With cold and flu season well underway, cough drops, tissues, and hot tea have probably become daily staples. Chances are your teeth and braces are probably the last things you’re thinking about! However, there are some things related to the cold or flu that can affect your oral health. Keep reading to learn some tips from Dr. Amir Davoody, Dr. Rana Mehr, Dr. Niloufar Azami, and Dr. Adam Skrypczak at Greater Houston Orthodontics.
1) Make Sure to Keep Bad Stuff Off Your Teeth
Did you know most cough drops are loaded with sugar? Go for sugar for sugar-free cough drops and be sure not to bite down too hard! Cough syrup is loaded with sugar too – be sure to rinse your mouth out afterward to keep that sugar off of your teeth! Also, stomach acid is hard on teeth, so if you’re throwing up, be sure to brush your teeth afterward.
We are excited to announce that Greater Houston Orthodontics’ West University/Bellaire Boulevard office is moving! We are relocating to a beautiful new location at 4191 Bellaire Boulevard, Suite 275 Houston, TX 77025 and look forward to welcoming our families on December 8th.
We built our new office with patient safety and comfort in mind. To that end, our new location offers:
filtration built into the central air system;
a clinical area complete with partitions for the safety of our patients;
a larger waiting area to ensure appropriate distancing;
spacious parking so you can get in and out of appointments faster; and
state-of-the-art technology for the highest quality orthodontic treatment.
Our brand new facility will also provide an enhanced experience for patients and families. The ultra-modern renovation includes an interactive waiting room, an iPad game table and a patient rewards program. During the summer months, we will have a beverage center and frozen popsicle station… and even an entire wall of candy for our Ortho graduates!
Above all, we are focused on creating smiles that build self-esteem and confidence. Our new West University office location will help us do exactly that. We’ll reach out directly to let you know when your next appointment will be at our new office. In the meantime, if you have an upcoming appointment and are unsure of the location, please call our office at (713) 662-0621 and a member of our team would be happy to assist you.
As fall begins in many parts of the country, temperatures begin to drop, and leaves begin to change. However, can the cooler weather also cause your teeth to hurt? Keep reading to learn more about how your teeth can react to cooler weather from Dr. Amir Davoody, Dr. Rana Mehr, Dr. Niloufar Azami, and Dr. Adam Skrypczak at Greater Houston Orthodontics.
Do your teeth ever hurt when you eat something hot or cold? When your tooth enamel wears down or your gums recede, it exposes a layer of your teeth that is especially sensitive to temperature changes. The weather can also cause your teeth to experience discomfort. During the winter, your teeth contract in response to intense cold weather. This can lead to cracks in your teeth and cause the same type of pain that you may feel when you eat something cold, like ice cream.
How we communicate through speech is a crucial part of our daily lives. Did you know that the alignment of your teeth can affect your speech? If you’re struggling with certain elements of speech, it could be attributed to your teeth. Keep reading to learn more about different speech problems and how braces can help from Dr. Amir Davoody, Dr. Rana Mehr, Dr. Niloufar Azami, and Dr. Adam Skrypczak at Greater Houston Orthodontics.
Mispronunciation
Certain sounds are practically impossible to pronounce when teeth aren’t where they’re supposed to be. Fricative consonant sounds like “t” “s” or “ch” which require tongue-to-tooth contact and are not possible without it. Orthodontic treatment places teeth where they need to be for better pronunciation.
For many of us, October can mean fall weather and the excitement of Halloween. However, for orthodontists, October is also a very special month because October is National Orthodontic Health Month. This month is a month to celebrate and recognize the beautiful, healthy smiles that orthodontists create.
Here are some fun facts about orthodontics in celebration of Orthodontic Health Month from Dr. Amir Davoody, Dr. Rana Mehr, Dr. Niloufar Azami, and Dr. Adam Skrypczak at Greater Houston Orthodontics. Orthodontic treatment is a way of straightening or moving teeth to improve their appearance and how they work. Braces and invisible aligners are some of the more commonly used appliances to straighten teeth during orthodontic treatment.
