Tag: Dentist near me

Midlothian VA Orthodontist | Key Tips on Safely Removing Your Child’s Baby Teeth

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One of the near-infinite range of small, peculiar challenges young parents face is their child’s baby teeth. When should they come out? Do you need to remove them? And if so, is there a safe, painless way to do so? Let’s take a look at baby teeth and the long, occasionally unpredictable process children go through in losing them.
Richmond VA Dentist | Key Tips on Safely Removing Your Child's Baby Teeth
Baby Teeth
By the time a child is around three years old, he or she usually has a full set of primary teeth. These are also known as baby teeth or milk teeth. Children hold on to these primary teeth for several years before they start to lose them, at around age six. The process of losing baby teeth and gaining a full set of 32 adult pearly white can take years. In fact, some kids don’t have all their permanent teeth until the age of 13. The long timeline for losing primary teeth and gaining permanent ones can sometimes be confusing or even frustrating for parents.

Should You Remove Your Child’s Baby Teeth?
The short answer to whether or not parents should actively participate in removing their child’s primary teeth is no. Baby teeth are meant to fall out by themselves. The roots gradually disintegrate, loosening their hold on the gums. In due time, they should drop off completely. Under most circumstances, there’s no need for a parent to hasten this process. Further, primary teeth are important to the formation of the jawline and also assist permanent teeth coming in properly. Messing with primary teeth unnecessarily could have unintended consequences.

Consult a Dentist if Complications Arise
Most baby teeth should adhere to the natural process of falling out on their own. Primary teeth that don’t seem to be loosening, are causing your child recurring pain, or appear to be triggering an infection are all causes for concern. If for any reason you suspect there’s an issue with one of your children’s baby teeth, it’s best to reach out to our dental practice. We know exactly how to safely address whatever’s going on with your child’s teeth and can help get them enjoying being a kid again. Schedule an appointment with our office today.

Richmond VA Orthodontist | The Positive Impact a Straighter Smile Can Have on Your Life

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While it may seem like a strange idea, a healthy smile can truly have a monumental impact on our lives. Beyond the obvious health benefits of straighter teeth, investing in your smile can make a difference in how you live day to day. Below are just a few of the ways that a properly aligned smile can have a positive impact on our emotions, our relationships, and our lives.

The Positive Impact a Straighter Smile Can Have on Your Life
Confidence
Confidence plays a key role in just about everything we do. It’s on display when we’re at our jobs, socializing with friends, dating, and pursuing our biggest goals in life. In many ways, our level of confidence controls how much we can achieve­.

Having a straight smile improves our appearance—and how we feel about the reflection we see in the mirror every day—significantly enough that it provides a permanent confidence boost.

How Others See You
Having a straighter smile doesn’t just affect how you see yourself. A great deal of research speaks to just how influential teeth are in how other people evaluate your appearance.

According to one study, individuals with straight teeth are 45 percent more likely to get a job than those with crooked teeth. Another found that people with straight teeth are nearly 60 percent more likely to be seen as successful than those with crooked or misaligned sets.

Desire to Smile
There’s no denying it: if you’re self-conscious about your teeth, you’re going to be far less willing to smile in public. This apprehensiveness, in turn, affects your overall mood and limits how much you can enjoy yourself in social settings.

On the other hand, people that love to flash their straight teeth are going to smile more often. It’s a drastic conclusion, but it’s possible that having straighter teeth will positively impact your happiness simply by virtue of making you want to smile more.

Our practice knows that the power of a smile is not to be underestimated. Though it’s just a single facial feature, your smile has a staggering level of influence on your life. Make sure that influence is positive and schedule your next appointment with our office today.

Dr. Gustav Horsey | Mail-Order Aligners: The High Cost of Cheap Care 

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Orthodontist in RichmondYour smile is important. The state of your oral health can affect your opportunities, your confidence, and your overall health. Correcting crooked or misaligned teeth can play a vital part in creating a more optimal level of health and a more beautiful smile. One recent trend has been enticing patients with promises of equal quality care with lower costs and no in-office visits. Unfortunately, many people are discovering too late that these promises are indeed too good to be true. 

 

What is this trend? 

The recent trend wreaking havoc for so many is remote orthodontic care, generally in the form of mail-order aligners. Private companies are advertising online to provide the same kind of clear aligners used by orthodontists’ offices and purport to be able to give the same level of care at a lower cost without office visits by working remotely. 

 

What is the problem? 

Problems with this remote care option can occur at many points in the process. In an orthodontist’s office, your aligners are fabricated based on a complete digital scan of your mouth. This ensures the aligners are a precise fit for your mouth and teeth and that each new aligner in the series is custom-created to guide your teeth into position.  

 Mail-order aligners are fabricated based on a mold you take of your teeth without the benefit of a professional to ensure the correct placement and fit. Molds are generally less accurate than digital scans, meaning the aligner may not be an accurate fit for your teeth. 

 During professional orthodontic care, such as our doctor provides, you will have a series of visits to our office, where our team will evaluate your progress and monitor for any early-warning signs of complications. If you are not following recommended guidelines, you can lengthen or undermine your treatment, so these appointments are a critical part of ensuring optimal outcomes. 

 During remote orthodontic treatment, your care is overseen by a doctor you never meet in person. While you will generally be able to email if you have questions or concerns, the burden is on you to know whether there is a problem that may need to be addressed. Unfortunately, by the time you realize that something is wrong, it may be too late to avoid complex and costly treatment to fix the issue. 

 When you make the decision to straighten your teeth, don’t be swayed by false promises and cheap alternatives. Schedule a consultation with our doctor and be confident about your investment in your smile.  

 

Orthodontist 23228 | First Aid for Your Braces

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Dentist in Richmond

Though braces are safe and generally involve little discomfort, there are instances when issues may arise. Here is some information that can be useful if any of these situations occur.

Food Caught Between Teeth

While not an emergency, this can cause discomfort or embarrassment for the patient. A small knot in a piece of dental floss can help to remove food stuck between teeth and braces. Other options that may be effective include a small dental toothbrush or toothpick.

Lost Ligatures

Ligatures include both the small rubber bands and the fine wires that are used with braces. If a rubber band comes off, it should be able to be put back in place using sterile tweezers. For a loose wire, use sterile tweezers to remove it. If a wire ligature is broken or missing, follow up with the orthodontist.

Discomfort

Discomfort for the first day or two following adjustment is normal. It can be helpful during that time to eat only soft foods and to rinse with warm salt water.

Mouth Sores

Some patients may have recurring issues with mouth sores. Though these are not caused by the braces, the braces may irritate the sores, making them more painful and take longer to heal. Generally, pain relief can be achieved using a topical anesthetic, such as Ora-Gel.

Lip or Cheek Irritation

New braces may cause irritation to the lips and cheeks, especially while eating. Non-medicinal relief wax can be used in small amounts to cover the part of the braces that is causing the irritation, providing relief. This wax is harmless if accidentally swallowed.

Protruding Wire

If a wire end is out of place, it can cause irritation to the mouth. Use a pencil eraser or cotton swab to gently push the wire back into place, if possible. Relief wax can also be used to protect the mouth. If the protrusion is severe and the patient cannot get to the orthodontist soon, clip the wire as a last resort.

Loose Brackets

If a bracket has become loose, notify the orthodontist immediately for how to proceed.

A Piece of the Appliance is Swallowed

Though highly rare, it is possible for this to occur. Contact the orthodontist immediately for instructions on how to handle this situation.

For more information on these or other braces issues, or to schedule a consultation, contact our office today.