Make 2012 the year to improve your oral health

Many folks in consider the beginning of a new year a time to not only reflect on the year that was, but also to set personal goals for the upcoming year. How are you planning to improve your health and happiness in 2012? Our team recommends that you make a New Year’s resolution to benefit your oral health!

It is important that New Year’s resolutions are reasonable and attainable, and that they improve your overall quality of life—for example, did you know that flossing every day is the very best way to prevent periodontal, or gum disease? Using a straw when drinking sugary beverages can also help prevent cavities. There are many small steps that you can take to prevent cavities, oral infections and bad breath.

Be sure to give us a call if you need a few suggestions on ways to improve your oral health. After all, we know your oral health is about more than just a beautiful smile.

Happy New Year!

-Your friends at the office of Drs. Simon, Haerian, & Ludwig

Giving thanks this holiday season

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season here, Drs. Simon, Haerian, Ludwig and our entire team wanted to stop for a moment and extend our best wishes to you, our patients, referring doctors and families, this holiday season.

As always, if you know anyone we can help, just let us know. We promise to give them the same quality orthodontic care that we have given you.

We hope that this holiday season brings fond memories. Thank you for being part of our family.

The importance of regular checkups

Are you brushing and flossing daily properly during your orthodontic treatment? If yes, that’s great! But, don’t forget that it’s also important for you to visit your general dentist every 3-to-6 months in addition to brushing your teeth and flossing (and visiting our office, of course). Regular dental checkups are important for maintaining good oral health, especially during orthodontic treatment.

Your general dentist can check for problems that might not be seen or felt, detect cavities and early signs of decay, treat oral health problems early and show you how to properly brush and floss your teeth.

During an oral exam your dentist can check the health of your mouth, teeth, gums, cheeks and tongue. Checkups will also include a thorough teeth cleaning and polishing. If you have not been to the dentist in the last six months, let us know during your next visit and we will provide a few great references in the greater area!

Getting the Bite Right

In the United States, we take for granted the experienced dental personnel available. However, for the mother of two of our patients who grow up in China, this wasn’t the norm. There was only one dentist and no orthodontist in her rural village. When her upper cuspids (canine/eye teeth) erupted above her other teeth because of lack of space, the dentist came up with a solution. He removed both her cuspids so it would “look better.”

After her daughters went through orthodontic treatment at our office, she asked if there was any solution to her own dental dilemma. By removing two vital teeth on top, her dentists unknowingly created a Class III bite for her. The top arch is designed to fit over the lower, but since her lower arch was larger than her upper, her top teeth fit inside her lower. A Class III bite makes it difficult to eat and can cause problems with the tempomandibular joint (TMJ).

She did not want any teeth removed on the lower or implants on the upper so our doctors developed a treatment plan involving braces and diligent use of elastics. She wore her elastics faithfully and was able to get an amazing correction for a very difficult case. Now mom can eat her food without effort and, as a bonus, has a smile just as engaging as her two daughters.

Do we have your current contact info?

Happy holidays from all of us at the office of Drs. Simon, Haerian, and Ludwig! As you probably know, you can always connect with Drs. Simon, Haerian, & Ludwig and our team on our Facebook page, but we also encourage you to call us and let us know if you have any new phone numbers or if your contact information has changed!

Please contact our office with any updates to phone numbers and addresses, so that we may be able to reach you. Thank you!
- The team at the office of Drs. Simon, Haerian, and Ludwig