Braces Dragging On - The Last Thing We Want for You!

We want your orthodontic treatment to go as quickly and as comfortably as possible to reach a great smile. We want you to be in braces for the least amount of time.

We do not want your braces to drag on. We want your treatment to keep moving. Braces drag on when we are not making the progress we need to get that great smile.

Some people will joke that their orthodontist will say six months more in braces, but they really mean nine more months. Sure your orthodontist may estimate two years of braces in total, but it will be more like three years - some people will say.

We do not want this "dragging on" at all. We never want people to say this about us or my office We want to give you our best estimate for how long your braces will take before you begin your orthodontic treatment. During your orthodontic treatment, we want to keep you up to date on our progress - are we ahead of schedule? or behind schedule?

With our Damon braces and the experience we have gained with them over the past six years, we find more and more of our patients get their braces off on time or even ahead of schedule. Not all. We are always striving to do better.

There are some things we do to reduce your time in braces and there are some things you can do to help us - and yourself. We all want the same thing - a great smile - as quickly and as comfortably as possible.

I am going to be talking more about those things we do and the ways you can help in future blog posts - stay tuned.

Why are you getting braces? You don't need them.

I hear that from a surprising number of  people. Many people come to see me and say that their family or friends think their smile is great already. "You don't need braces."

And they are right - no one "needs" braces like they would an operation, food or water. Braces are the best way to straighten teeth for a healthy and a confident smile. There can be real benefits for your health and your appearance. If something is bothering you, it makes sense to get it checked out and see what braces may be able to do for you.

I may agree that braces may not be the best way to go for you. It may make sense for your dentist to bond or place veneers on your teeth to improve their appearance. Or braces and later veneers may make the most sense for you and your smile.

I am not here to tell you that you need braces. I am here to listen to you and your concerns. I am here to let you know what braces can do for you. Friends and family members may mean well, but they may be trying to hold you back from doing something that they would like to do for themselves, but are not willing to do for any number of reasons.

People can find it easy to give advice to others - they know what's best for others, but they struggle with their own decisions. I don't pretend to know you or your concerns. I want to listen to you, examine your smile and have a good discussion about what braces can do for you. Then you can decide what works for you.

And it is not unusual that when the braces come off, those same friends and family who questioned the braces, say: "WOW - those braces made a big difference - great smile." All's well that ends well.

Summer Time!

Manitoba is in the middle of a great summer - hot and sunny after all the rain we got in the beginning.

We just got back from holidays - today is our first day back so we are getting limbered up after our rest and relaxation. Everyone here had a nice vacation. I went on a road trip to Montana. It is a beautiful state with lots to see. We got as far as Yellowstone and saw Old Faithful erupt - very cool. The people are wonderful too - very friendly. I can highly recommend the trip. Glacier National Park is supposed to be spectacular, but we will have to return to see that in the future.

We stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast in Glendive Montana on the way home. It is an 8000 square foot mansion over 100 years old that has been beautifully restored. It is a step into the past, but all mod cons - air conditioning, wifi, etc.

http://www.charley-montana.com/

is the website and I highly recommend it to anyone traveling in that area.

Bed and breakfasts offer an inviting home away from home when you are traveling and you meet new and fascinating people much more than you would staying in a hotel. I am definitely going to stay in more B n B's in the future. I can hardly wait until my next road trip.

So get out there and enjoy the rest of the summer - still lots left. In the meantime, while you are relaxing, do not take a vacation from the toothbrush. It is easy to let things slide during the summer months, but you want to keep your teeth healthy and your orthodontic treatment on track.

Is It Time To Be An Optimist?

It is never easy to be a kid or a teenager. I remember my time there - I had lots of fun, but growing up is a challenge. When I grew up in the seventies, there were lots of challenges in the world apart form my own personal life - the economy, oil prices and shortages, pollution worries - you name it, we had it. It was actually a lot like today.

When I was in my teens, I really didn't think I would ever own a car. If I was lucky, maybe a small electric golf cart - those were the pessimistic ideas circulating around that time. It was not just me. Well it turned out not to be so. I think the world is much better now than it was then.

