Embracing Your Braces

Crest and Oral B have created a contest called “Life Opens Up” where people submit videos about how their mouth has helped them open up to the world, and how the world has opened up to them in return. Crest and Oral B created several videos to show people the types stories they are looking for, and our patient, Ruby, was selected to shoot one of these videos because of her story about having braces as an adult. I wasn't able to embed her video in this blog, but check it out here.

Ruby has really conquered the fears and apprehensions about having braces as an adult and exudes the kind of contagious self-confidence that draws people in. We joke about braces being magnetic, but in Ruby’s case, hers really are. Ruby not only found her boyfriend during treatment, she embraced her social life and increased her self-confidence. Since the video was made, Ruby has gotten her braces off and loves her new smile. She is a great example of how patients can make the most of their orthodontic treatment.

If you are worried about having braces, try to take Ruby’s advice: Put yourself out there! Post a couple of pictures of you with your braces. Remember that you are only temporarily in treatment. Thousands of people have braces, and the people who truly care about you will be supportive of your treatment. Braces are becoming trendy as more and more adults are choosing to start orthodontic treatment. Focus on the changes that you see as your treatment progresses, and look forward to the end result. Enjoy your braces while they last and always embrace your smile.

Making Smiles Affordable

Waiting for Guffman has been showing on cable lately, and when I saw this clip, it really got me wondering what goes through my patients' heads when we discuss treatment plans. Choosing to have orthodontic treatment yourself or to provide it for a child is a financial commitment, and in this economy, people are being more selective with expenditures. I truly believe that everyone deserves to have the smile of their dreams, and because of that, we offer fair prices and a number of different payment options to make it easier on my patients and their families.

In addition to honoring several insurance policies and working with our Medi-Cal patients, at Aesthetic Orthodontics, we provide different financing opportunities including a no-interest in-house program. My team and I do everything we can to create a comfortable financial situation for our patients so that we can then do what we do best – give them a perfect smile!

Every once in awhile, I get into a situation where I feel like Corky. Someone comes in desiring orthodontic treatment. An evaluation is made, a number is thrown out, and the patient is unprepared for the overall cost of treatment. Of course, Corky was being completely unreasonable, whereas I propose a price that fits under the bell curve. It isn’t typical when a patient looks at me like I’m an alien, but it can happen because of a few reasons. Either the patient didn’t do any research and imagined that orthodontic treatment would be priced differently, the number was expected but isn’t one that the patient feels financially secure enough to pay, or the patient had self-assessed the issue to be one that is more easily resolved than the exam would then reveal to me. By the end of the conversation, we’ve both explained our positions and come to an agreement on the most comfortable treatment program.

Discussing money and payment is not easy for anyone, but even in an economic downturn, we strive to make orthodontic treatment attainable by creating a financial plan within your means and by offering a large selection of braces products and appliances. If you are considering treatment for yourself or your family, give us a call, schedule a consultation, and at least find out what your options are. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the opportunities available to you.

Hermione's Magical Teeth

This week will mark the beginning of the end of an era as the world sits in anticipation for the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. I must warn you that I have never read the Harry Potter books, but my patients, especially my younger ones, have been counting down the days until July 15th - the movie's scheduled release - for months.

To pay homage to the successful series and world trend, the topic of this post will be one of everyone's favorite characters, Hermione Granger. Actually, Hermione Granger's teeth. For those of you who haven't read the Harry Potter series, Hermione Granger is the daughter of two muggles (people who are not witches), who were very accepting of their daughter's identity as a witch. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were both dentists who worked along side each other at their Australian practice. Hermione was extremely clever, always at the top of the class; she was that girl in school that always raised her hand for everything and read the entire book before the class got through the first chapter.

Hermione was also given the gift of unusually large front teeth and a crooked smile.

So, just how did Hermione manage to straighten her teeth? Fortunately for Hermione, she lives in a magical world. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Hermione's classmate Malfoy put a spell on her, giving her large fangs.

