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It’s not unusual for a patient to be unaware of the range of services that orthodontists can provide for their patients. Knowing which services Dr. Allen and our team perform can help you better understand your options and why we might select a particular method of treatment.

Both orthodontists and dentists care about good oral health, but they approach treatment in differing ways. You know that dentists clean teeth and treat gum disease, tooth decay, toothaches, and other oral health problems.

But what does your orthodontist do besides help straighten teeth with the help of braces? Orthodontists are commonly known to help fix or realign crooked teeth. Many of the patients at Davis Orthodontics come in for appointments that relate to their braces.

Dr. Allen and our team recommend that children be seen around the age of seven to evaluate their potential orthodontic needs. Common problems may include overcrowding of teeth, large gaps or spaces, and overbites or underbites, among other things.

In order to address these common problems, we offer several methods of treatment besides standard braces and retainers:

• Space maintainers can be used to fill the spaces left by missing baby teeth so other teeth don’t shift and occupy the adult tooth’s location.
• Jaw repositioning appliances, sometimes known as splints, are used to reposition the upper and lower jaw bones correctly.
• Lip and cheek bumpers can also be used to avoid having to pull teeth. These bumpers are placed in the mouth so the patient’s lips or cheeks don’t put pressure on specific teeth.
• A more common appliance that orthodontists use is expanders. If your mouth is crowded, expanders will be placed on the curve of the upper and/or lower jaw(s) in order to make room for teeth to be properly aligned.
• As a last resort, an orthodontist may turn to headgear. This is normally provided to slow down the growth of the jaw. It must be worn a number of hours each day.

When you visit our San Diego office, we will go over these options with you and pick the best course of treatment, depending on the current state of your oral health.

No matter which oral appliances you end up with, Dr. Allen and our team will go over all the available options with you to give you a beautiful smile. If you have questions regarding your treatment method, don’t hesitate to call our office and we can provide you with some insight.

Understanding the different options your orthodontist can provide should make matters less confusing if you should need to select a method of treatment.

It seems like sharks are everywhere these days—on land, sea, and air(waves). A halftime show meme gone viral. A week of summer TV devoted to our favorite apex predators. And who doesn’t have “Baby Shark” playing in their heads all day once they’ve heard it? But are we jumping the shark to discuss this topic in an orthodontic blog?

Not at all! Because today, we’re going to talk about shark teeth—just not the ones you might be expecting.

One of the expected sights when a shark opens its mouth are those rows and rows of shiny shark teeth. Sharks can grow from two to 15 rows of teeth at any one time (and some sharks have even more). This means sharp new teeth are always ready to replace any shark tooth which is lost, broken, or worn out.

An unexpected sight? When children point to their new adult tooth or teeth coming in—right behind their still-firmly rooted baby teeth! This double set of teeth is called “shark teeth,” and, while it certainly might come as a surprise, it’s not all that uncommon. But why do children develop shark teeth at all?

After all, baby, or primary, teeth have small roots, and are designed to come out easily when the adult teeth start arriving. When a permanent tooth starts to erupt, it pushes against the root of the baby tooth above it. This pressure gradually dissolves the root of the primary tooth, and with nothing to anchor it, it’s now loose, wiggly, and ready to fall out. That’s why baby teeth often look like they have no roots at all when they eventually wiggle free.

Sometimes, though, the roots of a primary tooth don’t break down, which means baby teeth stay right where they are. It also means that the permanent teeth have to erupt somewhere else—usually behind those stubborn little baby teeth.

Shark teeth can first appear around the ages of five to seven when the permanent front teeth start arriving, or several years later, when the adult molars begin to come in. Any extra teeth in one small jaw naturally raise concerns about tooth misalignment, especially when those extra teeth are molars. If double molars are causing crowding, it’s a good time for your child to have an orthodontic examination at our San Diego office to make sure the permanent teeth are properly positioned.

Unlike sharks, we don’t have an endless supply of replacement teeth, so it’s understandable to worry when you see anything unexpected. If you want to know more about shark teeth, or if you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to call Dr. Allen for expert advice.

As the school year gets under way in San Diego, you’ve got a lot going on. New classes. New teachers. New activities. New books and supplies and . . . well, it’s a lot! If orthodontic treatment is one of those new experiences, we have some suggestions to help you enjoy the year with a confident smile.

