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You have all heard about the damage that sugar and certain “sticky” candies can do to your teeth and your braces when undergoing orthodontic treatment. Well, our Team at the orthodontic office of Lisa P. Howard DDS MS wants to remind all of our patients and future patients about the dangers one more time. We know Halloween is supposed to be a fun time of year for kids of all ages… but it can turn into a “nightmare” of damaged braces for kids and parents if the wrong types of treats are consumed. Not only the discomfort involved as a result of broken wires and brackets but also the inconvenience of coming office for an extra visit with your busy school and/or work schedules.

Here at the orthodontic office of Lisa P. Howard DDS MS, we love Halloween but we also have a responsibility to increase the awareness of potential damage certain candies can cause if patients are not careful about which treats to eat. Click here to download a Do’s and Don’ts Treat List offered by the American Association of Orthodontists. As a reminder, print it off and post in on your refrigerator for all to see.Read More

Why trust orthodontists…If you are having a problem with your bones or muscles you trust an orthopedist. For a skin, hair, or nail condition you trust a dermatologist. A cardiologist specializes in heart issues or you consult with a neurologist for frequent headaches or back issues related to the nervous system. When straightening teeth and correcting jaw problems, your smile is treated best in the hands of orthodontists. Orthodontists are also known as Orthodontic Specialists.

“Specialist” has a double meaning in the health profession. It refers to the individual practitioner’s education and verifies they have limited their practice to one specialty, unlike a general dentist or general physician which can treat all areas of dentistry or medicine. Read More

Are We Addicting Another Generation of Smokers With E-Cigarettes And Smokeless Tobacco?

Years of educating kids on the risks of tobacco products are at risk on multiple fronts according to top medical groups in the US which include both smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes. At the orthodontic office of Lisa P. Howard DDS MS we are concerned that kids today have the misconception that they are harmless when compared to smoking cigarettes.

The American Heart Association Speaks Out on E-Cigarettes

The American Heart Association recently released its policy recommendations on the use of “e-cigarettes” and the need for the same regulation as tobacco products. Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association recently stated: “Over the last 50 years, 20 million Americans died because of tobacco. We are fiercely committed to preventing the tobacco industry from addicting another generation of smokers. Recent studies raise concerns that e-cigarettes may be a gateway to traditional tobacco products for the nation’s youth, and could renormalize smoking in our society. These disturbing developments have helped convince the association that e-cigarettes need to be strongly regulated, thoroughly researched and closely monitored.” Read More

Sports Injuries…What sport do you think causes the most dental injuries with kids? If you guessed football…you are right.

The ADA estimated that faceguards and mouth guards prevent approximately 200,000 injuries each year in high school and college football alone. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry states the children between the ages of 7-11 are the most susceptible to injury. When all is said and done, it is up to parents to ensure their kids are protected during their practices and games at a younger age and train their kids of the importance of wearing mouth guards when they are older and on their own.

At the orthodontic office of Lisa P. Howard DDS MS our goal is to ensure parents and patients are well informed when it comes to the importance of wearing a mouth guard during any type of contact sport to protect their beautiful smile over a lifetime. Once adult teeth erupt, there are no second chances. Wearing a mouth guard can make the difference between losing or fracturing a tooth which requires a lifetime of dental repair or owning your own pearly white smile.Read More

Having “ugly” teeth may significantly contribute to the problem of bullying, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics. According to the study, teeth were the No. 1-targeted physical feature to increase a child’s chance of being bullied, followed by the child’s strength and weight.

Do you think Tom Cruise was a victim of teasing and bullying as a kid that created his tough guy attitude he projects today? He actually went through orthodontic treatment twice, in his teens to straighten his teeth and broaden his smile and again as an adult to correct a midline discrepancy that was still apparent in photographs. His smile is obviously something he is very aware of and very important to him.

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