of the two. This number is often shorthanded to 1.618 and has been used to describe many natural occurances such as the spiral of a seashell or the proptions of an ant.

But can this same ratio be applied to human teeth? Some have theorized that the perfect smile has larger central incisors [...] Read More

Ever watch TV or movies and notice that one of the actors and actresses show a lot of gums when they smile? This is something we as orthodontists consider when we are treatment planning as braces can either increase or decrease gum display on smiles, depending on what the patient’s goal is.

A normal, attractive amount of gums to show beneath the upper lip when smiling is 0-1mm for men and 1-2mm for women. This of course is subjective because as they say, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.

A common concern patients come to an orthodontist for [...] Read More

There are likely many doctors in your area that provide Invisalign to straighten teeth, but how do you choose the right provider for you? Here are the top 5 things to consider when selecting a doctor.

1. Are they an Orthodontist?

Orthodontists are dentists that trained for an additional 2-3 years in residency to specialize in the science of straightening teeth. Orthodontists use this strong foundation in principles of tooth movement in order to best utilize Invisalign as a tool to straighten teeth. Remember, it’s not the Invisalign moving your teeth, but the doctor.

2. Are they experienced in Invisalign?

[...] Read More