Many children suffer from sleep disorders that can have many deleterious effects on their psyche, development, and overall health. Sleep apnea and snoring can result in other issues besides restless nights. Sleep Disorders have been shown to increase risks of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and even stroke. Often times, having tonsils and adenoids removed by an Ear Nose & Throat physician can help with these problems, but there are other options when it comes to treating sleep disorders.
Expanders can improve airflow in the upper airway
Sleep Disorders: Treatment Without Surgery
Methods of treating sleep disorders through the use of non-surgical procedures are now available . There are many other factors that can decrease the airway including the shape of the upper jaw/palate and the position of the lower jaw. These types of issues can be addressed by the orthodontist, with oral appliances. Please consult with your primary care physician if you feel your child maybe having issues with his or her sleep. If restricted airways are the cause of your child’s sleep disorder, consider alternative, non-surgical options to help them get the rest they need.
Custom mouthguards conform to an athletes teeth and dental arches. They play a critical role in keeping the teeth and mouth protected while participating in activities where accidental contact to the face or jaw can occur and cause injury. Even when employing mouthguards, dental trauma can still occur. This is usually caused when the mouthguard is the wrong size, thus resulting in a poor, improper fit. Custom mouthguards are a good answer to this issue because they are uniquely designed for each specific user.
Custom Mouthguards
You could fabricate a custom mouthguard for an orthodontic patient, but unfortunately, as the teeth move and the dental arches change shape, the mouthguard would stop fitting properly. When considering custom mouthguards it is important to see an experienced orthodontist.
There are different types of custom mouthguards, like “braces mouthguards” on the market, so please ask us if you would like a recommendation. Protect your son or daughter, no matter what sport they play, by scheduling a custom mouthguard fitting at Ortho 360 today!
Self ligating brackets are orthodontic brackets that have a built in way to “hold” the wire onto the tooth. Before we had self ligating brackets, each tooth had to be individually tied onto the orthodontic archwire with either an elastic or steel ligature as seen in the picture below:
Self Ligating Brackets
Self ligating brackets have a “door” that opens and closes so there is no need for the elastic or metal ligatures:
What do self ligating brackets mean for the patient? Patients will notice shorter adjustment appointments, an improved ability to clean their teeth and appliances, and often times, longer intervals between appointments!
Last week I saw a lot of live music and was reminded of how cool it is to live in Austin. Not only did I hang out some at ACL, but also got to see a live show at the Long Center (Bon Iver) and attended my first Austin City Limits show (Arcade Fire). Almost all the artists I saw perform commented on how much they enjoy performing in our city and, assuming they were being sincere, it made me proud. During the Bon Iver show I remember being impressed that the sold out auditorium was dead silent during the pauses and quieter parts of an especially good version of “Stacks”.
It was a great week to live here. This one went to “11″.
Since some of our patients are cyclists, I thought I’d post ride report of what for me was an epic ride for many reasons. My wife Katie and I recently had an opportunity to take a quick vacation after my parents offered to keep our 2 and 4 year old for the weekend. We decided to escape the Texas heat and head to Colorado. I decided to bring my bike. After interviewing several bike shops on ride routes that were worth trying, the Copper Triangle route (also known as the Leadville Loop) seemed to one of “the” rides in the area. I carefully studied maps and made my plan of attack. I started the ride knowing where to go, but without a good idea of the amount of climbing, distance, or the number of mountain passes along the way. This uncertainty may have helped me because I had several conversations with my middle aged body during the ride about turning around or calling the SAG wagon (also known as Katie). But, I pressed on, and after all was said and done, I finished what was for me possibly the most enjoyable and epic cycling events that I have had to date. For anyone that cares, here are the ride stats:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/112234643
At the top of the final mountain pass
There is no simple answer to this question and the ideal age to start orthodontic treatment depends on the individual and their specific needs. Many parents are under the impression that if a child still has baby teeth, then there is no need to have an orthodontic evaluation. This is sometimes true, but many times treatment is most effective just before the child has lost all of their baby teeth. In other cases, patients will get the most benefit by having two phases of treatment, one when there is a mix of primary and permanent teeth, and then one when all permanent teeth have erupted.
