Five reasons to schedule a summer consultation at R. Scott Smith Orthodontics

Are you considering scheduling an orthodontic consultation with Dr. R. Scott Smith this summer? Now is the ideal time for you to get started on perfecting your smile!

Here are our top five reasons why summer is the ideal time to schedule an orthodontic consultation:

#1 School is out - no need to miss school for your appointment
#2 It's easier to take time off from work during the summer. Often work schedules are more relaxed.
#3 Summer Hours - we start seeing patients at 7:00am during the summer months. Get in early and still have your whole day ahead of you!
#4 As always, we have the most flexible payment plans. Start now and payments start in September.
#5 It's ALWAYS a good time to take care of your oral health.

How to keep your breath fresh, with R. Scott Smith Orthodontics

Drs. Scott Smith, your Springfield and South Hadley orthodontist, recognizea that many of our patients are concerned about bad breath, or halitosis. While some cases of bad breath are persistent (chronic bad breath), generally bad breath is transient, and can be prevented.

We recently came across this helpful video about bad breath and thought it was worth sharing with our patients. The video explains what might cause bad breath and some ways that it can be avoided. In most instances, bad breath can be prevented by practicing common oral hygiene techniques that you have probably heard us emphasize during a visit to R. Scott Smith Orthodontics, such as brushing and flossing daily. We encourage you to watch this video for additional tips on how to keep bad breath at bay. Enjoy!

Orthodontic Emergency Care with Dr. R. Scott Smith

True orthodontic emergencies are very rare, but when they do occur we are available to you. As a general rule, you should call the office when you experience severe pain or when you have a painful appliance problem that you can't take care of yourself. We’ll be able to schedule an appointment with Dr. Smith.

You might be surprised to learn that you may be able to temporarily solve many problems yourself until you schedule an appointment with R Scott Smith Orthodontics.
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The following solutions may help you relieve your discomfort:

Poking Wire: Using a pencil eraser, push the poking wire down or place wax on it to alleviate the discomfort.

Loose Bracket or Band: If your bracket or band is still attached to the wire, you should leave it in place and put wax on it. If the wire comes out entirely, wrap the bracket with a tissue.

Loose Wire: Using a tweezers, try to place your wire back into place. If doing this and using wax does not help, as a last resort use a small fingernail clipper to clip the wire behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened. If your discomfort continues, place wax on it.

Loose Appliance: If your appliance is poking you, place wax on the offending part of your appliance.

Headgear Does Not Fit: Sometimes headgear discomfort is caused by not wearing the headgear as instructed by your orthodontist. Please refer to the instructions provided by your orthodontist. If the facebow is bent, please call our office for assistance. Surprisingly, headgear becomes more comfortable the more it's worn, so be sure you’re getting in the prescribed hours.

General Soreness: When you get your braces on, you may feel general soreness in your mouth and teeth may be tender to biting pressures for three to five days. This can be relieved by rinsing your mouth with a warm salt water mouthwash. Dissolve one teaspoonful of salt in 8 ounces of warm water, and rinse your mouth vigorously. If the tenderness is severe, take aspirin or whatever you normally take for headache or similar pain.

Remember, after alleviating your discomfort, it is still very important that you call our office as soon as possible to schedule a time to repair the problem.

Happy Social Media Day, from R. Scott Smith Orthodontics!

It seems like in today’s world, every day feels like social media day. However, June 30th is officially Social Media Day, “a day to celebrate the revolution of media becoming social.” Much like the use of cell phones, checking and updating social media has become a daily routine for many people. We here at R. Scott Smith Orthodontics are particularly grateful for social media because we are able to interact with patients like you.

Recently we found a very interesting study about social media that was presented on May 25, 2011 by Edison Research and Arbitron that presents some very interesting statistics about social media use in America today. One fascinating highlight is that approximately 46 million Americans who are the age of 12 or older check their social media sites and services several times a day. Check out the full study for more interesting information about social media and social networking.

As you might have noticed, we love engaging in conversation with our patients online. It’s a great way to connect with our patients. It also helps us share news, photos, ideas, and upcoming events at the office. We have found that our Facebook fan page and blog are great tools for making this connection.

Dr. Smith and our team want to continue to improve our social networking presence. Let us know how you would like us to be using our social media or what you would like to see posted on the blog.

Happy Social Media Day!

Stay cool with a braces-friendly summer treat

Summer is here! Kids and adults alike will now be spending more time outside being active and enjoying the hotter temperatures. What’s better on a hot summer day than a delicious treat that will cool you down after doing something active in the summer sun? Luckily, our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) have just the thing, Watermelon Sorbet! You can find the complete recipe below:

Watermelon Sorbet

Ingredients
• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 2 to 3 cups watermelon, diced, no seeds or rind

Directions
In a small saucepan, heat the water, sugar, and lime juice on medium high for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Chill this “syrup” at least 20 minutes. In the meantime, place the watermelon chunks in a food processor or blender and liquefy them. Add the chilled syrup to the watermelon puree and blend. Freeze sorbet in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve immediately.

Happy Summer!

-Dr. R. Scott Smith and team

Smile! June is National Smile Month!

Now that we’re in June, it’s once again time to remind our patients to smile wide! After all, June is National Smile Month, and a great time for our team at R. Scott Smith Orthodontics to promote good dental habits such as brushing, flossing and visiting the dentist, in addition to taking care of your braces, of course.

When you are packing for that summer vacation, remember to include wax and sugarless chewing gum so you can handle those "braces emergencies." A long wire can be pretty annoying. Put a pinch of wax or some softened sugarless gum over the end of the wire to get you through until you can come in to see us.

Here are a few simple steps you can take to improve your oral health so that you may celebrate National Smile Month for many, many years to come:

* Brush at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Here's a helpful video showing you how to brush with your braces on.
* Floss every day to clean between your teeth.
* Reduce your intake of sugary foods and drinks during your orthodontic treatment with Dr. Smith.
* Visit your dentist regularly (usually every six months apart).

If you have questions about any of these tips, we encourage you to give us a call.

Massachusetts Tornado Relief

Hello,

We hope you are all well and safe following last week's storms. Like many of you, our Springfield office was without power. Our computer and telephone system were both down and we moved many of our patients to our Enfield location. We are sorry for any inconvenience. If you need to schedule an appointment, please give one of our offices a call.

Our thoughts are with those of you who suffered a loss from the tornadoes. Please call if there is something that we can do to help.

We are gathering the following necessities to help those in need:

New packages of socks & underwear, new or gently used sheets, towels, & blankets, Toiletries such as shampoo, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and antibacterial hand cleaners and diapers.

These items can be dropped off at any one of our three office locations. Everything will be brought to the Springfield YMCA for distribution.

Be Well,

The Staff of R. Scott Smtih, DMD