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Orthodontic treatment traditionally begins somewhere between the ages of 10 and 14—but there’s no need to stand on tradition where your family’s dental health is concerned! An orthodontic evaluation will let you know each family member’s best options for healthier, more confident smiles even before the tween years and even after reaching adulthood.

First Visit—By Age 7

Dentists recommend that you schedule a first orthodontic evaluation for your child by age seven (or earlier if any bite problems or jaw asymmetry are apparent). By this age, most children have a mix of both adult and baby teeth, and orthodontists can determine whether the position and development of the teeth and jaws are on track.

During this visit, Dr. Nathan Downey will also carefully assess how your child’s teeth and jaws fit together when biting down. Healthy occlusion, or bite, means that the teeth and jaws are aligned and work together comfortably. A malocclusion, or bad bite, means that there is a problem with this alignment.

Dr. Nathan Downey might discover:

• No issues for concern.
• A possibility for future orthodontic problems. In this case, follow-up appointments might be scheduled to determine whether and when treatment should occur.
• Orthodontic problems which are already evident, with a recommendation for early intervention.

Early Orthodontic Intervention—Ages 6-9

Some children can benefit from “interceptive orthodontics,” first stage orthodontic treatment begun around the ages of six to nine.

Early intervention can help prevent crowded teeth, protect protruding teeth, and correct jaw alignment problems.

• If a child has a small upper dental arch, palatal expanders can gently enlarge the arch to make room for the adult teeth to arrive without crowding.
• When a baby tooth is lost too soon, space maintainers save room for the adult tooth beneath it to erupt in just the right spot.
• Protruding front teeth have a higher risk of injury from falls or collisions, and treatment will help protect them.
• Treatment for malocclusions like overbites, underbites, and open bites helps create a more comfortable, symmetrical, and healthy bite while young bones are growing, and may prevent the necessity for more complicated treatment in the teen years.

Tween and Teen Years—Ages 10-14

It’s common to treat malocclusions during the tween/teen years. During this stage of development, it’s easier for teeth to move to their ideal positions, because most of the adult teeth have arrived and the jawbones haven’t completed their growth.

Today’s orthodontics offers teens a number of treatment options:

• Braces are smaller and more comfortable, and brackets come in a variety of colors and materials to blend in or stand out.
• Clear aligners are almost invisible, and can treat many types of mild to moderate malocclusions.
• Functional appliances like the Herbst® appliance, the Forsus™ device, the twin-block appliance, and headgear work with braces or aligners to help correct more complex malocclusions.

And there’s more—modern orthodontic options are more effective, taking less time to create a beautiful, healthy smile.

Older Patients of Any Age

As you’ve grown older, you may have noticed that your once-straight teeth are becoming a bit crowded. You may be suffering dental pain and injured teeth because of a long-term bite problem. You may have always wanted a more attractive, comfortable smile, but weren’t able to access treatment when you were younger.

Good news! As long as your teeth and gums are healthy, orthodontic treatment can be a great way to keep them healthy. And today’s orthodontics offer a much wider and less noticeable variety of treatment options than the larger metal braces you might remember from decades ago. Depending on your needs, the team at Downey Orthodontics could recommend:

• Traditional braces—brackets are smaller than ever and come in a choice of several materials and colors, including ceramic, tooth-colored, and clear brackets.
• Clear aligners—an almost invisible way to straighten teeth, and removeable when necessary (as long as they’re worn 20-22 hours each day).
• Lingual braces—the least visible treatment, because brackets and wires are attached behind the teeth.

Crowded teeth and malocclusions often lead to lifelong problems, including worn or cracked enamel, headaches, jaw problems, increased risk of tooth decay and periodontal disease, and decreased self-confidence. Whether you’re graduating high school or getting ready for your golden reunion, it’s not too late for an orthodontic assessment.

If you’re concerned about your own or your child’s orthodontic health, problems with alignment and bite are best treated as early as possible to prevent dental damage, improve self-confidence, and avoid more complicated treatment in the future. So, when’s the best time to schedule an orthodontic assessment in Bowling Green, OH? There’s no better time than today!

When you smile, you share your happiness with the world. But if your smile isn’t bringing you all the happiness it should, it might be time to consider orthodontic treatment with Dr. Nathan Downey.

Orthodontic treatment provides both physical and psychological benefits:

• Straight Teeth

Perhaps you’re motivated to seek orthodontic treatment because you want straighter, more evenly spaced teeth. And straight teeth are more than simply an aesthetic preference--there’s a health bonus for your teeth and gums as well!

