Invisalign Summit

A few months ago, we attended the Invisalign Summit held in Las Vegas.  This was our first Invisalign Summit.  The meeting had the best of the best Invisalign offices presenting their pearls of wisdom.  There were over 3000 attendees.  We were told the meeting was sold out in 34 minutes.  Our long- term relationship with Invisalign allowed us to attend.  It was a fantastic meeting.  We are more than ever excited about the potential of clear aligner therapy.  There are very few cases that cannot be treated successfully routinely with Invisalign. 

In January, Invisalign introduced a new aligner material called Smart Track.  The material gives greater elastic properties.  This reduces the fatigue of the aligner, therefore, making tooth movements faster and more predictable.  We saw some fantastic results achieved with clear aligner wear.  I predict in the next ten years there will be as many cases treated with Invisalign as with traditional braces.  I know in our office we have seen an influx of new patients that not only desire a great smile but they want to do it with Invisalign.  Think about the difference with Invisalign and traditional braces…with clear aligners- you can eat anything you want, brushing is a snap because you take out the aligners, treatment is often faster and there are no “pokey” emergencies that can happen with traditional braces.  Many feel the cost with Invisalign is much greater but in our office the costs are the same.  If you have been thinking about improving your smile but you do not want traditional braces now is the time.  Invisalign is for you.  Remember our initial examinations are complimentary.  Keep Smiling

Dr. H

April is National Facial Protection Month

April is National Facial Protection Month

          The American Dental Association, the American Association of Orthodontists, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons have joined forces to sponsor National Facial Protection Month. 

         From team sports like football, baseball and hockey to activities like roller blading and skate boarding, adults and children alike spend a lot of time and money gearing up for an active lifestyle.  One important piece of equipment-the mouth guard-is often overlooked.  The National Youth Sports Safety Foundation reported that athletes who do not wear mouth guards are 60 times more likely to damage their front teeth.  An American Association of Orthodontists survey found that 84% of children do not wear mouth guards while playing sports because they are not required to wear them.  At a time when football helmets or a hockey stick can cost upwards of $200.00 mouth guards can be one of the least expensive pieces of protective equipment.   Many athletes complain about the comfort of mouth guards being the reason they do not wear them.  We have provided pressure laminate mouth guards to our local athletes.  The fit is outstanding because they are made from a model of the teeth.  We customize these with the team colors and logos and place the name of the athlete embedded between the layers.  The athletes love them.  Contact our office for more information or visit our website, www.hineslyorthodontics.com

Running in Reverse-why going backward is forward thinking!!

Running backward, also known as reverse or retro running is not as popular as running barefoot on a beach and will never be mistaken for the natural way to run.  but a small number of scientists think that running backward enables people to recover from injuries, burn extra calories, sharpen their balance, and change their regular routine.

In a study published last year, Italian biochemists had a group of runners stride forward and backward at a steady pace.  They found nearly 30% more energy was needed to run backward than forward.  They think this can really help those with bad knees.  They found that backward running causes less impact to the front of the knee.  In a more recent study of female college athletes who replaced running forward with running backwards for 15-45 minutes, three times per week for six weeks lost almost 2.5% more body fat.

It has its drawbacks.  The obvious one, you cannot see where you are going.  It is recommended that it should be done on a track or with side by side runners with one facing forward.

The good news for serious runners is that backward does not mean slow.  the best recorded backward 5K is 19:31; faster than most of us can hit the finish line going forward.  The fastest mile is 5:46 and the fastest marathon, that's right someone ran a marathon backward with a time of 3 hours 42 minutes.  Now that is picking them up and putting them down or putting them down and picking them up...I'm confused.

Cleaning Your Aligners With Ease

We have many patients that have selected Invisalign as their treatment for the alignment of their teeth.  Invisalign recommends cleaning of the aligners with their professional cleaner.  We have provided this to our patients but not one has said that it is an outstanding product.  Recently a patient told me he cleans his aligners with soap and water and uses a Waterpik on the aligner itself.  He said that it works much better than the Invisalign cleaner. I wanted to share it with those of you that struggle with cleaning your aligners.

             Dr. James A. Hinesly

Cover Your Cough!

               This is the flu season!  Many of the viruses are spread by cough, sneezing or unclean hands.  To help stop the spread of germs:

• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.  Remember children have thousands more viruses than adults.
• Put the tissue in a waste container or flush it in the toilet
• If you do not have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve or elbow not your hands
• Face masks can help but viruses easily pass through the fabric of the mask.
• Wash your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds
• If soap and water are not available use an alcohol based hand rub.
• when going out to eat many think the salt and pepper shakers are the most contaminated but studies have shown that the menu is the most contaminated.  Take a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you and use it after placing your order.

Running in Reverse - why going backward is forward thinking

Running in Reverse-why going backward is forward thinking!!

Running backward, also known as reverse or retro running is not as popular as running barefoot on a beach and will never be mistaken for the natural way to run.  But a small number of scientists think that running backward enables people to recover from injuries, burn extra calories, sharpen their balance, and change their regular routine.

In a study published last year, Italian biochemists had a group of runners stride forward and backward at a steady pace.  They found nearly 30% more energy was needed to run backward than forward.  They think this can really help those with bad knees.  They found that backward running causes less impact to the front of the knee.  In a more recent study of female college athletes who replaced running forward with running backwards for 15-45 minutes, three times per week for six weeks lost almost 2.5% more body fat.

It has its drawbacks.  The obvious one, you cannot see where you are going.  It is recommended that it should be done on a track or with side by side runners with one facing forward.

The good news for serious runners is that backward does not mean slow. The best recorded backward 5K is 19:31; faster than most of us can hit the finish line going forward.  The fastest mile is 5:46 and the fastest marathon, that’s right someone ran a marathon backward with a time of 3 hours 42 minutes.  Now that is picking them up and putting them down or putting them down and picking them up….I’m confused.

Make a New Year's Resolution to use your headphones less

Make it a New Year’s Resolution to use your headphones less

Not only do they isolate you, but they may also be making you deaf.

To parents:

 

     One in five teenagers in America cannot hear rustles or whispers, according to a study published in August in The Journal of the American Medical Association.  These teenagers exhibit what’s known as slight hearing loss, which means they often cannot make out consonants like T’s or K’s, or the plinking of raindrops.  The number of teenagers with hearing loss from slight to severe has jumped 33 percent since 1994. 

     Give the current ubiquity of personal media players – the iPod and mp3 players almost a decade ago- many researchers attribute this widespread hearing loss to exposure to sound played loudly and regularly through headphones.  (Ear buds, in particular, do not cancel as much noise from outside as do headphones that rest on or around the ear, so ear bud users typically listen at higher volume to drown out interference).  These findings were particularly interesting to me because I have an iPod that I use at the gym and when cutting the grass.  I saw many teenage patients using “Skull candy” ear buds and was informed that these provided the best sound.  So off to Target I went in search of the ear buds. 

The August AMA report reinforces a 2008 European study of people who habitually blast personal media players.  According to that report headphone users who listen to music at high volumes for more than an hour a day risk permanent hearing loss after five years. 

      I have given up my “Skull candy “ear buds and exchanged then for over the ear Nike headphones.  Make it a resolution to use headphones less.  Protecting our kids hearing is not just as important as protecting their brains it is protecting their brains.