A while ago I was talking about IOTN — the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need — and I thought I’d go a little bit deeper into the topic today.
And that means we need to go back in time
Sweden, 1974
Saab stopped producing the Draken fighter aircraft, around about the time that it became the first Airfix model I …
Had a young patient in for the first time last week, accompanied by her mum. They both knew what needed fixed - a top tooth biting inside the lower teeth instead of outside them: a crossbite.
I went through my usual orthodontic assessment for a new patient, measuring this and that, but I also asked “would your teeth stop you …
It was something like a scene from Derry Girls or The Inbetweeners, but last week we actually had a teenage patient phone the practice pretending to be his own father to cancel the appointment he was meant to attend that day.
So…. his parents would think he was taking time off whatever he was supposed to be doing in order …
I had a patient come in this afternoon for an appointment that was marked in the diary as “retainer review”.
When I opened up his notes, it turned out that his orthodontic treatment finished over 3 years ago and we hadn’t seen him in almost 3 years. At that stage we had made him a spare retainer and he never …
I had a patient with neurosensory issues in last week. We were planning to put the orthodontic braces on his teeth - we call that process "bonding" or a "bond-up".
Kid: What are you going to do to me today?
Me: Stick the braces on your teeth.
Is this going to hurt?
Me or you?
Me! Is it going to …
There are many hard, crunchy, sticky and chewy food to avoid with braces on as they can cause parts of the brace to break and come off.
These foods include:
It’s that time of the year again- all the kids are back to school!! If you’re going back to school with braces, here are some tips and reminders to help you keep on track of taking care of your braces and improve your smile.
Eat Braces Friendly Food
When you wear braces, there are certain types of food you’ll need …
The Department of Health released its new National Oral Health Policy a few weeks ago. Smileagusslainte is the hashtag they're using. There was an announcement, a public appearance from the Minister of Health, Simon Harris, some tweeting and then everyone went back to whatever they were doing beforehand. I made a few comments directed at the Department of Health and …
Michelle: Now, that’s your braces all off. Does it feel different?
Patient: Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. It feels so weird. That’s so weird, that’s so weird. Oh my God.
Michelle: I’ll show you your teeth now, here’s a mirror.
Patient: Oh my God, they’re so straight. They’re …
Parent: "My son's brace is broken again. I am not happy with this, that's the third time and the braces are only on 3 weeks. I don't think you've done a very good job here"
Swords Orthodontist: "What happened when the bracket came off?"
Patient: "Well I was eating a (insert well known brand name here) mint and it got …
We all go through experiences in life that make us stressed. Some of which can be the lead up to big exams, making a big life change or something as small as trying something new.
Stress can cause us to be tired, feel groggy and even miss out on sleep but what many people do not know is that it …
From time to time I talk about Orthodontics waiting lists in the HSE. This was just put online at the very useful website kildarestreet.com, which reports questions and answers from Dáil Éireann. Recently the TD Charlie McConalogue asked about the orthodontic waiting list in Letterkenny Hospital in Donegal.
The current Minister for Health, Simon Harris, gave an answer which is …
If you are wearing braces and are planning a holiday this summer (lucky you!), our team Swords Orthodontics would suggest that you be prepared. We put together a list of items that will be handy to have with you at all times while you are away. They include:
Orthodontic treatment has become extremely popular, with most of us experiencing treatment during our teenage years- nowadays adult orthodontics is just as popular. Everyone has a different reason for treatment, whether it be for the aesthetic view of their teeth or for functional purposes. One major part of orthodontic treatment which we, here at Swords Orthodontics strongly believe is so …
Your Invisalign Teen aligners have been delivered and now you’re on your way to a great smile. But you’re wondering: How do I clean my Invisalign aligners?
Proper cleaning essential for keeping your Invisalign aligners invisible and odour free.
Here’s Your Smile Specialist’s list of Do’s and Dont's to keep your aligners in great condition.
Do:
The teenage years can be a difficult time in the life of your child. Kids are pressured to take perfect selfies, have flawless skin, and maintain model-like figures.
Many children who have noticeably crooked or unevenly spaced teeth suffer from bullying and low self-esteem.
Parents have several options:
Regular readers of my blog will know I occasionally give updates on HSE Orthodontics waiting lists. These figures are in the public domain, but not easily found unless you look for them, so that’s why I share them from time to time with a wider audience. I have recently found out new …
This weekend, I am at an orthodontics conference in The Netherlands, where the main speaker is Gerry Samson, a very popular educator from the USA giving his first ever conference in The Netherlands and a relatively rare appearance in Europe. Samson is organiser of the Gnathos group (gnathos means "jaw" in Greek), and much respected due to his enthusiasm for …
Swords Orthodontics arranged a team building event in June 2014, which was attended by dentists and teams from 4 local practices. Here's a video of the some of the day's highlights.
Normally we work on helping patients smile, but it was a bit of a change to make dentists, dental hygienists and dental nurses smile. It was definitely a new …
When you're a specialist orthodontist, there's a responsibility to keep up to date with new types of treatment in orthodontics, and to make sure you review the current ones. As a result of that, the Swords Orthodontics team and myself spend many days every year learning new things (and practising some old ones).
The ABC of ortho...
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If there's one thing I hate to see or hear about in the course of my work as an orthodontist, it's bullying. Just last month there was an article in the American Journal of Orthodontics about bullying and teeth. Thankfully it's not too often I came across it among my …
Well, yesterday was the last day of scheduled appointments for 2013 at Swords Orthodontics - we removed braces and completed treatment for as many patients that day as we'd normally do in one week! So finally, as we tidied up the practice we hardly had time to look back on a busy month at the end of a busy year …
I have got a few questions in to my other blog about Twin Blocks, so I'll answer them here. The most common ones are about speaking with twin blocks and twin blocks making the lower jaw seem prominent. This article is about the lower jaw and chin.
Typical questions are along the lines of:
I sometimes write about Orthodontics waiting lists in Ireland. Just to recap, the Health Service Executive (HSE) offers treatment without charge to patients who meet both these conditions:
Twin Blocks are probably the most widely used functional orthodontic appliance in the world, if not the most popular (which they probably are). A functional appliance is one that modifies the way that the mouth works (functions), and uses the muscles around the mouth to achieve a particular orthodontic effect.
Orthodontists like twin blocks because …
I had an email in a while back asking about HSE waiting lists for orthodontic treatment. I wanted to give an honest and thorough answer, and my reply got longer and longer, so I decided to turn it into a blog entry.
As I understand it, receiving state-provided orthodontic treatment from the HSE (Health Service Executive, previously known as the …