Crooked, overlapping teeth are more difficult to brush and floss effectively, creating hard-to-reach spaces which trap food particles and plaque. Proper tooth alignment and spacing help you keep your teeth and gums cleaner, reducing the risk of cavities and gum disease.

• Healthy Bite

“Occlusion” means the way your jaws and teeth fit together when you bite. A healthy occlusion lets you bite, chew, and speak easily and comfortably because your teeth, jaws, muscles, ligaments, and tendons are aligned in harmony. A malocclusion, or bad bite, occurs when the teeth and jaws don’t align properly, putting excess stress and pressure on the teeth, jaws, joints, and muscles.

The result? Malocclusions can cause difficulties eating and speaking, affect facial symmetry, and have long lasting consequences for your dental and overall health. An unbalanced bite can lead to worn and cracked teeth. Damaged teeth might require root canal treatment and crowns. You could experience jaw, neck, or facial pain, headaches, and sleep problems. Creating a well-aligned bite will help ensure a healthy dental future.

• Improved Self-Esteem

If you hesitate to share your smile because you’re concerned about the appearance of your teeth or the symmetry of your bite, orthodontic treatment can help you greet the world with confidence.

If your happy smile isn’t bringing you maximum happiness, it’s time to consider orthodontic treatment. Talk to the team at Downey Orthodontics in Bowling Green, OH to learn about all the benefits treatment can offer you!

Sticky, hard, and gooey: these candies fill your dopamine receptors with spasms of sugar-filled joy, but if you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment at Downey Orthodontics to straighten your teeth, then these sweets are not so sweet. While you may have a Willy-Wonka-sized sweet tooth, there are some candies you’re going to have to avoid while wearing braces.

Here are five bracket- and wire-destroying culprits that Dr. Nathan Downey and our team recommend leaving on the candy aisle and not put in your mouth, no matter how tempting they may be.

1. Gum is sticky and stringy. It can get tangled like fishing net in your braces. You don’t want to be that boy or girl trying to pull knots of Wrigley’s out of your braces without being seen.
2. All chewy, gooey candies need to be avoided. When you’re wearing braces, don’t even think about putting a caramel candy in your mouth. Caramel will not only stick to your braces, making it look as if you haven’t brushed your teeth in a week, but the gooey texture can pull apart the wires, and trigger an emergency visit to Downey Orthodontics.
3. Hard candy may seem like a safe choice, but it’s not. What’s the problem? Nobody ever just sucks on hard candy; sooner or later, we bite down on it. Biting a hard candy may cause part of your braces to snap. Furthermore, once the candy is broken into a bunch of little pieces, it’s not uncommon for one of those sugary shards to get wedged between your braces and teeth … and that’s a cavity waiting to happen.
4. The taffy you enjoy getting at a seaside boardwalk is going to have to go on the back burner. Like caramel, taffy can pull apart and damage your braces. You don’t want to have your expensive orthodontic gear replaced.
5. Please, just one lollipop? Nope. A lollipop is nothing more than hard candy on a stick. If you can’t have hard candy during orthodontic treatment, then you shouldn't have hard candy on a stick either.

Have any more questions about what you can and can’t eat when you have braces? Please give us a call at our convenient Bowling Green, OH office to learn more, or ask Dr. Nathan Downey during your next adjustment visit!

Psst—here’s some time sensitive information just for you. If your teeth are sensitive to heat, cold, sweets, acidic foods, wind and/or air, it could mean it’s time to see your dentist!

Normally, we don’t notice how external conditions affect our teeth at all. Tooth enamel—the hardest substance in the body—protects the inner tooth from outside stimuli. So, why do strong, solid teeth suddenly feel sensitive? The answer’s found in tooth anatomy.

The crown of the tooth, the part we can see above the gum line, has three distinct layers.

• Enamel, a strong mineral-rich coating, surrounds the outside of each tooth and protects the dentin and pulp inside.
• Dentin is the softer, porous middle layer of the tooth. Dentin contains thousands of tiny, fluid-filled tubules which extend to the pulp.
• In the center of each tooth is the pulp chamber, filled with nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue which keep the tooth alive and healthy.

The roots below the gumline have a similar structure, with one important exception.

• Cementum, which is not as hard and strong as enamel, covers the root surface instead of enamel.

Healthy, undamaged teeth allow you to enjoy an icy beverage, a hot latte, a sweet treat, or a brisk walk without any dental discomfort.

