Smoke Screen

Everybody knows that smoking causes lung cancer, but did you also know that smokers and tobacco users are susceptible to a variety of oral health problems at a faster rate than non-smokers?

It’s true! Smoking is responsible for almost 75 percent of gum disease in adults; and, similar to smokers, adults who smoke pipes and cigars, as well as those using smokeless tobacco, are just as susceptible to gum disease and other tobacco related health problems.

As soon as you use tobacco products, you become more likely to experience any of these oral health problems:

• Oral cancer
• Gum disease
• Tooth loss
• Loss of bone in the jaw
• Gum recession
• Delayed/impaired healing process after oral surgery or any other treatment
• Decreased success rate of dental implant (tooth replacement) procedures
• Mouth sores
• Loss of your sense of taste and smell
• Bad breath
• Tooth and tongue stains

If you are interested in protecting your oral health, we strongly recommend you quit using tobacco products! The following steps are recommended by the Surgeon General to help you quit smoking and using tobacco:

• Get ready – set a quitting date and remove all materials from your home, car and office
• Get support
• Learn new skills and behaviors
• Get medication and use it correctly
• Be prepared for relapse or difficult situations

For support, start with Wenger Orthodontics! We can help by recommending different options to help you quit, and above all we will support you throughout the quitting process. We are dedicated to helping you protect your oral health – and quitting smoking is significant step in the right direction.

Tips to avoid a Cold and the Flu this season, from Wenger Orthodontics

It’s still Winter, which means it's still that time of year to think about protecting yourself and your family from a cold and the flu. Here are some simple steps you can take to help yourself avoid colds and the flu this season:

• Wash your hands before and after brushing

• Allow the brush to air dry after each use, harmful bacteria dies after being exposed to oxygen

• Store the toothbrush in an upright position to allow water to drain and dry faster

• Replace toothbrush after every cold or flu or every 3-4 months when bristles appear worn

To promote a healthy and clean environment, Drs. Terrence, Ryan and Reid Wenger and our team give a great deal of attention to sanitation and sterilization in our office at all times, as well as following all requirements for sterilizing instruments and work surfaces.

For the protection of other patients and our staff, we always ask that patients reschedule their appointments if they have any type of cold or illness that can infect others.

Hope this helps and give us a call if you have any questions! Stay healthy!

The importance of retainers, from Wenger Orthodontics

If you recently completed treatment at Wenger Orthodontics, we’d like to congratulate you! Now that your braces have been removed, Drs. Terrence, Ryan, or Reid Wenger will provide—or has provided you—with a retainer. After braces are removed, teeth can shift out of position if they are not stabilized. Retainers, however, always provide that stabilization. They are designed to hold teeth in their corrected, ideal positions until the bones and gums adapt to the treatment changes. Wearing retainers exactly as instructed by your orthodontist is the best insurance that the treatment improvements last for a lifetime.

To learn more about the advantages of wearing retainers after your orthodontic treatment with Wenger Orthodontics , please read this helpful article about retainers from KidsHealth or give us a call!

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month!

Each February for the past 61years, the American Dental Association (ADA) has sponsored National Children's Dental Health Month to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.

For kids wearing braces, brushing and flossing can become more difficult, requiring extra time and vigilance to remove food particles that accumulate on and between the teeth and in braces.

If the health of your teeth is ignored during treatment with braces, the results can be significantly compromised. Mayfield Heights orthodontists, Drs. Terrence, Ryan, and Reid Wenger are available and happy to explain why effective brushing and flossing is one of the most critical actions needed from patients during orthodontic treatment. Have you visited us lately? Give us a call and schedule an appointment!

Ask Wenger Orthodontics: What’s so bad about nail biting?

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 Wenger Orthodontics found an interesting article that discusses 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. Ask one of our doctors or visit the article for tips on how to break a nail biting habit.

Good luck!

Your friends at Wenger Orthodontics

What’s so special about an orthodontist?

"Dentists, Orthodontists, they're all the same right?" We hear our patients asking this question as they wonder about the difference between an orthodontist and a dentist. Before becoming an orthodontist, Drs. Terrence Wegner, Ryan Wenger, and Reid Wenger all started out in dental school and earned a DDS (dental degree), just like your dentist. After dental school however, they decided to learn more about orthodontics, which is one of nine specialties within the dental field. So he stayed in school for a few more years and became an expert in orthodontics, which focuses on tooth and jaw alignment and bite problems like overbites and under bites.

Other dental specialties you may have heard of include endodontic (focusing on the soft tissue inside your teeth), periodontic (focusing on the gums and other tissues surrounding your teeth) and prosthodontic (focusing on restoring and replacing damaged teeth).

Isn't it nice to know there's a dental expert here to help you through any type of treatment your teeth, jaw and gums might need? If you have any questions or want to schedule your next visit with Wenger Orthodontics, give us a call.

Invisalign at Wenger Orthodontics: How does it work? [Video]

Perhaps you've wondered how Invisalign treatment at Wenger Orthodontics manages to straighten teeth without using traditional metal braces? The Invisalign system is a state-of-the-art system of clear, removable aligners that we proudly offer at our office in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. If you've been wanting to straighten your teeth but are unsure about going through traditional orthodontic treatment, please give us a call to learn if Invisalign is the right treatment for you!