"Hermione" Ron said, looking sideways at her, suddenly frowning, "Your teeth..."
"What about them?" she said.
"Well, they're different... I've just noticed...."
"Of course they are-- did you expect me to keep those fangs Malfoy gave me?"
"No, I mean, they're different to how they were before he put that hex on you.... They're all... straight and-- and normal-sized."
Hermione suddenly smiled very mischievously, and Harry noticed it too: It was a very different smile from the one he remembered.
"Well... when I went up to Madam Pomfrey to get them shrunk, she held up a mirror and told me to stop her when they were back to how they normally were," she said. "And I just... let her carry on a bit," she smiled even more widely. Mum and Dad won't be too pleased. I've been trying to persuade them to let me shrink them for ages, but they wanted me to carry on with my braces. You know, they're dentists, they just don't think teeth and magic should-- look! Pigwidgeon's back!"

In the real world, Hermione's parents would have been right. Teeth and magic just don't mix for the majority of us muggles. Actress Emma Watson, who plays Hermione, ended up having conventional orthodontic treatment to straighten her pearly whites. Emma Watson is all grown up now, and with or without sorcery, it seems her braces have magically disappeared.

To all you Harry Potter fans, all of us at Aesthetic Orthodontics hope you enjoy the bittersweet ending to magical world of Harry Potter. Wear your Gryffindor scarves proudly and immerse yourself in the final battle where Harry, Ron, Hermione, and their allies defend Hogwarts and the magical world civilization against the Dark Lord.

And, if, perchance, your enemy happens to cast a spell on you and you grow fangs or your teeth suddenly get crooked, give us a call. We may not have magical powers, but we surely can help.

Orthodontic Art Gallery

Have you had a chance to visit Aesthetic Orthodontics' Los Angeles office? If you have not, then you are missing out on one of the largest collections of orthodontic art in the country. I know that the idea of having a dental and orthodontic art collection may sound a little loony, but the greatest thing is...it is! Most of the pieces are Looney Tunes
themed and they keep our office fun and lively. Your favorite characters are on display acting as orthodontists, adorning braces, wearing head gear, and even experimenting with rubberbands. When you are in for your next appointment or just driving by the office, come on in and view our impressive art gallery. We'd love to show you around!

The Importance of Orthodontic X-Rays

Merely mentioning the word x-ray to my patients can bring up fear, unpleasantry, and an automatic association to cancer and birth defects. Our society is laden with cancer, and because the disease touches all of us in one way or another, we have been inundated with information about preventing various forms of cancer. X-rays are a form of radiation and radiation of any kind can pose a risk to our health, but it is important to realize that radiation has many important and beneficial uses.

X-rays in the practices of dentistry and orthodontics are used to routinely diagnose and treat a number of conditions that could otherwise not be diagnosed properly. At Aesthetic Orthodontics we take x-rays before and after treatment. As an orthodontist, I work not only with teeth, but with the entire dental-facial complex of teeth, bones, lips, joints, sinuses, cartilage, nerves, and muscles. X-rays help me determine if there are underlying structural or alignment issues with the jaw and teeth. They also help me determine in which direction teeth will likely grow or move, and to evaluate the relationship of teeth to other neighboring structures.

Patients usually understand the need for x-rays at the beginning of treatment, but some think that x-rays upon treatment completion are unnecessary. Their teeth are straight and they are happy with their smile, so why do they need to have more x-rays taken? The answer to that is simple. I need to make sure that the bones have developed properly, that the teeth and jaw bones are aligned properly, and that there is nothing further that needs to be done that I may not have been able to detect without the use of an x-ray. X-rays after treatment are also a veritable reference to have if a patient comes in with any issues in the future. I try to make clear to each patient the importance of before and after x-rays before treatment begins.

