A SCIENCE PROJECT TO SINK YOUR TEETH INTO!

Michael, a patient at the orthodontic office of Drs. Simon, Haerian, & Ludwig, recently finished his orthodontic treatment. Michael’s orthodontic treatment included removing his upper and lower bicuspids and also any remaining baby teeth. After the extractions, Michael asked if he could keep the teeth. No, he didn’t want to put them under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy; he wanted to do a science experiment. During his post-orthodontic consult visit, he told us all about it.

For the project, Michael soaked each tooth in a specific liquid to see how it would react with the tooth. He put Pepsi, Mountain Dew, coffee, orange juice and water in baby food jars and put each tooth in a different solution. After 17 days, he removed the teeth and photographed the results as a comparison to the photos he took of the teeth before the experiment.He found that Pepsi, Mountain Dew and orange juice affected the enamel while coffee only stained the enamel. Water caused no affect at all. All soda pops, whether sugar or diet, weaken the enamel of the tooth. Once enamel is weakened, bacteria can attack those areas to form cavities. Every sip of pop allows an acid attack to occur.

Michael graciously let us display the results of his experiment in our office so that other patients could see how soda pop can negatively affect the enamel of your teeth. We are pleased to have our patients utilize the knowledge gained from orthodontic treatment to help someone else, and we are very happy we put a great smile on Michael’s face in the process!

The office of Drs. Simon, Haerian, and Ludwig, wishing you a safe and relaxing Memorial Day Weekend!

Memorial Day weekend, a time to remember and honor the men and women lost while serving for our country. Memorial Day is also the unofficial start of summer, and for many folks, getting out of town for three days after being cooped up in the classroom or the office spells sweet, sweet relief.

What about you? What are you up to this Memorial Day weekend? Whether you are headed to a barbecue, a camping trip, or just hitting the great American open roads, we’d like to hear all about it!

Our entire team at the office of Drs. Simon, Haerian, and Ludwig wishes you a happy, safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

Is Invisalign® really customized for each patient?

Yes, it is, and that’s part of what makes it work, says Drs. André Haerian, Jennifer Ludwig, Eugene Simon. To find out if you are the right candidate for Invisalign treatment, the first thing we do is to take an impression of your teeth as they are now and digitize it. Using special software, we look at the current positioning of your teeth and compare it to the way your teeth should look.

Next we use special software to map out the exact path your teeth will take from the beginning of your treatment to the end. Based on the results, a set of custom aligners are created just for your teeth. Throughout the course of treatment, you will be required to wear these clear, removable aligners one at a time; each one moving your teeth closer and closer to their final, perfectly aligned position. The best thing about it all? Nobody around you will even know you are wearing braces!

Drs. Simon, Haerian and Ludwig are some of the most experienced certified Invisalign® providers in Northwest Ohio/Southeast Michigan. If you have questions about Invisalign, or would like to find out if you are a candidate for Invisalign treatment, please give us a call.

Mother and Son receive Orthodontic Treatment with Drs. Simon, Haerian, and Ludwig

In 2007, Kelly’s son, Sebastien, had orthodontic treatment at the office of Drs. Simon, Haerian, & Ludwig so he was of course an expert when his mother decided it was time for her to “straighten up, too.” Kelly had put off her own need for treatment until Sebastien was finished. Her dentist, Dr. Hires, kept urging her to pursue orthodontic treatment because the position of her teeth made flossing extremely difficult.

Sebastien was excellent at following our instructions and understood the importance of wearing elastics to align the posterior teeth. Kelly, however, was not as diligent and that extended her total treatment time. It wasn’t until she followed Sebastien’s advice that her bite was lined up enough to get her braces off, too.

The braces are off and now Kelly’s teeth are not only easy to brush and floss; they also look awesome. When correcting crooked teeth and misaligned jaws, the “side effect” just happens to be a very nice one -- a beautiful smile!

What’s on your reading list?

With the school year close to winding down for a lot of our patients at Drs. Simon, Haerian, & Ludwig, we wanted to remind all our patients about the importance of reading. Sure it’s easy to keep putting off reading this time of year, but reading is a vital step in brain development and literacy. And if you needed any more reason to read, May marks “Get Caught Reading Month.”

Today, we thought we’d ask: What's on YOUR reading list? What are some of your all-time favorites? Out of ideas for great reads? Ask us for suggestions, and Drs. Eugene Simon, André Haerian, Jennifer Ludwig, and our team would be happy to provide a few. You may also ask a local librarian for some ideas on what to read next!

Happy reading! Be sure to share with us your book picks or your all-time favorite novels or literature on our Facebook page!