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Perfect Your Bite With A Tooth Positioner

July 27th, 2018

ONCE YOUR BRACES are off, a tooth positioner is an excellent finishing device which you may want to add to your orthodontic treatment.

What Is A Tooth Positioner?

A tooth positioner can be used as a removable retainer under special circumstances. It has the advantages of being able to relate the upper teeth to the lower teeth in the ideal bite position, something that two separate retainers cannot do. A positioner also has the ability to close small spaces between the back teeth left by orthodontic bands. These spaces usually close up over a few months after braces are removed, but a tooth positioner can speed up this process.

How Do Tooth Positioners Work?

Tooth positioners are usually worn 4 hours per day when awake and during sleep. Actively biting into your tooth positioner when you wear it will help the tooth positioner work at moving your teeth. The force of your jaw will help move your teeth to their final position.

A tooth positioner may be used to improve your bite, but they do not make good long term retainers. Positioners do not retain front teeth straightness long term as well as standard removable Hawley retainers. Tooth positioners are also bulking and take away your ability to speak. They are flexible and soft, similar to a mouth guard. If worn over a long period of time, the positioner will tend to tear and wear out. So once your positioner work is done, it’s good to receive and wear your final retainers.

Who Should Use A Tooth Positioner?

Overbite tends to increase with the wear of a tooth positioner. Tooth positioner use is desirable with mild open bites. A tooth positioner may be beneficial at the end of Invisalign treatment where upper and lower teeth have been slightly separated by aligner wear and a slight open bite may exist at the end of treatment.

Tooth positioners are usually not included in standard orthodontic treatment but may be beneficial to further perfect your bite after the braces come off. Like mouthguards, tooth positioners come in a variety of colors. There are even flavored tooth positioners.

A short amount of time in a tooth positioner can make a big difference in your bite. Ask your orthodontist if a tooth positioner may be right for you. If your orthodontist recommends a tooth positioner, go for it. It will be well worth the short time and extra effort for a beautiful and more perfect bite.

Bring Us Your Tooth Positioner Questions!

If you have questions about tooth positioners, visit us at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California. Call us at 925-757-9000 or visit us at www.clubbraces.com.

Your smile is our inspiration.

Is It Possible To Over-Brush While You Have Braces?

March 23rd, 2018

HAVE YOU EVER had a sip of ice water and experienced a sudden, sharp pain in your teeth? You’re not alone. One in eight people experiences tooth sensitivity—the kind of sensitivity that isn’t due to a problem such as a cavity, and has nothing to do with braces. So what’s causing it? Surprisingly, one of the most common causes of tooth sensitivity is brushing with too much force.

While you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment, it’s more important than ever to brush! However, don’t interpret that as a recommendation to brush more aggressively. There’s a better way to be effective.

How Could Brushing Hurt?

Over-brushing is problematic because it wears down the protective layers of your tooth enamel. It can also push back your gums, exposing the dentin layer under the enamel even more. This dentin layer has microscopic tubes or canals that lead to your tooth’s nerves. If these tubes are exposed to hot, cold, or even acidic foods it can lead to discomfort and tooth sensitivity.

Brushing too hard, especially at the corners of your dental arch, with a back and forth “saw action” may lead to gingival recession (gum recession, or receding gum height) especially over the canine tooth roots. This is one dental health problem we would like to avoid.

Tips For Better Brushing:

  • Watch which direction bristles face when you brush. They should be perpendicular, not parallel.
  • Hold your toothbrush loosely, like a pencil.
  • Use soft, round motions to brush. Don’t saw back and forth.
  • Use soft or extra-soft bristled brushes. Brush softly! Apply just enough pressure to feel the bristles against your gums.
  • Braces may be hard on your toothbrush—replace it when you notice frayed and bent bristles.

Put In The Time

When it comes to cleaning teeth, elbow grease doesn’t do the trick. Consider this mantra: brush smarter, not harder. When regularly brushing, the plaque you’re trying to get rid of is fairly soft and can easily be brushed away with a soft brush.

During the two minutes you’re brushing it’s good to be thorough, but there’s no need to scrub the same areas over and over again.