When the tooth’s protective enamel covering is worn or damaged, the dentin below the enamel is exposed to external conditions. Temperature changes, air, wind, sweets and acids—all the stimuli which normally have no effect on our teeth are now transmitted through the dentin’s tubules to the nerves inside the pulp.

The pulp’s nerves respond to these sensations by sending out pain signals. The uncomfortable tooth sensitivity which results is often described as an annoying twinge, a sharp, brief stabbing pain, or a shocking sensation.

The first step in treating dentin exposure is to see your dentist to discover the cause. Tooth sensitivity could be the result of:

Aggressive Brushing

Brushing is great! Over-aggressive brushing? Not so much. Heavy-handed brushing and brushing with anything other than a soft-bristled brush can wear down mineral-rich tooth enamel to expose the dentin underneath, and is even more damaging to less-mineral-rich cementum.

Diet

An acidic or sugary oral environment harms enamel. Consuming acidic foods and beverages erodes the minerals which make enamel so strong. Sugars give plaque bacteria the perfect fuel they need to produce enamel-eroding acids.

Cavities

The bacteria in plaque create acids which strip minerals from tooth enamel. Over time, a hole in the enamel develops, uncovering the sensitive dentin below.

Injuries

A crack or fracture can expose dentin, or, in severe cases, tooth pulp, to foods, heat, cold, and air.

Tooth Grinding

Bruxism, or tooth grinding, often takes place during sleep, and can apply over a hundred pounds of pressure to the teeth and jaws. Continuous grinding and clenching wears away tooth enamel, exposing dentin. Bruxism can also cause chipped and cracked teeth, as well as jaw damage and even tooth loss.

Malocclusion

Occlusion refers to the way our teeth and jaws fit together. In a healthy occlusion, the forces of biting and chewing are evenly distributed. A malocclusion, or bad bite, can cause excessive or uneven pressure on teeth and jaws, leading to worn enamel, cracked teeth, and more serious bite problems.

Just as there are many causes for tooth sensitivity, your dental team in Bowling Green, OH has many solutions to restore your comfortable, healthy smile.

Choose the Right Products to Protect Your Smile

• If you’re not using a soft-bristled brush, trade in your old model ASAP, or try an electric toothbrush. Bonus: Electric toothbrushes and water flossers can be especially helpful for cleaning around your braces!
• There are special toothpastes which are formulated to reduce sensitivity.
• Fluoride treatments can help strengthen tooth enamel.
• Talk to your orthodontist, dentist, or hygienist to learn the best ways to brush and the best products to use to protect your dental health and your tooth enamel.

Eat a Dental-Healthy Diet

• Cut down on acidic and sugary foods and drinks to protect your tooth enamel. And, of course, stick with your braces-healthy diet by removing sticky, crunchy, hard, and chewy items from the menu.
• Check ingredients. The amount of acids and sugars in foods like sodas and sports drinks could surprise you!
• If you do eat something acidic, don’t brush right away—rinse with water and wait an hour to give your enamel time to restrengthen and remineralize.

See Your Dentist Regularly

• Regular exams will discover any cavities before they become deeper and more damaging. Proactive care will also help keep your orthodontic treatment plan on track.
• Gum disease can cause gum recession, exposing those sensitive, cementum-covered roots. Your dentist will look out for any signs of early gum disease and offer tips for gum health.
• If you suspect you have an injured tooth, call Dr. Nathan Downey immediately to prevent more serious damage or infection.

Protect Your Smile from Trauma

• A custom-fitted nightguard can prevent enamel erosion and other damage caused by bruxism.
• Wear a mouthguard when playing contact sports or activities to protect your teeth from injuries.
• If you’re wearing traditional braces, your dentist can customize a nightguard or mouthguard which will work with your braces.

Create a Healthier Smile with Orthodontic Treatment

• If you suspect a bite problem is causing wear on your teeth, it’s time for an orthodontic consultation with Downey Orthodontics! Orthodontic treatment aligns the teeth and jaws properly, which means that your teeth will fit together without causing any extra wear on your enamel or exposing the sensitive dentin underneath.
• Preventing worn enamel is, of course, only one benefit of orthodontic treatment. Properly aligned teeth reduce the risk of cavities. Treatment can prevent dental injuries caused by excess pressure and stress. And there’s no underestimating the value of a confident, healthy smile!

If you’re feeling sensitive, especially if discomfort persists or worsens, see your dentist to discover the cause of the problem. Tooth sensitivity is time sensitive. Take care of small problems before they become serious ones, and you’ll help make sure your smile is something you’re not the least bit sensitive about!