I bring this up because I came across an excellent post:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-ridley/down-with-doom-how-the-wo_b_630792.html

The author is Matt Ridley who also wrote a great book called The Rational Optimist. Optimism is good for you - it supports your life and your health. It encourages more smiling - all good.

http://www.rationaloptimist.com/

I ran into a great example of why we should be optimistic. They are testing a new roadway paving stone that removes harmful pollution from the air. Now that is very cool. In orthodontics I have seen how much technology is helping us to help people and I know that every business and every technology is making progress. Very cool.


http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/07/07/road-surface-purifies-air-by-removing-nitrogen-oxides-nox/#more-21558

We will always have challenges - the Gulf oil leak is tragic. People and wildlife are suffering and we have to develop better technology. I am confident we are and we will. So my last word is to young people - my children, my young patients and everyone else. Lets be optimistic as we work toward making the world a better place. The future belongs to the optimists.

Beauty Smile Trainer

Here is something I ran across when I was Googling "smiles" and such. I am always curious what is out there on the web and I thought this was interesting. It appears to be a jelly rubber tube that you place behind your upper lip above your teeth. I am guessing that it is designed to "raise the curtain" of your upper lip to show off your smile more. I could not find a website directly for this and I suspect that it is a Japanese site. Beyond some French, I only speak English - too bad. Japanese is definitely a language I would like to know.

This gadget could help your smile - at least when you wear it. It could help to show off your smile and your upper teeth, for some people, depending on the position of their teeth and upper lip. It could also look a bit weird - you're on your own with it.

It's actually a clever device. I am not sure how well it would work, how natural it would look and how comfortable it would be. But the idea behind it makes sense. I have the same goals in orthodontic treatment.

Number 1 of course - we want to straighten and even out your teeth. But number 2 is just as important. We want to position your upper teeth and your smile so that you have a wide natural smile that supports your upper lip. This kind of smile looks younger, longer.

That is our goal for you and that is why I only use Damon braces. Nothing helps me more to achieve that broad beaming smile than the Damon braces I have been using for the past 6 years. Beauty Smile Trainer or Damon braces for that full gorgeous smile? I have no experience with the Beauty Smile Trainer, but with Damon braces, I have lots.

In the meantime, things like this make me want to visit Japan even more. I would be in gadget heaven.

Happy Canada Day!

It is a great day to celebrate Canada. Tomorrow - our nation's birthday - its 143rd! Wow. I can remember Centennial Year - 1967. It was a exciting - Canada seemed to be be growing up. It was cool to be a proud Canadian. I was young in Centennial Year, but I felt that it was a turning point in our history.

Since that time, Canada has continued to grow up. It has become cool to wave the flag, celebrate our country and be proud of who we are. And who are we? I believe we are country that allows people to be free and proud of who they are. We come from all over the world to work and play - to live our lives in the best way for ourselves, our families, and our fellow citizens.

Canada celebrates our differences as individuals, allowing us to work and play together to make our lives richer with more and more opportunities every day. Canada welcomes newcomers and new ideas. Canada is a celebration of being human.

I have never been more excited about the future. Technology is allowing us to communicate, interact and learn like never before. I predict that the world is going to become a better, richer, more interesting place. The possibilities for our lives will grow and grow. The environment will become better as we become smarter, healthier and wealthier. Canada is a small part of the world, but our freedoms and our diversity are huge strengths and we will enjoy the benefits of the 21st century as much and more than most countries. We are very lucky to live in this wonderful country.

I am looking forward to the future like never before, but right now I want to pause, be here, and enjoy the moment. Happy Canada Day!

I'm Back - Did Ya Miss Me?

Well my blogging schedule fell a bit behind - lame I know.

It turns out that it is easy to be enthusiastic about blogging - more of a challenge to remain enthusiastic. That's like braces for our patients I guess, which is why we work so hard to minimize your time in braces.

I am actually working hard on my website. It's overall structure is forming in my head and I am writing up what I want to say. I also want to make a number of videos to provide you with information in a quick and easy way.

