Sandpipers

Adams and Gimlen Orthodontics are proud to be supporters of Sandpipers. We are official ticket vendors for the Sandpipers Holiday Home Tour event held the 3rd, 4th and 5th of December. Come in and purchase your tickets to tour 4 beautiful homes in the South Bay. Each ticket is 25 dollars and completely tax deductible. There is no better way to get into the holiday spirit than supporting a great organization like Sandpipers.

Silly Band Winners

Congratulations to our silly band contest winners!!!

Cami Kaplanis, Page Moore and Jonathan Felker

Tongue piercings linked to gap between teeth

by British Dental Health Foundation
Playing with a pierced tongue stud could lead to a gap between the front teeth. A new study suggested that tongue piercings could be a major cause of unnecessary orthodontic issues. The report claimed that those with tongue piercings were likely to push the metal stud up against their teeth and consequently cause gaps and other problems to arise.
The research was carried out at the University at Buffalo in New York.
Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said the study highlighted the risks that tongue piercings have on oral health.
“It’s certainly something to think about before going out to get a tongue piercing. The temptation of playing with the stud in the mouth would be very high and in time this could lead to hundreds of pounds worth of corrective treatment,” Dr Carter said. “The results of this study stress the risks that are associated with tongue piercings. As well as causing an apparent gap, oral piercings can also lead to chipped teeth and infection.”
“In order to avoid such health problems in the future, along with the spiraling costs of any related treatment, I would advise people to stay clear of tongue piercings,” Dr Carter said.
Sawsan Tabbaa, lead author of the study, said that “force, over time, moves teeth” and that the results are caused by people playing with their studs crop up in a “very high percent of the cases.”
A professor of orthodontics at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, Tabbaa, explained that tooth damage was common in both past and current case studies.
The current study featured a 26 year-old female patient and showed that a space between the upper front teeth had appeared during a period of seven years, as the metal bar was pushed against and between the teeth.
The patient provided researchers with photographs to show that she had no diastema before having her tongue pierced. It was strongly thought that positioning of the tongue stud between the maxillary central incisors caused the midline space between the front teeth.
The only solution was for the patient to wear a fixed brace for an extensive period of time.
The author concluded that tongue piercings could result in serious injuries, not just to teeth but said they have also been associated with haemorrhages, infections, trauma to the gums and, in the worst cases, brain abscesses.
The results of the study were published in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics

Researchers say the best teeth whitener is fruit

A recent study by Harvard University revealed that eating fruit daily is the best way to whiten teeth. Through a three-month clinical study, it was determined that strawberries, orange peels, and lemon juice are the most effective teeth whiteners in the world.
Strawberries can be made into a puree and smothered on the teeth.
Strawberries have a natural enzyme that removes tooth stains, according to TeethWhitener.net. Orange peels can be used to remove tooth stains, just by rubbing the inside of a peel against tooth surfaces.
A little lemon juice and salt work very well to remove stains just wash your mouth out with this, or even rock salt and warm water will work at night to remove stains.
Baking soda has long been known to work wonders for smiles. It may taste awful, however adding baking soda on a toothbrush along with mouthwash can help alleviate the negative taste. Also a strawberry mixture added to baking soda/peroxide not only adds a sweet taste to the concotion, but is yet another effective whitener.
It is best to not drink coffee, tea, colas or red wine, which are all known to stain teeth and cause some decay of the enamel. Apples and potatoes can cause discoloration, but they also tend to clean off the teeth. Mouth washing is important after eating apples.
Also, stop or slow down tobacco use, as both dipping and smoking can cause tooth discoloration. Avoid mouthwash, as it sometimes will stain teeth. Finally, remember that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. Going to the dentist once or twice a year for a cleaning and checkup is strongly suggested.

Duffin Adams Gimlen Orthodontics, supporting National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

Did you know the month of May is observed as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month? In 1983, President Reagan encouraged people to incorporate more activity into their lives, and the reminder is even more important today as kids are distracted more and more by television, social networking and video games. Kids living an active lifestyle can - and do - improve their health, productivity and overall well being, and best of all? It doesn’t have to take a lot of time!

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has provided some public health guidelines for your reference. The guidelines call for children and teenagers to exercise one hour every day of moderate intensity physical activity (such as playing sports or brisk walking) or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous activity (jogging, dancing and jumping rope).

At Duffin Adams Gimlen Orthodontics, we encourage our patients to stay fit by exercising or participate in sports. However, we want to remind you to always wear a mouth guard or other forms of facial protection when playing sports. To learn more about how often you should exercise, we recommend you check out this series of helpful articles about kids and exercise, courtesy of our friends at KidsHealth.org.

Ask Duffin Adams Gimlen: What, exactly, is malocclusion?

Malocclusion, or what Drs. Adams, Gimlen and Duffin call “bad bite,” is the improper alignment of teeth and/or jaws. When your teeth and jaws are not properly aligned, it may impact your bite, the ability to properly care for your teeth, your gum tissue health and, yes, even your appearance.

Drs. Adams, Gimlen and Duffin will tell you that untreated malocclusion can lead undesirable mouth problems, including tooth decay, gum disease, or chipped and cracked teeth. The most common solution for malocclusion, of course, is orthodontic treatment. The actual course of treatment, including the length of time you will require braces, will be determined by severity of your malocclusion. The goal of your treatment is to move your teeth into the proper position and correct any misalignment in the jaw.

At Duffin Adams Gimlen Orthodontics, we use the most advanced technology in the field in order to ensure that you receive the best possible results. If you have any questions about malocclusion, please give us a call and we’ll try to answer any questions you may have.