As you well know, crossbites are extremely common in young children. According to Cochrane, approximately 1% to 16% of children with primary teeth experience a posterior crossbite.

You also surely know that upon explaining the situation to parents, their first question may very well be, “Is there a point to fixing it…when my kid’s primary teeth are going to fall out anyway?”

The fact is that up to 90% of posterior crossbites remain even upon eruption of the child’s permanent teeth.   

You’ve been attending dental conferences ever since you were in dental school. Now that you have your own practice and have started making important connections in the field, you’ve finally been asked to present a case at a dental conference.

This is a big opportunity for you to put your name on the map, but presenting in front of your peers can also be nerve wracking. Will your presentation be interesting and informative?

A great presentation starts with choosing and documenting the right case study. At Space Maintainers Laboratories, we can’t help you pick the perfect case study, but we can help ensure that you have excellent records that clearly document the problem and the results of your intervention.

One of our most popular digital dental services is our “Complete Ortho Records Package,” which includes all aspects of the case documentation.   

As a practicing dentist, you have a lot of options when it comes to choosing the proper oral appliance for patients suffering from snoring or sleep apnea. You also have a choice of several different oral appliances for patients with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).

What happens when both conditions are in play?

Fortunately, you now have a solution. Zyppah® is a hybrid appliance that is designed to treat snoring, mild to moderate sleep apnea, and TMJ pain. The Zyppah is made of upper and lower acrylic trays (joined by elastics on either side) that fit over the teeth.  

There are easily more than a hundred dental sleep appliances on the market today. All of them are different --some in ways more subtle than others – but different nonetheless.

And that number is growing, bringing us better designs that include modifications on current appliances and totally new appliances, as well.

Now take into account that every patient is unique – each with their own “dental landscape” to be navigated. One may have periodontal issues, another may be partially edentulous and yet another may be a severe bruxer. Thus, finding the ideal sleep appliance to treat your patient is not and has never been a matter of “one size fits all.”

So how do you know which sleep appliance is the right one for any given patient?

Almost all of us start by using one appliance. Whatever…

As a dentist you can only do so much to keep your patients’ teeth and gums healthy. When a patient comes in, traditional scaling and root planing is S.O.P. to remove plaque and tarter and reduce bacteria buildup.

But what happens when your patient goes home? A majority of your patients won’t see you for at least another six months. Bacteria and biofilms can regenerate at a breakneck pace, hiding out in periodontal pockets and doing plenty of damage.

At SML Global, we offer the Perio Protect system -- designed to help fight biofilm growth between appointments. With Perio Protect you can create a customized dental tray for patient wear between visits. The custom tray directs antimicrobial agents into the gingival sulcus to overcome crevicular flow and deliver proven medication to the source of the infection—and keeps it there long enough to kill the bacteria.

Modern dentistry is amazing and you now have alternatives to plaster study model case documentation? SML provides you with an ultra-accurate, high-resolution digital study model that is securely stored and backed up on our servers. You are assured rapid, on-demand retrieval – no office storage space required.  

SML can scan impressions or working models.   

When a patient loses their primary maxillary molars early, there is a distinct risk that the adult  molars will tip and drift forward. This may, in turn shorten the length of the arch, block the normal eruption of the bicuspids, and create a significant malocclusion. The result ...Crooked teeth, a poor bite, the the need for orthodontics, and further difficulties (like sleep apnea) caused by a diminished intra-oral volume.

As a dentist, your priority is to prevent this arch length loss – an accomplishment that is easily achievable with a Nance Space Maintainer, one of many dental appliance offered through SML Global.

The Nance appliance uses a combination of molar bands, an arch wire and an acrylic button in the pre-maxillary region to keep the molars in place and maintain the arch length. The only caveat: If you do recommend a Nance appliance  for your patient, make sure to observe it carefully throughout treatment. For some patients, the acrylic button may irritate the surrounding tissue.

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.