Invisalign Teen’s clear aligners are virtually invisible.  You can always feel confident showing your smile, even while you’re wearing your aligners to straighten you teeth.  No need to feel self conscious about attending prom, taking school photos, or any other day-to-day activity.  Invisalign Teen aligners are custom built for you – it generally works without anyone else knowing you are in treatment.

Since the Invisalign Teen aligners are removable, you may take them out as needed as long as you are wearing them the prescribed number of hours each day.  Additionally, you won’t have to worry about your aligners preventing you from playing sports or an instrument.  As an added bonus, you can remove the aligners and eat whatever foods you want. and you can brush and floss with ease.

The Invisalign Teen aligners are made from a lightweight plastic material and fit precisely in your mouth.   Very Comfortable!

Ask your orthodontist today how Invisalign Teen can work for you!

More and more people are coming to the same conclusion…. Beautiful Smiles are where it is at. They seem to be popping up everywhere.

Many people understand the benefits of orthodontic care (healthy teeth, beautiful smile, anti-aging), yet have been mislead by the “quick fix” dental makeovers shown on reality TV.

Dr. Melvin DeSoto, an orthodontist and president of the AAO says, “Public attention has been drawn lately to ‘makeover’ TV shows.  These ‘makeovers’ are fast, but may not necessarily be the best way for an individual to change the appearance of unsightly teeth.”

For example, Veneers or bonding require permanent removal of enamel, thus changing fundamental tooth structure.  These non-reversible changes to the enamel do not correct an underlying orthodontic problem.

If you are considering cosmetic procedures to cover up unsightly teeth, give the orthodontist a call first.  They will work together with your dentist and other dental specialist toward the overall goal of a healthy and beautiful smile.

Last evening, I attended an Invisalign Study Club at Kings Contrivance Restaurant in Columbia, Maryland.  Not only was the food amazingly delicious, the information was superb.  Invisalign has come a long, long way from when it first hit the Orthodontic world.  I remember when Invisalign was limited to adults with minor corrections needed.  NOW, most problems can be corrected!

Recently, Invisalign has launched a new product… invisalign teen!  Invisalign Teen is a treatment solution for the non-adult comprehensive patient.  Engineered specifically for orthodontists’ needs, Invisalign Teen treatment was developed with orthodontists in mind.

Invisalign surveyed doctors nationwide to determine which feature set would best suit their needs for teens 13 – 19 years of age. Designed in accordance with the responses they heard, Invisalign Teen offers key features including Compliance Indicators and Power Ridges.  Additionally, it can accommodate for naturally erupting permanent teeth, and it has a feature that may address supra-eruption.  If this sounds greek to you… I will address it in a later post.  For now, know that it is a fantastic option for the Teen!

I remember when the Tooth Fairy left $ .25 a tooth   That was the going price for the Baby Boomers.

Securian Dental’s 2008 Tooth Fairy price poll reveals that per-tooth prices jumped 22% this year to an amazing $2.09 per tooth on average.

Securian reports that $1 is the most common price tag on a lost baby tooth.  An online poll of more than 20,000 readers at ParentCenter.com comfirms this trend: 52% of respondents report paying a dollar a tooth. In Securian’s survey, $5 per tooth was the second most poopular payment.  With 20 baby teeth to lose, today’s children are looking at a nice little nest egg.

As we study the poll results we found that the Tooth Fairy leaves more money per tooth on the East Coast than on the West Coast.  New York teeth go for about $1 more than California teeth and $1.25 more than Mid-western teeth.  I have heard of the Tooth Fairy leaving as little as a nickel per tooth and as large as $50 per tooth.

Ask any child with less-than-perfect teeth about the nicknames and teasing… and you’ll no doubt hear a sad story.  We hear them every day – Goofy, Bugs Bunny, Fang.  That’s rough!  There is real substance to such a child’s social pain.

One study on childhood harassment found that protruding or misaligned teeth were the single most common target of name-calling among kids.  Further, children with orthodontic problems are more subject to bullying than their luckier peers.

We’ve all experienced the hostility of childhood epithets – it’s part of growing up.  But for some of us, the bad memories don’t “go away.”  Early and persistent humiliation can become an adult’s psychological baggage.

Part of our job as orthodontists is a social one.  We know how a child with a problem bite feels.  We know that it’s a situation that can be prevented.  We have the means of correcting every “bad bite” out there – and with it, the social brutality so devastating to young self-esteem.

We would like every child in our community to have the advantages of a normal, healthy countenance.  Orthodontic evaluation is the first step.  The VALUE of a healthy, beautiful SMILE…. PRICELESS!!!!