Simply put, it is better to have an orthodontic evaluation when a child is 7 to 10 years of age if their parent or pediatric dentist identifies any orthodontic problems. Most often, treatment will be delayed when patients are this young, but it is better to have an evaluation just in case early treatment is indicated.
The easy answer is so that they don’t break their orthodontic appliances. We have had patients ask us why, with today’s technology, we can’t design a “orthodontic super glue” that would stand up to anything we eat. Actually, we probably could design an orthodontic adhesive that would keep braces in place no matter what we eat.
So why don’t we do this?
It’s simple-we have to take the braces off when we are done without causing great discomfort to the patient or damaging their teeth during removal. Because of this, the adhesives are designed to be strong enough for most foods, but easy to remove when treatment is complete.
Orthodontic appliances (braces), simply put, make it more difficult to clean our teeth. Soft drinks can both directly and indirectly harm our teeth, so if our patients can reduce or eliminate the intake of their favorite carbonated, sugary beverage, they can maintain a healthier oral environment which in turn makes excellent oral hygiene easier to achieve.
But why are soft drinks so bad?
Soft drinks all have one thing in common-acidity. The acidity comes from both the carbonation (carbonic acid) and other ingredients (citric acid). Acid, over time, can harm the enamel of teeth from direct contact, but this isn’t the only problem. The bacteria in our mouths that cause decay thrive in more acidic environments. When we drink soft drinks, we are not only giving the enemy a nice place to live, but a steady diet of simple sugars, their favorite food. But there’s more. The bacteria, now thriving in a cozy, nutrient rich environment, produce more acid as a byproduct of their life cycle. All these things add up to potential destruction of tooth enamel that can range from unsightly discoloration all the way to full blown decay.
So, it’s best to avoid Cokes, Dr. Peppers, Mountain Dews and the like when you have braces. Can you ever enjoy an occasional soft drink during treatment? Sure, but be careful and DON’T follow Dr. Dre’s advice and drink your Pepper slowly-this will worsen the negative effects of the acid.
Dr. Dustin and I survived our ride last Saturday in the beautiful southwestern Texas hill country. Ranch Road 337 was the best part of the ride and we did some serious climbing. Some reports said this route would get to 6,000 feet of climbing, but our Garmins tended to agree we climbed somewhere between 5k and 6k and finished at about 105 miles. Definitely challenging, at least for me.
I did learn something new on the ride. We did not know this until we arrived in Concan, our home base, but a huge biker rally was in full swing during our ride. What I learned is that it doesn’t matter if your 2 wheeled vehicle is motorized or not, the Harley crowd considered us brethren. We passed literally hundreds of motorcycles, most traveling in huge groups. Every time they passed, they waved, honked, and generally cheered us on throughout the day.
I guess it’s more about the bike than the engine.
My wife Katie and I recently joined the craze around Austin and the nation called stand up paddle boarding (SUP). When I first started seeing people standing up on surfboards with long paddles on Townlake (Ladybird), I must admit it seemed kind of silly to me. Trying to surf without waves? Come on. But, after reading story after story about how SUP is the fastest growing water sport in the world, Katie and I decided to try it.
I stand corrected. Pun intended. This is a great water sport. To me, it is a perfect mix of many things I like. You can have a relaxing and tranquil paddle or you can get a great core workout. It is not hard to do but is hard to master. There is cool looking gear involved but it is low maintenance and simple. You can participate in an athletic endeavor with your spouse and not fight (not yet anyway). And, believe it or not, the biggest SUP manufacturer in the world is based right here in Austin.
Simply put, its fun.
That’s what’s SUP.
