Our Blog

Wearing Retainers – Do You Understand Why?

After orthodontic treatment is completed at Oyster Bay Orthodontics, retainers are the finishing touch to maintain your beautiful new smile while the teeth stabilize and over a lifetime of good oral health.

An orthodontic retainer is a custom-fit device that is removable or bonded depending upon the patient’s individual needs. It is your insurance policy your teeth stay put in their new positions if worn as instructed. (more…)

Mouthguard – You Wear It – But Do You Clean It?

Most adults and kids today understand the importance of wearing a mouthguard when playing contact sports, especially while wearing braces. Blows to the mouth are painful enough without brackets and wires cutting into your lips and tongue making it worse. Teeth are actually less prone to injury when wired together as a single unit during orthodontic treatment. A mouthguard protects the braces and serves as added protection, further reducing the possibility of tooth and jaw injury.

It is not uncommon for athletes to remove their mouthguard when playing sports and set it down, hold it in their dirty hands, or toss it into the case or Gym bag when the game is over. Do you or your kids clean your mouthguard before popping it back into the mouth the next you play? Who knows what germs are breeding on the mouthguard when stored away that can cause illness and oral health issues? (more…)

TMJ Jaw Pain Can Be A Mouthful

TMJ jaw pain can be a mouthful. Living with aching or clicking jaws can be hard to swallow! Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, also commonly known as TMJ or TMD, is a joint disorder that affects the opening and closing of the jaw, and can have many side effects that relate to the teeth, head, and neck.

Like other joints, the relationship between the bone and disk will affect how well the joint works. The jaw is used thousands of times a day for talking, eating and laughing. When a disorder is present in the joint, your lifestyle can be dramatically changed. (more…)

Smiles Change Lives

A healthy perfect smile is why many children and adults choose to undergo orthodontic treatment. Around friends and family, a less than attractive smile is not as noticeable. However, when meeting new people, making new friends, and in the workplace, your smile is more obvious to those who don’t know you.

When speaking one on one with others, a beautiful smile improves your appearance and increases confidence to better influence personal relationships. Undergoing orthodontic treatment is one of the best decisions you will make for yourself and family.

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Most Common Question Asked During Orthodontic Treatment

Is it what can I eat? How do I brush?

No… When do I get my braces off?

While most patients are always eager to start treatment, they are even more eager to get them off. Even though each patient is given an estimated treatment time wearing braces when they start, patients always hope we can wave our magic wands and complete the process sooner.

It makes sense that a patient may assume they are ahead of schedule when their teeth look straight in a mirror. Unfortunately, orthodontics isn’t just about straight teeth. The ultimate goal of good orthodontic treatment result is a beautiful smile as well as a healthy bite that lasts a lifetime. (more…)

Decalcification – Common Causes Of White Spots After Wearing Braces

Chalky, opaque-looking white spots on the teeth are not uncommon today. Maybe you have them or perhaps you’ve seen them on the teeth of friends or family. Many things can cause white spots on the teeth. They can be a factor of nutrition, genetics, an excess of fluoride intake at a young age, or poor oral hygiene.

When undergoing orthodontic treatment, white spots can develop if plaque is allowed to remain “around the brackets and along the gum line” for an extended period of time without proper brushing and flossing. Good oral hygiene is critical during treatment. Since the bonding material that glues the bracket to each tooth creates an air-tight seal, you seldom see white marks underneath the braces but around the braces and along the gum line after braces are removed. (more…)

Sensitive Teeth – The Root Of The Matter

Are you experiencing tooth sensitivity? Hot or cold temperatures, sweet or sour foods and drinks, and deep cavities or fillings often trigger this problem. Sensitivity is a common dilemma and an estimated 45 million Americans are victims! If you are undergoing orthodontic treatment, sensitivity is also not at all uncommon.

Sensitive teeth normally occur when the enamel on the outside of the tooth wears away exposing the dentin layer of the tooth. The dentin layer is very porous with tubes that run to the nerve center. When exposed, the tubes react to changes in temperature and different foods.

During orthodontic treatment, the discomfort a patient experiences are due to the pressure that is placed on your teeth by the braces. This level of discomfort varies from patient to patient. The sensitivity is not permanent and will only last a few days. At Oyster Bay Orthodontics, we educate our patients on how to reduce this sensitivity to enhance a more pleasant orthodontic treatment experience. However, if you aren’t wearing braces, below are some common causes of tooth sensitivity. (more…)

Mouthguard – Worth Its Weight In Gold

Any child active in contact sports should think about using a mouthguard to protect their teeth, mouth, and jaw. The use of a mouthguard is very similar to the use of orthodontic technology as they both share the ideas of keeping someone’s smile safe and intact.

At Oyster Bay Orthodontics we use these same ideas to keep our patients healthy and happy! (more…)

The Truth About Wisdom Teeth

Do Wisdom Teeth cause crowding of your front teeth?

How many times have you heard this? Did you know this all started after a paper was written on by an orthodontist over 50 years ago?

In 1961, orthodontist Dr. Leroy Vego published an article, “A Longitudinal Study of Mandibular Arch Perimeter” which examined the role of wisdom teeth on lower front tooth crowding. This study was run over six years with patients from ages 13 to 19. He reported that there was a significantly greater degree of crowding in patients with wisdom teeth. Dr. Vego concluded: “that the erupting lower third molar can exert a force on approximating teeth.”

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Sensitive Teeth? Here Is Why

Sensitive teeth…Have you ever experienced sensitivity in your teeth when drinking hot coffee or eating ice cream? How about when brushing your teeth? Ever wonder why this happens? Most of the time it is due to enamel wear of teeth. When this happens, the dentin (sensitive part of the tooth) is exposed and left vulnerable to all kinds of painful experiences, depending upon how severe.

When the dentin loses the protection of hard enamel, the nerves under the tooth are less protected, triggering pain whenever it is hit with a hot or cold temperature. So, how do you fix this problem? When even brushing causes intense pain and even damage to sensitive teeth, how are you supposed to keep protected against sensitivity? (more…)