At Greater Houston Orthodontics, we are big fans of Invisalign™ Teen for orthodontic treatment. Invisalign’s advanced technology allows for precision in creating clear smiles and confidence boosting results. Read our top reasons why we think it’s a keeper in our orthodontic toolkit:
1) Keep Their Passion Front and Center
Invisalign™ is a great option for teens who don’t want to put their life on pause to get the smile of their dreams. Whether they are recording a hit album in their bedroom like Billie Eilish (who mentions Invisalign™ in her music video), getting ready for a big game, or live streaming their glow up transformation, they won’t have to worry about their treatment getting in the way. Invisalign’s custom fitted aligners feature a slim and comfortable design, are virtually invisible and can be removed for 1-2 hours a day without impacting results. That means less orthodontic related sports emergencies, more confidence in front of the camera and no missed practice time for that upcoming audition.
2) Keep Their Daily Routine Going
Since you don’t have to worry about brackets and wires with Invisalign™, teens won’t have to make adjustments to their daily routines. It’s easy for teens to keep up their brushing and flossing habits with no change. They can also continue to eat their favorite foods without restriction. No broken brackets or sharp wires mean virtually no unexpected emergency trips to the orthodontist’s office. Overall, Invisalign™ treatment requires fewer trips to the office and treatment times can even be as short as six months!
3)Keep up The Good Work
Invisalign™ aligners will do most of the work, but it’s important for your teen to do their part too. While Invisalign™ can be removed for a couple of hours, it’s important that your teen wear their aligners for the recommended 20-22 hours per day. This will ensure that their treatment stays on track. Luckily with Invislaign’s comfortable and nearly invisible design this is one rule that’s easy for your teen to follow.
4) Keep Growing
Teenage years are the optimal time to rectify orthodontic problems because their bones are still growing. A trained orthodontist can use this growth to their advantage to help guide teeth to a healthier position. This frequently leads to less time in treatment and is less costly when compared to correction of problems that have been allowed to progress into adulthood.
Want to find out if Invisalign™ is right for your teen? Click below to schedule a complimentary consultation! We promise to turn your teen’s smile into a keeper!
Now your teen can smile in style with Invisalign Stickables!
We are excited to introduce Invisalign Stickables a fun way to customize your Invisalign aligners. Choose from a variety of themes such as emojis, animals and nature, fantasy and gaming, and more. Stickables last for a couple of weeks before dissolving letting you switch up your look so you never get bored. Parents love them because they help their kids get excited about treatment, keeping them on track. Aligners with Stickables are also harder to lose which means these aligners are less likely to get tossed in a napkin at the lunch table and thrown away by mistake. Ask about Stickables during your complimentary consultation!
About the Team at Greater Houston Orthodontics
Dr. Amir Davoody, Dr. Rana Mehr, Dr. Niloufar Azami and Dr. Adam Skrypczakare leading orthodontists in the field and are helping to pioneer this amazing technology. The doctors and team use the most advanced treatments available today, including Invisalign®, to provide the most effective, safe, and comfortable experience for their patients.
With two convenient locations in West University and Memorial, we are ready to help you start smiling. Please contact our West University or our Memorial office to schedule a complimentary consultation.
We know that having metal in your mouth doesn’t always feel like the most natural thing. Fortunately, after you get your braces on and have your initial adjustment, most people don’t even notice their braces are there. However, sometimes a pesky wire will escape and remind you that your braces are there. Have no fear though, most of the time you can fix rogue wires on your own without having to make an extra trip to the orthodontist. Loose or pokey wires are the most common problem people experience while in braces, so if that happens to you, here are some steps to follow from Dr. Amir Davoody, Dr. Rana Mehr, Dr. Niloufar Azami, and Dr. Adam Skrypczak at Greater Houston Orthodontics :
See if you can push it back into place
If a wire pulls loose a little it might not be completely out of the bracket. If this is the case, you can use a finger to push it back into place. In other instances, you can guide the wire back into the tube.
With many of us transitioning to the “new normal” of homeschooling our children, the change can be tough. Balancing work and home life can be challenging for any parent. But how can you make learning fun and engaging while social distancing? Don’t fret! Dr. Amir Davoody, Dr. Rana Mehr, and Dr. Niloufar Azami at Greater Houston Orthodontics has 5 activities you can do at home that are educational and fun.
Science Experiments
From Bill Nye to YouTube, DIY science experiments are a fun way for kids to learn while using resources from around the house. Check out this video for 10 fun DIY experiments you can do at home. Read More