Questions?

Are you experiencing tooth sensitivity? Over-brushing isn’t the only possible cause. Some orthodontic patients may have exposed roots due to shifting teeth, not over brushing. If you are experiencing discomfort, ask us about it at your next appointment.

You can also leave a question below, or you can ask a private question on our Facebook page.

If you have questions about healthy tooth brushing, crooked teeth, or gum health, please visit us at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California for a free orthodontic exam. Call us at 925-757-9000. Find out more about Gorczyca Orthodontics at www.clubbraces.com.

We look forward to you. Your smile is our inspiration.

We Partner With Your General Dentist For A Healthy Smile For Life

August 24th, 2017

NOW, WE KNOW THAT we’re your orthodontic team, not your dentist. However, we want to help you have healthy teeth for life. And that job goes beyond orthodontics and into a lifetime of good dental care.

That’s why we’re joining with our fellow oral health professionals to dispel the myths about one major dental procedure: root canals. We know that it’s a topic people don’t typically visit about in a favorable light. Root canal therapy has always been a bit of a “whipping boy” in dentistry—and, its reputation is probably undeserved. This is especially true given today’s awesome treatment advancements.

The Most Common Misconception

The problems that lead up to needing a root canal can be painful because they affect your tooth’s pulp and nerves. Oftentimes people associate root canal treatment with the discomfort that made the treatment necessary in the first place. Don’t forget that root canal therapy is the solution, not the problem! And, root canals don’t need to be painful.

Today’s Ingredients For Comfortable Root Canal Treatments:

  1. safe, effective anesthesia
  2. extremely precise tools
  3. incredible imaging technology that enhances how and what we see
  4. shorter treatment times

Hopefully, with great home care habits and regular visits to your dentist, you won’t need root canal therapy at any point in the future. However, just in case it comes up, remember that there’s nothing to be worried about! Root canal treatment helps you keep your own teeth, and keep that beautiful, healthy, straight smile.

If you have a toothache or are in need of a dentist or an endodontist root canal specialist, call us Gorczyca Orthodontics at (925) 757-9000 and we will refer you to the nearest dental professional to find a solution for your dental needs. We are located in the Deer Valley Professional Building at 5201 Deer Valley Road in Antioch, California right behind Deer Valley High School. We work closely with over 100 dentists and dental specialists in the greater East Contra Costa County area.

Here's to your healthy and beautiful smile.

Eliminate Tooth Wear for a Beautiful Smile

November 10th, 2016

AN EDGE TO EDGE BITE WITH zero overjet and zero overbite will lead to excessive tooth wear. Left untreated for many years, this continual process of front teeth meeting and grinding unnaturally will lead to excessive tooth abrasion or early wearing down of your teeth. This will produce short teeth and may even lead to tooth sensitivity.

Orthodontic Treatment Can Create An Ideal Bite

Orthodontic treatment will correct this problem by creating ideal tooth horizontal overlap "overjet" and ideal tooth vertical overlap "overbite." Once this is done, your worn teeth can be cosmetically restored to their original length. This smile makeover will give you the youthful teeth and look which you once had.

Temporary Restorations Help Prep For Final Treatment

After orthodontic treatment, temporary restorations will be made for you to adjust to before you receive your final crowns and permanent tooth build up.

Your orthodontist will need to move the teeth that were worn to ideal tooth and gum position. Your general dentist will then be able to build up these teeth to ideal height and length making them look good as new.

Your orthodontist and general dentist may also recommend a night guard to prevent tooth wear from nocturnal bruxism. Bruxism is the clenching and grinding of teeth throughout the sleep cycle that almost every person occasionally experiences. This will keep you from experiencing further tooth wear in the future.

If You Have Any Questions, Let Us Know!

If you have questions about worn or short teeth, call us at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California (925) 757-9000. Dr. Gorczyca works closely with the many fine dentists of East Contra Costa County and beyond to restore teeth to their ideal position and give you a beautiful smile.

Eliminate your edge to edge bite today with orthodontic treatment and a smile makeover. Get back your dental health and your beautiful smile.

