It’s no secret that sweet, sugary candies and drinks have an adverse effect of the health of your smile, but what about sour or tart candies? We at Tipton Orthodontics thought you might want to know what kind of an effect does eating or drinking something sour have on my smile?

Recent research from the Minnesota Dental Association suggests that the amount of acid in sour candies is enough to eat away at tooth enamel and cause cavities. Here are a few souring facts about sour candies, and some helpful tips on how to protect your teeth from Tipton Orthodontics (even if you cannot give up sour candies all together).

Facts

-Sour candies can be very acidic, and may actually burn the gums and cheeks, while weakening and wearing down the enamel on your teeth. (Check the acid levels in some of your favorite candies)

-It can take almost 20 minutes for the acid in sour candies to become neutral. Holding the acid in your mouth by sucking on sour hard candies or chewing sour gummies can keep the acid active for more than 20 minutes.

-The acid in sour candies can cause cavities and severe tooth decay.

Protect your teeth

-Limit the amount of sour candies that you eat on a daily basis, and if you do indulge, remember not to suck or chew on sour candies for long periods of time.

-After eating sour candies, rinse your mouth out with water, drink milk, or eat a couple slices of cheese. This will help neutralize the acid in your mouth (wait at least one hour before brushing your teeth with toothpaste, as this can actually increase the effects of acid on your teeth)

-If tooth erosion has already begun, ask your dentist about ways you can help reduce sensitivity and continue to protect your teeth.

Hope this helps! From Tipton Orthodontics.

Tipton Orthodontics Has A Fun New Soda Pop Quiz

Tipton Orthodontics wants to know, where does all that soda pop go?

On average, the typical person consumes over 50 gallons of soda pop per year! The amount of acid and sugar found in a can of soda can cause serious tooth decay and lead to cavities, gum disease, and even tooth loss!

We at Tipton Orthodontics know that you don’t want to lose your teeth, so take the soda pop quiz, presented by the Minnesota Dental Association, and learn more about how to keep your smile healthy.

It’s a fun interactive quiz, so enjoy! From Tipton Orthodontics.

Gummy Tummy from Tipton Orthodontics

We know the rumors going around – mostly among young people – that once you swallow a piece of chewing gum it will stake a claim and take up residency in your stomach for at least seven years!  We really hate to take all the fun out of the mystery, but the truth is that chewing gum, when swallowed, will enter the stomach and move through the digestive system just like any other piece of food and leave the body long before seven years!  So, if you ever have accidentally swallowed a piece of gum, there is no need to worry!

This being said, gum does not have any dietary benefits, so while it’s not harmful to swallow, you still want to avoid swallowing it.  If you are a gum-chewer, make sure you chew sugarless gum, because gum with sugar can lead to cavities.  Sugarless gum still has the same amount of flavor, but with less cavity causing ingredients.  You see, when the bacterium in your mouth breaks down sugar, what’s left behind is acid. This acid eats away at the enamel coating of your teeth, causing holes that we call cavities.  Cavities can lead to other long term mouth problems if they are not treated in time, so it is best to try and avoid overexposing your teeth to too many harmful substances!

Happy (sugar-free) gum chewing from Tipton Orthodontics!

When Are Two Phases

Usually patients in orthodontic treatment already have their permanent teeth – but in some cases we have to start treatment earlier, even before the patient’s permanent teeth come in. We call this “two-phase treatment.”

When we have patients with clear developmental problems at an early age, it’s best to start work when they are young, before the problems get bigger and more difficult to treat. Examples include an upper or lower jaw that is not growing correctly, or a mouth growing in a way that doesn’t leave enough room for all the permanent teeth to come in.

In these cases we will start early and do one round of treatment – phase one – while the patient still has “baby teeth.” Phase one usually does not involve braces, but can include a different type of appliance that helps the jaw grow into place properly, such as a retainer. We’ll follow up with phase two usually a few years later, when permanent the patient’s permanent teeth have come in. Phase two often does involve braces and sometimes headgear.

