Austin Orthodontist | Austin Orthodontics | Invisalign Austin

Sleep Disorders Associated with Restricted Airways

Dustin Roden-Johnson — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:27:25 +0000

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 [...]

Custom Mouthguards: Why can’t orthodontic patients wear custom mouthguards for athletics?

Editor — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:59:36 +0000

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 [...]

Self Ligating Brackets: What are self ligating brackets?

Editor — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:23:11 +0000

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:

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Austin Rocks!

Editor — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:47:07 +0000

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 [...]

Copper Triangle Loop

Editor — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:12:53 +0000

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 [...]

When is the best time for my child to get braces?

Editor — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:42:31 +0000

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 [...]

Why do orthodontic patients have to avoid certain foods?

Editor — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:50:51 +0000

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 [...]

Why are soft drinks bad for orthodontic patients?

Editor — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:21:18 +0000

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 [...]

Ranch Road 337. Been there. Done that.

Editor — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:04:55 +0000

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 [...]

What’s SUP?

Editor — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:59:47 +0000

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 [...]