Understanding the importance of orthodontic x-rays plays a big role in accepting x-ray imaging as part of treatment. However, radiation still leaves patients a bit squeamish. So, just how much radiation are you exposed to? I tell my patients it's like sitting in the sun for ten minutes on a hot day. Radiation is measured in rems, but a rem is a very large unit, so we measure in millirems as well. One thousand millirems equal one rem. At Aesthetic Orthodontics we use ultra-low dose digital imaging. Each x-ray exposes you to less than 0.5 millirems. To put that into perspective, you are exposed to 10 millirems per year cooking with natural gas and 1 millirem - a little more than 2 dental x-rays - for each short flight you take. (perhaps Los Angeles to Las Vegas.) A mammogram exposes each breast to 500 millirems, or the equivalent of 2,000 dental x-rays. I understand the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and avoiding unneccessary risks. At Aesthetic Orthodontics, we do everything we possibly can to ensure that you are getting the lowest dose of radiation to keep you happy and healthy, while still capturing the images and the data we need to make your treatment as successful as possible.

If you need more quantifiable information, listen to the informative podcast below on the risks of dental x-rays by Dr. Sean Carlson, associate professor at my alma mater, the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry at the University of the Pacific. And as always, if you still have questions or concerns, feel free to contact any one of our offices, or email us at info@aeortho.com

Smile

This is a great video of the end of the movie “Modern Times” starring Charlie Chaplin in 1936. The comedian brought smiles to the faces of people around the world, which is why it is fitting that he wrote the music you hear playing in the background. In 1936, this theme song was nothing more than a beautiful melody, but in 1954, lyrics and the title “Smile” were given to this popular standard.

The message of the song is that even in the worst of times, you can make it through if you just smile. We all face difficult times, and sometimes, you just don’t have a reason to smile. But even forcing a smile can actually make you start to feel better as endorphins are released when you smile, helping to relieve physical and emotional stress. Just focus on putting happy thoughts into your head, take a few deep breaths, and smile. Smiling will not only make you start to feel better, but it will put others at ease and make them feel good as well. When you are facing a particularly hard time, offer up a smile. You’ll send a message that you are accepting the world around you, and the world will, in turn, smile back at you.

Celebrities: They're Just Like Us

Having offices in California and Nevada requires some frequent travel. Nine times out of ten someone is reading a celebrity gossip magazine on the plane in a seat nearby, as was the case this past weekend on my flight back from Las Vegas. A woman sitting catty-corner from me was reading the latest edition of US Weekly. US Weekly has a feature called "They're Just Like Us," a weekly reminder that celebrities are regular people who do regular things. As she flipped through pages, it made me think about just how many celebrities have had braces.

Society and the media teach us to aspire to that perfect celebrity image: perfect body, perfect smile, perfect wardrobe, perfect life, when, in fact, many of these stars pay a lot of money to achieve those things. Without trainers, gyms, diets, nutritionists, dentists, orthodontists, publicists, wardrobe consultants, plastic surgeons, and the like, most of these celebrities could never attain that image.

It may seem like celebrities are already perfect when they become famous, but they often seek help from an orthodontist while they are famous. Since the introduction of Invisalign, Incognito, and other clear and invisible braces, celebrities and the rest of us "regular" people have had the opportunity to get straight teeth without anyone ever knowing it. Katherine Heigl, Justin Bieber, and Gisele Bundchen have all undergone Invisalign treatment while they were famous. If you had your doubts that any star would ever get metal braces, plenty of them have opted for more traditional braces including Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage, Dakota Fanning, Prince Harry, Faye Dunaway, and Gwen Stefani, again, all while famous.

I treat many on-camera talent, and they all opt for different treatments depending on what feels the most comfortable for them. The truth is, we were all born differently, with different attributes, and different imperfections, all of which make us unique. The most important thing is being healthy and keeping a positive self-image. Achieving a flawless smile may be aesthetically desirable to you and celebrities alike, because after all, they're just like us.