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Braces aren’t just for children and teens anymore! Dr. Nickolaychuk will tell you that anyone, at any age, can benefit from orthodontic treatment, whether it’s correcting a problem not treated in your younger years, or catching a problem early.

To ensure the best overall treatment, the American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO, recommends that children receive an orthodontic consultation as early as age seven. If a problem is evident, taking action early can spare a lot of treatment and expense down the road.

If you never received orthodontic treatment when you were young, don’t worry! You’re never too old for a beautiful smile. Set up an appointment for a consultation and find out how adult orthodontics will transform your smile, as well as your life!

We’ve all heard that biting your nails is an awful habit, but you many wonder- really- what’s so bad about it? Recently, our team at Kildonan Orthodontics found an interesting article in the Huffington Post on about how biting your nails affect your teeth and oral health.

Nail biting, also known as Onychophagia, is a common habit among various age groups, including primarily children, teens and young adults. Nail biting is generally triggered by stress and most often decreases with age. That being said, nail biting is unsanitary, unattractive, as well as unhealthy for your teeth!

Here’s why:

• It’s unsanitary- Your nails are dirty, almost twice as dirty as your fingers! Hence, biting your nails is just asking for germs and bacteria.
• No good things come to your teeth- Nail biting causes your teeth to constantly be chewing, which is not good for them. This excessive motion wears your teeth down faster than a non-nail biter’s and puts a large amount of stress on your front teeth- contributing to teeth misalignment.
• Braces don’t love it either- Braces already put pressure on teeth, nail biting ads unnecessary pressure, further stressing your teeth and weakening their roots.
• It can be costly- Nail biting can result in up to $4,000 in additional dental bills over one lifetime, according to the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). Yikes!

What can you do about it?

Now that you know how harmful nail biting can be, it’s time to take action to break your nail biting habit. Try to be conscious of your fingernails and to keep them looking good- this will help you resist the temptation, or ask Dr. Nickolaychuk for tips on how to break a nail biting habit.

Smile wider and you might just live longer than those who don’t, according to a March 2010 study at Michigan’s Wayne State University. Drs. Anthony Puntillo & Christopher Crane know that positive emotion has been linked to both physical and mental health, which is exactly what this study gives evidence of. University researchers took a fascinating approach: they examined photos of 230 ball-players who began their careers in baseball prior to 1950 and studied their smile intensity (ranging from big smile, no smile or partial smile). The players' smile ratings were compared with data from deaths that occurred from 2006 through 2009. The researchers then took into account other factors that impact life longevity, including body mass index, career length and even college attendance.

The results? Researchers found that players who weren't smiling in the photos died at the average age of 72.9 years. Players with partial smiles lived to be 75. Those with big smiles, however, lived on average to be 79.9 years old.

The study take-away? Smile! Show those pearly whites often and you might just live longer! Have you been perfecting your smile by visiting Kildonan Orthodontics on a regular basis? If not, give us a call!

Many parents tend to assume they must wait until their child has all of his or her permanent teeth to visit Kildonan Orthodontics, only to find that treatment would have been much easier if started sooner.

How much sooner?

Well, the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that every child have an orthodontic check-up no later than age seven.

That's right - seven.

Orthodontic evaluation at an early age provides two positive outcomes: For some, early identification of problems will lead to easier or shorter orthodontic treatment - and expense - in the future. For others, however, a healthy prognosis will provide immediate peace of mind.

Early evaluation, of course, may signal a need for early treatment. For some children, early treatment can prevent physical and emotional trauma. Aside from spurring on years of harmful teasing, misaligned teeth are also prone to injury and detrimental to good oral hygiene. So if your child is nearing age seven, please give us a call to schedule an appointment.

Have a GREAT rest of the week!