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Did you know one in every five orthodontic patients is an adult? We’re living longer and technology is improving, making orthodontic treatment an appealing and safe option for patients of all ages. As the trend toward treatment later in life grows, we’re seeing braces on parents as well as children – and even adult celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Gwen Stefani and Nicholas Cage have shown off their braces. It’s never too late to look and feel your best!

Can Braces Work for Adults?

People of all ages can benefit from orthodontic treatment. The physical process for moving teeth is the same, young or old, which means it’s never too late to address issues such as an overbite or underbite, crooked or crowded teeth, or jaw disorders.

How Do I Get Started?

If you’re considering orthodontic treatment, we’ll make a consultation appointment with you. During this meeting we will perform a general assessment of your oral health, discuss options for treatment, and answer any questions you may have. We will also discuss matters of cost and insurance. The next step is an orthodontic records appointment in which we take x-rays, photos, and an impression of your teeth. This information drives your unique treatment plan.

What Are the Benefits?

Straightening your teeth can improve your smile, your self-esteem, and your dental health. Technologically advanced new treatments make it easier to identify the option that best fits your lifestyle. Modern techniques and materials have made braces and aligners more effective, comfortable and unobtrusive than ever.

If you think you might benefit from orthodontic treatment, give our team a call, so we may set up a consultation to determine what type of treatment best meets your needs.

As much as we hate to admit it, the beginning of August is a reminder in a few short weeks, Back to School activities will be in full swing!  Kennell Orthodontics wants to send your children back to school prepared for school life with braces or new orthodontic treatments. Pack your child their very own "Back to School with Braces" kit - something as simple as a ziplock plastic bag including items such as:  Orthopicks, orthodontic rubber bands, mini toothbrush and toothpaste, orthodontic wax, small mirror, floss, retainer case and tissues. This kit can easily be tucked into their backpack or locker and will help as a reminder of orthodontic care even when at school.  Start the school year off right with these reminders:

• bring retainer cases to lunch room and keep retainer in it to avoid accidentally throwing it away with lunch trash;
• always wear protective mouth guard for all fall sports - this will help prevent brackets from breaking and inner lip from rubbing against braces.

Stay ahead of the Back to School shopping rush by preparing these orthodontic kits now - kick back and enjoy the last weeks of summer!!

Visibly crooked teeth are not the only reason to take your child into the orthodontist. There are some subtle things to look for as well, which may indicate the onset of more serious orthodontic issues. Many orthodontic issues are much easier to address if treated and corrected during a child's development.

Waiting until facial development is complete or until the permanent teeth have come in can make correction of many orthodontic issues more challenging. Both children and adults can benefit from orthodontic care at any age, but addressing issues early is almost always the ideal choice.

If you're wondering if you or your child might have need for orthodontic care, there are some things you can be on the lookout for. Here are some of the most common warning signs of orthodontic issues:

• Difficulty when chewing or biting
• Chronic mouth-breathing
• Sucking the thumb, the fingers, or any other oral sucking habits that continue after the age of six
• Overbite - when the upper teeth overlap the lower teeth by more than 5mm
• Top front teeth that cover more than 25% of the bottom teeth while biting
• Underbite - when the top front teeth go behind the bottom row of teeth when biting
• Crowded, crooked, overlapped, misshapen, misplaced teeth or extra teeth of any size
• Crossbite - when one or more teeth tilt toward the cheek or toward the tongue causing excessive stress on the jawbone
• The center of the top and bottom teeth don't line up
• Uneven teeth-wearing
• Baby teeth coming out too early for the child's age
• Pain in jaws
• Clicking in the jaw joints
• The jaw shifts off-center while chewing or biting
• A jaw that protrudes, or recedes, too much
• Difficulty speaking or enunciating clearly
• Chronic biting of the inner cheek or roof of the mouth
• Asymmetrical facial structure
• Grinding or clenching of the teeth

If you notice that either you or your child has one or more of these conditions, they could be signs that there is a risk of orthodontic or health problems. The sooner these problems are addressed, the wider and brighter you will be able to smile going forward!

SPOTLIGHT on Dr. Kennell

Dr. Kennell grew up in Frankfort, NY – a small town in central New York. He is the youngest of 4 children (3 older sisters). Dr. Kennell spent many summers picking (and eating) strawberries and corn on his uncle’s farm.

He attended Frankfort-Schuyler Central High School (go Knights!) and graduated in 1993. He was a smarty pants in school and was the valedictorian of his class. After high school Dr. Kennell attended Union College – a small liberal arts college in Schenectady, NY. He really liked science (OK - so he was a little geeky…) so he decided to major in Biology and minored in Chemistry. Dr. Kennell loved being in school so much that he decided to go to dental school after college.

He attended The State University of New York at Buffalo Dental School (or “UB” to central NY folks!) While at dental school in Buffalo, Dr. Kennell got to explore all aspects of dentistry (and hot wings) including extracting rotten teeth (yuk!) and even doing root canals and making dentures (boring). But one area that fascinated him the most was orthodontics.

After graduating from dental school he decided to specialize in orthodontics. Orthodontics is one of the hardest (and coolest) specialties to get acceptance into – fortunately Dr. Kennell was still somewhat of a smarty pants and graduated in the top 1% of his dental school class. He was accepted into UB Dental’s Orthodontic program and stayed in Buffalo for another 30 months (more hot wings) to complete the orthodontic program.

In his first year of his orthodontic residency at UB, Dr. Kennell met Dr. Missy Kennell (Scarpino at the time…) – who happened to be in her first year of dental school! A couple years later they were engaged, and married shortly after that!

In 2006 the Kennells moved to the Lakes Region of NH – a long-time vacation spot for Dr. Missy’s family. The Kennells have 2 kids -Vivian & Preston, and a Bernedoodle named Isla (that’s “eye-la”). The Kennell household is a hectic one - with both doctors running off to manage their practices and the kids involved in activities including figure skating, skiing, music, swimming, tennis, golf and summer camps. But they still manage to find time for fun on the lake, traveling and staying healthy together. Their favorite activities are working out, hiking, skiing, and of course anything on Lake Winnipesaukee!

In the coming months, we'll be spotlighting our other Kennell Orthodontics team members in our Blog posts.  We thought this would give our patients a chance to get to know us a little better.  Please check back - you never know who our next team member is!

SPOTLIGHT August. Dr Kennell