Saint Apollonia, the Patron Saint of Dentists

November 2nd, 2016

NOVEMBER 1ST IS ALL SAINTS DAY, celebrated in honor of all saints, beatified and known and not yet beatified and unknown. On this day, we may take a moment to remember the Patron Saint of Dentists, Saint Apollonia.

The Story of Saint Apollonia

In Alexandria, Egypt, Saint Apollonia was held in high esteem. During the reign of Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria (247-265), Apollonia was seized by the mob. She had her teeth knock-out and broken. Still, she refused to repeat impious words of blasphemy or lose her chastity during this violent attack. Instead, threw herself onto a burning fire in an act of martyrdom. This account was preserved in a letter of Fabius, Bishop of Antioch, in what is now Syria.

The Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches celebrate the feast day of St. Apollonia on February 9th. St. Apollonia is popularly invoked against the toothache because of the torments she had endured to her own teeth. This is why St. Apollonia is the Patron Saint of Dentistry.

Saint Apollonia has Strong Ties to Dentistry

The term Apollonia is often found in dental literature and attached to dental societies. The image of St. Apollonia is the side support of the arms of the British Dental Association. A reliquary containing a tooth reputedly that of Saint Apollonia is still found today in the Cathedral of Porto, Portugal.

This blog was written by Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca of Gorczyca Orthodontics, Antioch, California. Find us at www.clubbraces.com.

Top image by Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

There's No Need for a Snaggletooth

October 27th, 2016

THE UPPER CANINE TOOTH, cuspid tooth, or pointed "eye tooth" is the last front tooth to come into the front upper dental arch. When space runs out, this gets pushed out of position. This tooth may become impacted in bone, stuck, and not come in at all. Or, it may push its way out and over the other teeth making its way into the dental arch. It is now hypererupted. It appears as a "Snaggletooth."

Dental Arch Expansion Can Prevent A Snaggletooth

If orthodontic treatment is started early, dental arches can be expanded to prevent the creation of a snaggletooth. This is why the American Association of Orthodontists and all orthodontists recommend an orthodontic examination by age 7.

In Some Cases, Tooth Extraction Is Necessary

In adults, depending on bone, soft tissue or gums, tooth position and facial appearance, snaggletooth treatment may require tooth extraction. The snaggletooth is a very important tooth with a long root. It is usually the tooth behind it which need removal.

We Love Helping Our Patients Make The Most Of Their Smiles!

To find out how orthodontics can help you prevent snaggletooth in the first place, visit Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California. Please schedule your child's examination by age 7. Find us at www.clubbraces.com or call us at (925) 757-9000 for a complimentary exam.

See your orthodontist if you need help with a Snaggletooth. Here's to your happiness and living snaggle free.

Top image by Flickr user Mark Anderson used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

Expand Your Dental Horizons by Eliminating Crossbites

July 6th, 2016

WHEN PRESENT, they lead to excessive tooth wear and dark smiles. They cause you to bite your lips and cheeks. They even limit your jaw function. Any way you look at it, crossbites are not good for your dental health.

Crossbites Can Lead To Excessive Tooth Wear

When a front crossbite is present, the upper tooth appears "behind" the lower teeth. If untreated, front tooth crossbite leads to excessive tooth wear.

When a back crossbite is present, the upper tooth is "inside" the lower teeth. Back upper teeth are trapped or tipped towards the tongue. This abnormal tooth position causes your lower jaw to shift. Back crossbites lead to cheek biting, jaw shifting, and the appearance of black space in the corners of your smile.

There Are Different Options To Correct A Crossbite

Braces, Invisalign, or removable expansion appliances can fix crossbites by upper arch expansion.

Visit us at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, California (925) 757-9000 to find out how dental arch expansion can eliminate your crossbites. To find an orthodontist near you, visit the American Association of Orthodontists at www.mylifemysmile.org.

Sky's the limit with orthodontic possibilities. Eliminate your crossbites today for ideal dental function, comfort, happiness, and life.

More Topics
diplomate american board of orthodontics Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists advanced education in orthdontics
member american association of orthodontists seattle study club american dental association california dental association
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