Summer is in full swing and that means lots of fun time spent with family and friends. It’s important to make sure that you take the time to keep your teeth clean when you have braces. Food has more spots than usual to hide in your mouth, so you must be diligent in order to avoid bad breath, swollen gums, discolored teeth and cavities. If you remove plaque regularly during treatment, you'll experience better results and shorter treatment time. Keep plaque at bay with these top ten tips:

1. One tooth at a time. When you brush, take time with each individual tooth – at least 10 seconds each – and pay careful attention to the spots where your teeth touch your braces.
2. It’s all about the angles. Brush the tops of your teeth and braces with your brush angled down toward where they meet. Brush the bottoms of your teeth and braces with your brush angled up.
3. The tooth, the whole tooth, nothing but the tooth. While the front surface of your teeth may seem like the most logical to clean, it’s equally important to clean the inner surface of your teeth (tongue side) as well as the chewing surface. And be sure to clean along your gum line – a key spot for plaque buildup.
4. Step 1: eat, Step 2: clean. While you’re in treatment, it’s important to brush after every meal. Bits of food can easily get caught between braces and teeth, and these food bits interact with bacteria in your mouth to cause decay. The longer food is in contact with your teeth, the greater opportunity for plaque to form. If you are eating somewhere that you can’t brush, thoroughly rinse your mouth with water.
5. Always be prepared. The easiest way to be sure you can brush after every meal is to get in the habit of taking a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with you wherever you go. Designate a special container just for your teeth-cleaning tools and keep it in your purse, backpack, or laptop case.
6. Remove the moving parts. If you have elastic bands or headgear, remove these parts before you brush or floss.
7. Fluoride is your friend. Fluoride helps prevent cavities. Be sure to brush with fluoride toothpaste, and rinse with fluoride mouthwash.
8. Pointy brushes reach tiny places. Interproximal brushes (sometimes called proxa brushes or interdental brushes) are cone-shaped and come in very handy for reaching spots around your braces that standard brushes can’t.
9. Find the floss for you. Regular floss works for some patients, but others find it easier to work with a floss threader, which helps you get the floss into tight places. Other patients like an all-in-one product called Superfloss, which comes with a stiff end for easy threading, a spongy section for cleaning wide spaces, and regular floss for narrow spaces.

10. Make time for the pros. It’s your job to take care of the everyday cleaning. But make sure to visit your dentist regularly while in treatment, to get the deep, thorough cleaning that only a professional can provide. If you need help finding the right Dentist for you, feel free to contact our office - we’d love to help!

We are excited to resume normal operations on May 18, 2020!

We can’t wait to see all of our patients once again!  These past few weeks have been quite challenging for ALL of us, but we’ll make it through and be stronger because if it.  All of our patients’ appointments are currently being confirmed, so rest assured if you have not been contacted, you will be.

While the office has been closed, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to ensure we can reopen safely and efficiently.  We have always taken pride in the cleanliness of our office and our strict adherence to infection control standards, and we will continue to provide comfortable, safe, and effective orthodontic care as we resume our regular business hours.

Kennell Orthodontics follows the infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA.)  We stay up to date on all new rulings and guidance issued to ensure we’re adhering to the most current information and recommendations.

However, as you might imagine, we are going to be taking additional safety measures to help protect both our patients and our team.

Here are a few changes we have implemented in the office:

We will be calling patients the day before the appointment to confirm the appointment time and ask a few screening questions.  You’ll be asked these same questions again when you enter the office.

*** Please RE-SCHEDULE your appointment if you feel sick, have a fever, or have been in contact with someone who has been sick in the last 14 days. ***

We ask that everyone entering the building please wear a mask or other acceptable facial covering.

Please do your best to arrive at your scheduled appointment time – not too early and [please!] not late.

• If you arrive early, we ask that you wait outside the office until your scheduled appointment time.
• If you are more than 10 minutes late, please call the office to let us know so that we can determine the best time to see you.

The Sign-In screen [and finger scanner] have been temporarily disabled to minimize touching/contamination. Please let the Front Desk Team know when you arrive so they can check you in.

Upon checking-in, a team member will greet you in order to perform a Wellness Screening consisting of a brief Questionnaire, Consent Form, Temperature Check (non-contact), and Hand Sanitizer.

There will also be hand sanitizer available in the reception area and other places around the office for you to use as needed.

Our Team will be wearing enhanced Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including clinical jackets, face shields, enhanced face masks, and safety glasses.  This may vary depending on the risk level of the procedure(s) we are performing.

We have adjusted our schedule as to allow more time between patients in an effort to adhere to social distancing by reducing the number of people in the reception area at one time. This may result in fewer scheduling options for your appointment.

Although sitting in the waiting area will most likely notbe necessary, please do your best to allow ample social distance from others that may also be sitting in the waiting area.

We ask that only 1 adult accompany their child into the office for their scheduled appointment.

Teen and adult patients should come alone, unless a parent/spouse/etc.. has a question for Dr. Kennell about the patient’s treatment.  We ask that everyone else please wait comfortably outside or in your vehicle.

Sadly, the X-Box games and Photo Booth will be off-limits until further notice.

We are no longer offering magazines or other reading materials in the reception area, these items are difficult to keep clean and disinfected.

For now, our Toothbrushing Station is a Handwashing Station.  Please remember to brush your teeth (and floss!) at home, before coming to your appointment.  If you need to brush at the office, we will provide you with a pre-pasted disposable toothbrush to use in the restroom.