In order to catch early problems, we recommend that children have an orthodontic check-up no later than age seven (and so does the American Association of Orthodontics). However, if your dentist or pediatrician sees any sign that early treatment might be necessary, he or she may recommend your child visit an orthodontist even sooner.  For more information about two-phase orthodontics, or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Tipton, give us a call at Tipton Orthodontics.

Smoke Screen – Making Quitting Stick

Everybody knows that smoking causes lung cancer, but did you also know that smokers and tobacco are susceptible to a variety of oral health problems at a faster rate than non-smokers?

It’s true! Smoking is responsible for almost 75% of gum disease in adults; and, similar to smokers, adults who smoke pipes and cigars, as well as those using smokeless tobacco, are just as susceptible to gum disease and other tobacco related health problems.

As soon as you use tobacco products, you become more likely to experience any of these oral-health problems:

• Oral cancer
• Gum disease
• Tooth loss
• Loss of bone in the jaw
• Gum recession
• Delayed/impaired healing process after oral surgery or any other treatment
• Decreased success rate of dental implant (tooth replacement) procedures
• Mouth sores
• Loss of your sense of taste and smell
• Bad breath
• Tooth and tongue stains

If you are interested in protecting your oral health we strongly recommend you quit using tobacco products! The following steps are recommended by the Surgeon General to help you quit smoking and using tobacco:

• Get ready – set a quitting date and remove all materials from your home, car and office
• Get support
• Learn new skills and behaviors
• Get medication and use it correctly
• Be prepared for relapse or difficult situations

For support, start with Tipton Orthodontics! We can help by recommending different options to help you quit, and above all we will support you throughout the quitting process. We are dedicated to helping you protect your oral health – and quitting smoking is significant step in the right direction.

New SureSmile Videos on Tipton Orthodontics’ YouTube Channel

I’ve just uploaded a few fun new videos to YouTube about SureSmile, and thought I’d share one. Let me know what you think!

An Unforgettable Trip to Mexico

On November 21st and 22nd, 2008 Dr. Greg Hatch and I flew to San Ignacio, Mexico in Dr. Hatch’s plane (San Ignacio is located on the Baja Peninsula), along with Dr. Alan Longfellow and a few of our staff members. Our mission: to provide dental care to the people living in this area in order to teach and promote good oral health.

Our trip began when we landed our plane on a small dirt landing strip in San Ignacio, which was definitely an adventure it itself! We were then driven to a small Mexican pueblo where members of the group “The Flying Samaritans” have recently completed construction of a new medical/dental clinic.

On Saturday, the 22nd, we spent almost the entire day working with the people of San Ignacio doing fillings and extracting decayed teeth. The local people we helped were all very appreciative, and interested in what we were doing! The humanitarian services that we provided filled all of us with feelings of gratitude for our own lives of abundance and a desire to return to San Ignacio again soon to help all of these wonderful people!

This is our story, but we’d also love to hear one of yours! If you have any stories about a trip you took that made a difference in another person’s life please leave us a comment and share with us your experience. We’ve all had someone make a difference in our lives, and at some point we must take time to give back to others in need of our help.

3 Minutes is Longer Than You Think

It is crucial to brush your teeth a minimum of 2 times a day. However, if you have braces you should be brushing after every meal. This is critical because braces tend to trap food particles and bacteria that can cause cavities if you don’t clean your teeth each time you eat.

You should brush your teeth between 3-4 minutes. Patients generally think they are brushing long enough, when, in fact, most people spend less than one minute brushing. It is generally better to brush 3 to 4 minutes twice a day instead of brushing quickly five or more times throughout the day. Here are the five steps to  brushing your teeth properly.

 

Step 1: Place the toothbrush beside your teeth at a 45-degree angle.

Step 2: Gently brush teeth only a small group of teeth at a time (in a circular or elliptical motion) until the entire mouth is covered.

