Don't Say No To A Straight Smile

Orthodontics can help children, teens, and adults of all ages look better throughout their lifetime. Adults today are much more aware than in the past of the importance of creating and maintaining a beautiful smile.

With longer life expectancy, a healthy, beautiful smile is as important at age 70 as it is at age 16. Appletree Orthodontics specializes with the education, experience and expertise to help patients of all ages attain properly aligned teeth and jaws for a lifetime of dental health.

Today’s orthodontic treatment options are not as noticeable and treatment time is much less than in the past. Traditional braces are small and sleek, whether metal or a tooth-colored ceramic. Some braces are not braces at all, but are clear, removable “aligners,” called Invisalign. They are used to nudge teeth toward their ideal positions for a younger look.

Whether you are self-conscious about wearing braces or not. Our team at Appletree Orthodontics will guide you through the process and help you reach your goal of a beautiful, healthy, and radiant smile to last a lifetime.

Invisalign Tips

Invisalign straightens your teeth without wires and brackets, using a series of clear, customized, removable appliances called aligners. It's virtually undetectable, which means hardly anyone will know that you're straightening your teeth. 

To ensure the best possible results we decided to compile a list of a few tips for our patients currently using Invisalign.

• Wear your aligners for a minimum of 2 weeks, before moving into the next aligner. 
• Sharp or rough edges can be smoothed with an emery board. 
• Change into your next aligner before going to bed so they settle in overnight. 
• Keep your aligners in their case while eating to avoid losing them. Keep the out of reach of any household pets, especially dogs! 
• If you need to, you can soak your Invisalign aligners in a mix of 50/50 white vinegar and cold water to brighten them. 
• Wear your aligners for at least 20 hours a day. 
• Always carry a toothbrush. 
• Only drink water when you're wearing your aligners. 
• Don't put your aligners in hot water. 
• Don't use toothpaste to clean your aligners. 

If you have any further questions about Invisalign please don’t hesitate to call us at our convenient Londonderry location at 603-434-0190.

3 Smoothies For New Braces

Here are 3 Appletree Orthodontics office-approved smoothie recipes that taste great and help you get the nutrients you need. We want to show you that eating healthy, delicious food is still possible after you’ve started your braces journey. Yes, there are certain points in your treatment process when your mouth might be more sensitive than usual, but that doesn't mean you don't get to enjoy a delicious meal or snack. Smoothies are the perfect solution for when chewing just doesn’t sound all that fun!

You can prep and freeze these 3 super quick and easy smoothie recipes. Choose your own base of yogurt, juice, milk, tea, or water and some ice to blend these ingredients up into something spectacular for your taste buds!

SWEET SUNRISE

• 1C Raspberries
• 1 Orange
• 1/2 Banana
• 1C Mango

KIWI REFRESH

• 1 Kiwi
• 1& 1/2C Watermelon
• 1 &1/2C Grapes

GREEN MONSTER

• 1 Grapefruit
• 1 Banana
• 1C Pineapple
• 1C Spinach

Curious About Wisdom Teeth & Braces?

Some people require their wisdom teeth to be removed following orthodontic treatment with braces. Often the timing of the eruption of wisdom teeth coincides with the removal of braces. It is often difficult to determine if someone will have space in their mouth for their wisdom teeth to erupt or if the wisdom will become impacted.

Many people have their wisdom teeth emerge as healthy, effective back molars. In this case, the tooth has grown in straight and is not affecting the person’s bite and any dental work will be unaffected. There is nothing stopping a person with healthy wisdom teeth from getting braces either.

Wisdom teeth are a leftover trait from when humans had larger jaws and chewed hearty leaves. Wisdom teeth tend to overcrowd already corrected molars or emerge only half way. In fact, wisdom teeth statistically have the highest chance of growing in sideways, an issue known as an impacted wisdom tooth, which can affect the nearby teeth. However, wisdom teeth cannot cause front teeth to become crooked. From the back of the mouth, the pressure they exert on the other molars is not strong enough to reach the front.

This has led people to believe that wisdom teeth can ruin their current or previous dental work. There are a number of other factors that have led to this. Around 20 years old, the jaw performs its last growth spurt, which can leave teeth crooked. This is also the age when many former braces wearers begin to neglect their retainers at night.

Each set of braces is unique for the wearer, as is the decision on what to do about wisdom teeth. Talk with the doctors of Appletree Orthodontics as soon as you notice any discomfort or wisdom teeth appearing. While they may not affect your braces, wisdom teeth can change your overall oral health.