Now I know why so many orthodontic websites are the way they are - original content is so time intensive. I still think that it is worthwhile however. I insist that a website should provide valuable and unique information to people or why bother? The people I serve are worth it.

Checklist Manifesto

I just read the book, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande. It is a brilliant book. Atul Gawande is a surgeon dedicated to his patients and to improving - to doing his best for his patients. He explores the power and the simplicity of checklists. He talks with construction project managers and pilots. He makes a compelling argument for checklists for any important activity you are likely to repeat in the future.

I am in the process of developing checklists for my office. I share Dr. Gawande's goals and I am convinced that checklists can help us all remember the important steps that can be overlooked when your are distracted. Dr. Gawande comes across as a very thoughtful and intelligent man. He is obviously a thinker and a healer - very wise. I would love to spend an evening with him over dinner and hanging out. I suspect you could spend hours with him and not be bored.

Definitely a book to checkout if you are interested in being better in what you do - highly recommended.

The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande @ Chapters.ca

Websites Are Hard Work - But Worth It

I am in the process of putting together my new website www.smilesooner.com.

I can hardly wait for it to go live, but we are not there yet. I do not want a cookie cutter orthodontic website. I want one that is useful for my audience - patients, parents, dentists, hygienists, assistants and anyone interested in orthodontic treatment, braces, and smiles. I want to provide unique content in my own voice.

The great team I am working with at thepracticemarketers.com are a huge help. Beth and Marcello are doing the heavy lifting of design and coding. I am giving my voice to the site. I am excited about the possibilities of a web presence and look forward to building my site.

My site will continue to grow with more useful information. I will be posting videos to help you before, during and after your orthodontic treatment. These will be videos that I have put together. Please let me know if there is any specific information or questions you would like answered. I am ramping up the smilesooner video production studio as we speak. Lights. Camera. Action.

Nothing Bigger Than Your Head

A lot of patients and parents ask us - "what can you eat with braces"? Often they ask what shouldn't they eat with braces.

My answer is: you shouldn't eat anything bigger than your head with braces. Now this is more of a human limitation than a brace thing.

Eating with braces is not the same as eating before your braces. And with straight teeth, eating is going to be easier and more comfortable than with crooked teeth.

Until then, with your braces, you do need to eat differently. Braces are stuck to your teeth with a strong glue, but they are designed to come off your teeth with the right kind of pressure that will not hurt you or your tooth. With eating you want to avoid that pressure.

Keep the pressure on your teeth and not on your braces to avoid breaking braces. You can eat almost anything with braces as long as you avoid the pressure on the brace itself. To do that, eat more slowly until the food has softened up, chewer smaller pieces so the food is between your teeth and away from the braces, and move toward softer foods when possible.

You can eat popcorn, potato chips, and even a granola bar if you are careful. Chew slowly with small pieces until the food has softened up. Chewing gum is fine, but go slowly until the gum is softer and a smaller piece of gum will be safer. But remember - nothing bigger than your head.

Happy New Year with Damon Clear Braces!

I hope everyone had a great holiday. I had a wonderful break and I am excited about the New Year. Last year was great - this year promises to be better.

We are excited about a few changes coming to our office with more to come.

First - Damon Clear braces - we are excited. Damon Clear braces are the same as what we have been using for the last five and a half years except they are clear. They go on the front six teeth and they are the most invisible braces there are - no metal clip - no elastic to become grungy and discolored. They look great - or should I say your teeth look great with them on. The braces are almost impossible to see.

The Damon Clear braces are not widely available - only in offices familiar with the Damon system. We have started placing them on adults and with their expected strength and durability, we will likely start using them for teenagers who are going to be careful. The regular Damon braces will remain the best choice when you want the greatest durability.

Our website is going to be up very soon. And I am starting to make videos for it. I want to make valuable information available for you to quickly find and see for yourself - help for any problems you may be having - things you are wondering about. Let me know any of your suggestions for videos and I will put it on my list. If you have a question, I am here to answer you.

And further along the lines of explaining things, we are about to get two larger video monitors which will help us inform you of our vision for your smile and how we are getting there. The more you can understand the big picture as well as the details, the easier and faster your treatment moves - smile sooner!