As it turns out, many tooth and jaw problems, such as overbite and underbite, are genetic. If a parent had a malocclusion that required correction with braces, it is likely that at least some of their children will have the same condition. As soon as a child’s baby teeth start falling out and their permanent teeth grow in around the ages of six and seven, problems may become apparent.

A dentist may notice that teeth are growing in crooked, or that they overlap, or the child simply has a bad bite. As soon as all the permanent teeth grow in, the child is a candidate for correction. This may be as early as the age of seven. If the problem isn’t overly severe, the parents may want to wait until the child is more mature and can handle the responsibilities of braces or clear braces, like Invisalign.  

Once your patient is out of braces, the next step is a retainer. Many orthodontists stick with the traditional Hawley Retainer, but there are, in fact, other options…like the Essix Retainer. This clear plastic retainer is nearly invisible – definitely appealing to your self-conscious teen patients, especially after months of braces.

Adult patients will also appreciate a less conspicuous retainer. Many patients need to wear their retainers full time for months after treatment, if not longer, it matters what it looks like.

Let’s face it. Dental work is often expensive, which is why many patients may be hesitant to consider a recommended treatment or course of action. Other considerations include time factor, the comfort factor and, of course, the “trust” factor.

How can you help your patients better understand and accept your recommended interventions? Digital scanners, like the Condor Scanner can be a big help. These types of scanners can present fully colored, life-like renditions of your patient’s teeth right to your tablet computer. There, you can rotate and magnify the scan, so you can show the patient exactly what the problem is.

Often, seeing is believing. When a patient is easily, economically and comfortably scanned in the chair -- and are allowed the opportunity to readily view and discuss their dental issue – chances are acceptance rates will soar.

Dentists, if you’ve decided to expand your practice by offering dental appliances to assist patients who suffer from mild or moderate sleep apnea, then it’s important that you know how to identify sleep apnea in patients. Many Americans don’t even realize that they have sleep apnea, and you may face common misconceptions about the condition. One of the most persistent misconceptions is that only overweight people suffer from sleep apnea.

Sleep Apnea and Weight

The most common form of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, occurs when throat muscles relax while a patient sleeps, which narrows or blocks the patient’s airway. This causes them to snore loudly and wake up as many as a hundred times a night!

According to the Mayo Clinic, overweight children and adults are four times as likely to suffer from obstructive sleep apnea as people of normal weight. This happens because excess fat deposits around a person’s airway make it more likely that breathing will be obstructed during sleep.

Other Causes of Sleep Apnea

While being overweight is a risk factor of sleep apnea, not everyone with the condition is overweight. There are a variety of other factors that can cause sleep apnea in normal weight people. For example, people with thicker necks are more likely to have sleep apnea. So are people with a narrow throat. This is something that comes from a person’s genes and has nothing to do with weight.

Other risk factors for sleep apnea are:

When a patient loses teeth, there is a distinct risk that maxillary molars will start to move, which shortens the length of the arch and creates malocclusion. This could lead to crooked teeth, a poor bite pattern, and even skeletal discrepancies in the future.

As a dentist, your priority is to prevent arch length loss. If the problem is occurring in the upper arch, you can treat it with a Nance appliance, one of the many dental supplies offered through SML. The Nance has bands that wrap around the molars and a palatal arch wire that has an acrylic button attached to it in the pre-maxillary region. This button acts to keep the molars in place and hold the arch length.   

No matter how often and how meticulously you try to ensure that your patients are wearing their retainer, some of them simply won’t comply. This is as true for young children as it is for adults. They don’t like the way it feels or the way it looks or the way it is constantly getting lost in the furthermost dark reaches of a bureau drawer or their nightstand.

The E-Z Bond Lingual Retainer is a great option for these challenging patients. This retainer bonds to the back of the teeth (perfect for those appearance-conscious patients), and since it is bonded in place, the patient doesn’t have to remember to find it or put it in. They can’t leave it at home. It can’t get lost.

Dentists and Orthodontists are experiencing (or about to experience) an uptick in appointments for the new year. Time to take stock of your dental appliance therapy supplies inventory.

Second appointments are never a good thing when they are the result of poor planning on your part. Make plans for ensuring that you won’t run out of your most critical and commonly used dental supplies. That way, you won’t have to sheepishly ask a patient to take more time off from work or school.

The Role of Oropharyngeal Development, From Fetus to Adult: Craniofacial Structure and Posture-Rehabiliation and Reversal of Epiginetic Mutation

Are you interested in partnering with a huge network of oral appliance manufacturers with dental laboratories across the United States and the world? One great way to learn more about Space Maintainers Laboratories and the products we offer is to visit us at your favorite dental tradeshows, group meetings, and conventions. In January 2018, you can find us at two big shows, the Hawaii Dental Association Convention and the Yankee Dental Congress.

HDA Convention

Taking place at the Hawaii Convention Center in beautiful Honolulu, this convention offers you great weather, sunshine, and a look at the latest and greatest dental procedures and tools. We are excited to attend!