Step 3: Brush the outside of the teeth, inside of the teeth, the chewing surfaces, and in between each tooth.

Step 4: Gently brush the tongue to remove bacteria and freshen breath.

Step 5: Repeat steps 1 through 4 at least twice daily, especially after meals and snacks.

 

Some great ways to time your daily brushings is with a cooking timer, a little hourglass (you can get from your dentist), or singing some fun songs. Listed below are some songs you can sing about teeth while brushing.

 

 

To the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”

 

Brush, brush, brush your teeth

Gently round your gums.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Brushing can be fun!!

 

 

Brush, brush, brush your teeth

Brush them every day.

The front, the sides, the back, the top

To keep decay (or the bugs or germs) away!

 

Floss, floss, floss your teeth

Floss without delay.

You need to do this every day

To keep decay (or the bugs or germs) away!

 

To the tune of “Jingle Bells”  

 

I brush my teeth, I brush my teeth, morning noon and night.

I brush them, floss them, rinse them clean; I keep them nice and white.

I brush them once, I brush them twice; I brush them till they shine.

I always brush them round and round; those precious teeth of mine.

 

 

 

I eat good foods, I eat good foods, I give my teeth a treat.

I like to eat healthy foods like veggies, fruit, and meat.

If I eat sweets, if I eat sweets, I brush them right away

To keep my teeth shiny bright, and free from tooth decay.

 

 

To the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

 

If you’re happy and you know it give a smile                                                  

If you’re happy and you know it give a smile

If you’re happy and you know it then your face is going to show it

If you’re happy and you know it give a smile.

 

When my teeth are clean I know it ‘cause I SMILE

When my teeth are clean I know it ‘cause I SMILE

When my teeth are clean I know it and I’m not afraid to show it

When my teeth are clean I know it ‘cause I SMILE

 

To the tune of “Old MacDonald had a Farm”

 

All my friends have pretty smiles

Ee – i – ee – i – o. 

They brush their teeth to keep them bright,

Ee – i – ee – i – o.

With a wiggle-jiggle here,

And a wiggle-jiggle there,

Here a wiggle, there a jiggle,

Everywhere a wiggle-jiggle

Oh what fun to brush our teeth, 

Ee – i – ee – i – o.

 

Sing these songs a few times while brushing your teeth and you smile will stay fresh, clean and healthy.

The SureSmile Difference: Less Time in Braces

What is SureSmile?

 

SureSmile is a huge advance in orthodontics. SureSmile has so many advantages and differences over other procedures:

o   Shortened treatment time – by up to 40%

o   Reduce the number of adjustments

o   Fewer office visits

• Less discomfort

 

SureSmile treatment is a 3-step process that uses digital imaging, a robotic arm, and an orthodontic eye to create a state-of-the-art orthodontic experience! With SureSmile, you can be in and out of braces FAST with many patients seeing top results in under a year as opposed to two-three years in braces! The following is from the SureSmile web site:

 

Three Steps to a SureSmile

 

Step 1: Digital imaging with the OraScanner creates a 3-D digital model of your mouth, showing the exact position of every tooth.

 

Step 2: Computer modeling with SureSmile Treatment Planning Software allows the orthodontist to manipulate the digital model of your teeth and create a plan for your ultimate smile.

 

 

Step 3: Robotic hands, guided by the SureSmile software, precision-bend Shape Memory Alloy archwires that work with your body heat to shorten treatment time.

 

Tipton Orthodontics is one of only four SureSmile providers in Arizona. It is the most cutting-edge treatment available in the world of braces today. 

Best of Tempe

We were given a great honor last week – our office was selected as the 2008 Best of Tempe in the Orthodontists category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).
Each year, the USBLA recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. They identify companies they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category.
The award is given to local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.
We are happy to be presented with this award, in recognition of our efforts to enhance the positive image of our business through service to our customers and community.
We would love to hear your thoughts about Tipton Orthodontics.