You may not have realized it, but the skill sets you’ve developed for school are useful beyond the classroom—you can use those same skills to help you achieve your orthodontic goals. If you’re going to school with braces, aligners, or appliances for the first time, this orthodontic study guide will help you maintain a healthy, stress-free smile:

Do Your Homework

Oral hygiene is more important than ever when you’re in orthodontic treatment. Plaque and food particles collect around braces and fixed appliances. If you’ve been brushing at home twice a day for two minutes and flossing once a day, good work! But now it’s time to level up your cleaning routine.

While you’re in treatment, you might need to brush and floss more often, whether several times a day or after each meal or snack. Follow Dr. Allen’s recommendations for brushing and flossing to help keep your smile cavity free.

The right tools will make life easier. Special brushes, flosses, and rinses designed for orthodontics can make cleaning your teeth easier and more effective. Electric toothbrushes and water flossers can be a game changer when it comes to removing plaque and food particles from tricky spaces. Talk to your orthodontist to learn the best tools and techniques for home care.

Essential Supplies

Put together a kit for your backpack or locker so you’ll always have the orthodontic supplies you need on hand. These tools will help you manage any expected—and unexpected—challenges while you’re away from home. Depending on your type of treatment, your kit might include:

• Travel toothbrush in a ventilated case (bacteria aren’t fans of fresh air!)
• Travel size toothpaste
• Orthodontic floss and interproximal brushes (for stubborn food particles around brackets and wires)
• Small mirror to make sure your smile and braces are food-free
• Dental wax to prevent irritation from loose wires or brackets
• Extra rubber bands for those who use them
• Your appliance case to prevent damaging or losing your retainer or aligners
• Your orthodontist’s phone number for emergencies

Add any other items you think will be helpful, and you’ll be prepared to handle any orthodontic-related issues throughout the day.

Follow Directions

Your orthodontist’s treatment plan is carefully designed to make your beautiful, healthy smile a reality as soon as possible—and the plan works best when you follow it!

• Wear your aligners, appliances, or elastics for the recommended number of hours each day. That’s the quickest way to a healthier smile.
• If you wear braces, see Dr. Allen for regularly scheduled adjustments.
• If you wear aligners, follow your orthodontist’s schedule each time you change trays. Changing to a new set of aligners too soon can cause stressful pressures on your teeth and jaws. Changing trays too late can delay your progress.

Any Questions? Ask!

Asking questions is one of the best ways to learn. Your orthodontic team has years of education and experience to help you answer some of the questions you have about navigating your school day.

Which cafeteria foods are orthodontic-friendly? Can you play a brass or wind instrument in band? If you play school sports, how do you wear a mouthguard with braces?

Your orthodontic team at Davis Orthodontics has the answers—or knows how to help you find them. Work with your team to make sure that you’re able to enjoy all the possibilities of the school year, from classroom to lunchroom to extracurriculars, with a healthy confident smile!

Halitosis is the fancy, scientific word for “bad breath.” Dr. Allen and our team know there are several reasons why you may have halitosis; let’s look at a few:

• Gum disease (also known as periodontal disease) – There are five main types of gum disease, and each one can range from mild to severe. For example the most common one is gingivitis; it is caused by bacteria in the plaque that has been allowed to build up, usually as a result of poor oral hygiene. A more serious and uncommon type of gum disease is called necrotizing periodontal disease. It is most common in people who have a suppressed immune system.
• Smoking
• Dry Mouth – This can be caused by something as simple as a medication you take.
• Food – Of course, if you eat something that is potent like garlic, it is going to give you bad breath.
• Diseases of the Body – Some diseases such as sinus infections and diabetes, among a few other types of infections, can also cause you to have halitosis.

How to Get Rid of Halitosis

The most obvious answer to how to get rid of halitosis is to practice good oral hygiene, although, depending on the cause of halitosis it may not be that simple. If you have an infection that is causing the halitosis then you may need an antibiotic to clear up the infection and then the bad breath will go away. Here are more tips:

• Brush your teeth after every meal and before bed.
• Floss your teeth. The more plaque you get out of your teeth, the better chance you have of not getting cavities or bad breath.
• Address any medical conditions that are not related to your teeth that can be causing the halitosis.
• Ask Dr. Allen for a prescription mouthwash that kills bacteria.

Halitosis (bad breath) can be an embarrassing condition to live with, but there are plenty of ways to get rid of it permanently. Start by talking to a member of our team at our San Diego office.