Seniors Can Get Braces Too

It's National Senior Health and Fitness day! Every year on the last Wednesday in May, it is estimated that 100,000 senior adults participate in health and fitness activities put on by several organizations nationwide. As we encourage senior citizens to be active today, we also want to remind you to stay current on your health visits and check-ups. This includes dental and orthodontics.

Are you a senior who has considered orthodontic treatment? You may be surprised to know that seniors can benefit from adult braces.  Keep reading to find out more.

If you are retired and considering adult braces in the Westminster, Mt. Airy and Towson areas, we encourage you to visit Spannhake Orthodontics. You may not be aware but retirement age is the perfect time to do things you’ve always wanted to do, including getting braces. If your smile has been something that’s bothered you throughout the years, the time to change that is now.

When you compare getting braces as an adult to getting them as a child or adolescent, there are benefits. One example is children typically must use metal braces due to restrictions and the simple fact that a child’s jaw hasn’t solidified. When you’re an adult, you have a much wider variety of treatment options from traditional braces to clear aligners.

If you are a senior and you’re interested in straightening your teeth, visit our office for a consultation to discuss adult braces. At Spannhake Orthodontics, we can help you understand all of the benefits that you will take away, aside from a picture perfect smile.

Tips For Invisalign Patients

Invisalign straightens your teeth without wires and brackets, using a series of clear, customized, removable appliances called aligners. It's virtually undetectable, which means hardly anyone will know that you're straightening your teeth. To ensure the best possible results we decided to compile a list of a few tips for our patients currently using Invisalign.

Wear your aligners for a minimum of 2 weeks, before moving into the next aligner.

• Sharp or rough edges can be smoothed with an emery board. 
• Change into your next aligner before going to bed so they settle in overnight. 
• Keep your aligners in their case while eating to avoid losing them. Keep the out of reach of any household pets, especially dogs! 
• If you need to, you can soak your Invisalign aligners in a mix of 50/50 white vinegar and cold water to brighten them. 
• Wear your aligners for at least 20 hours a day. 
• Always carry a toothbrush. 
• Only drink water when you're wearing your aligners. 
• Don't put your aligners in hot water. 
• Don't use toothpaste to clean your aligners. 

If you have any further questions about Invisalign please don’t hesitate to call us at our convenient Westminster or Towson location.

3 Super Quick Smoothie Recipes

One of the most common questions we get from new patients is “what can I eat after I get my braces?”  Aside from the typical checklist of approved and nonapproved foods to eat during your orthodontic treatment at Spannhake Orthodontics, we like to go above and beyond and provide you with recipe ideas, too.  Yes, there are certain points in your treatment process when your mouth might be more sensitive than usual, but that doesn't mean you don't get to enjoy a delicious meal or snack. Smoothies are the perfect solution for when chewing just doesn’t sound all that fun!

You can prep and freeze these 3 super quick and easy smoothie recipes. Choose your own base of yogurt, juice, milk, tea, or water and some ice to blend these ingredients up into something spectacular for your tastebuds!

BERRY BLAST

• 1C Raspberries
• 1C Blueberries
• 1C Strawberries
• 1C Spinach

SWEET SUNRISE

• 1C Raspberries
• 1 Orange
• 1/2 Banana
• 1C Mango

GREEN MONSTER

• 1 Grapefruit
• 1 Banana
• 1C Pineapple
• 1C Spinach

Braces & Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are the third set of molars that usually come in anywhere from 17 to 25 years old. Coincidentally, this age bracket is a popular time for orthodontic work, and many people are in braces or will soon have them taken off. It can be disconcerting in this time period to see completely new teeth emerging.

At Spannhake Orthodontics in Westminster and Towson, we offer orthodontic treatment to patients of all ages. Whether you’re looking for braces, Invisalign or other orthodontic options, we can help you get the smile you want. Contact Spannhake Orthodontics today to schedule your consultation. We can answer any questions you may have, including how wisdom teeth affect your treatment.

Wisdom teeth are a leftover trait from when humans had larger jaws and chewed hearty leaves. Wisdom teeth tend to overcrowd already corrected molars or emerge only half way. In fact, wisdom teeth statistically have the highest chance of growing in sideways, an issue known as an impacted wisdom tooth, which can affect the nearby teeth. However, wisdom teeth cannot cause front teeth to become crooked. From the back of the mouth, the pressure they exert on the other molars is not strong enough to reach the front.

This has led people to believe that wisdom teeth can ruin their current or previous dental work. There are a number of other factors that have led to this. Around 20 years old, the jaw performs its last growth spurt, which can leave teeth crooked. This is also the age when many former braces wearers begin to neglect their retainers at night.

Many people have their wisdom teeth emerge as healthy, effective back molars. In this case, the tooth has grown in straight and is not affecting the person’s bite and any dental work will be unaffected. There is nothing stopping a person with healthy wisdom teeth from getting braces either.

Each set of braces are unique for the wearer, as is the decision on what to do about wisdom teeth. Talk with Dr. Spannhake as soon as you notice any discomfort or wisdom teeth appearing. While they may not affect your braces, wisdom teeth can change your overall oral health.