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!

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!

Orthodontic Memories from Drs. Simon, Haerian, and Ludwig

We have amazing patients! With the help of Grand Lubell Photography, the orthodontic offices of Drs. Simon, Haerian, & Ludwig have been able to capture some of our patients' beautiful smiles throughout the years. Check out our slideshow!