Let’s keep all office talk positive and have fun together - safely!

We’re coming up with cool ways to say hello with “virtual hugs” and “virtual handshakes”!

We will still have fun prizes, contests and giveaways! - Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

If you have any questions about your child’s treatment progress or the steps we’re taking to keep you safe, we’re happy to answer them!  You can email us at info@kennellortho.com or give us a call (603) 524-7404.

Thank you for sticking with us through these uncertain times!  You are family to us, and we appreciate you so much.  We can’t wait to see you all in the office again soon!

Keep smiling and stay safe,

Dr. Kennell and The Kennell Ortho Team

THE DANGERS OF MAIL ORDER ALIGNERS

Over the last decade, clear braces and clear aligners have increased in popularity. Many people want to improve their smile, and they want it done without traditional metal braces. 

What Are Mail Order Aligners?

According to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), orthodontic treatment is a medical service - not a device or product. Since products like Invisalign can be costly, some companies offer alternatives that are available online directly to the consumer for a fraction of the cost of traditional braces. Instead of going into your orthodontist’s office, the online company will send you an at-home impression kit for you to take your own impressions. This can be difficult for someone to do at home with no prior knowledge of how to take dental impressions. Once the impressions are sent back to the company they are reviewed to see if the consumer is a candidate for the treatment. Unfortunately the criteria to be eligible for treatment isn’t very thorough and many patients are accepted despite the fact that they have active dental decay or gum disease.

What Are The Dangers of Mail Order Aligners?

As a consumer it’s important to know that any “do it yourself” dental treatment can come with many potential risks. In an orthodontic office you have a comprehensive exam to see if there are any health concerns that should be addressed before you are treated. You are also evaluated to see what types of treatment would give you the best result. Not all cases can be treated with clear aligners. Many underlying issues can be overlooked when you are just mailing in impressions and photos to an online company. This is why it is important to have an orthodontist’s supervision at every stage of your treatment. 

Is Your Smile Worth The Discount?

With at-home orthodontic treatment, your progress isn’t being closely monitored. Moving teeth too fast can result in serious problems. Routine X-rays should be done during treatment to make sure that your teeth and bone remain healthy. The AAO warns, “Orthodontic treatment involves the movement of biological material, which if not done correctly could lead to potentially irreversible and expensive damage such as tooth and gum loss, changed bites, and other issues.” Everyone deserves a healthy smile that they can be proud of, and it is important to choose a qualified orthodontist that can safely help you get the best result.

http://www.aaoinfo.org

When the holiday season comes around, there's no need for kids with braces to miss out on the traditional treats! Some candies can damage braces, but there are plenty of safe and tasty snacks to satisfy young taste buds without interfering with orthodontic treatments. In fact, when preparing fun holiday treats with your child, you can include numerous healthy options that build strong teeth at the same time.

Treats to Avoid:

When supermarket shelves are full of brightly packaged treats for the holidays, it's hard not to fill your cart. But for the sake of your child's braces, you still need to scoot past the hard, chewy and sticky foods. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) advises that children with braces should avoid caramel, licorice, lollipops, bubblegum, popcorn, taffy, jelly beans and hard pretzels. Those types of food can easily bend or loosen the brace brackets.

Kids can enjoy the holidays without risking their braces by sticking to soft snacks and by paying extra attention to oral hygiene. The AAO suggests chocolate, peanut butter, milkshakes, gelatin-based candies and ice cream are all fun holiday treats that won't damage braces. Brushing twice a day is especially important during the holidays.

For added assurance that the food you serve is safe on braces, consider making your own!

The Colgate Oral Care Center has some great recipe ideas:

Strawberry Santas:

Slice the bottom off the large end of a strawberry so that it stands upright, and cut off the top quarter. Squirt some whipped cream onto the strawberry's top flat surface, and add two chocolate sprinkles to make the eyes of Santa's face. Place the top quarter of the strawberry back onto the whipped cream to form Santa's hat, and dab some cream on the very top of the strawberry to give his hat its white bobble.

Marshmallow Snowmen:

Melt some white chocolate candy coating in the microwave, and push a stiff straw or wooden skewer through three marshmallows for the three parts of the snowman's body. Dip the marshmallows in the candy coating, and before it sets, press chocolate chips into the top marshmallow to make the snowman's eyes. Add a tiny piece of carrot for his nose – but not too big that one crunch can damage a braces bracket.

Reindeer Cheese:

Cut strips of yellow bell pepper to the shape of antlers with a sharp knife, and push them into the wide end of a soft cheese triangle. Use two pieces of olive to make the reindeer's eyes, and half a cherry tomato to make Rudolph's nose.

Christmas Tree Brownie Lollipops:

Not every lollipop needs to be hard or sticky. Cut brownies into triangles, and decorate them with lines of frosting for tinsel and sprinkles for baubles. Push a brightly colored, stiff straw into one edge of the triangle, as far as it will go without poking out the other side. Snip off the end of the straw to form your lollipop stick.

Sometimes it's hard for kids to understand why they have to endure the fuss and bother of wearing braces, and it can be especially difficult during the holiday season when they can't eat the same treats their friends enjoy. By offering your child enticing alternatives, he or she can have just as much fun as everyone else while benefiting from the long-term bonus of beautifully straight, pearly white teeth.

Happy Holidays!!