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The number one goal of orthodontic treatment is to give you or your child a good bite, meaning straight teeth that work well with the teeth in the opposite jaw. A good bite makes it easier for you to eat, chew and speak. It can enhance your dental health and overall health, and may well improve your self-esteem. As a part of your comprehensive dental health care plan, orthodontic treatment can help you retain your teeth—and your smile—for a lifetime.

Let your smile express yourself! Nothing can show the world how happy you are quite like a beautiful smile. In fact, it’s one of the first things others notice about you, too. With orthodontics, you can be proud to flash your smile, because you’ll know that your smile truly represents your positive attitude.

Make your mouth healthy! Straight teeth aren’t just pretty, they’re healthy as well. Teeth that are properly aligned are easier to clean, reducing the amount of plaque buildup and risk for gingivitis. The cleaner you keep your teeth, the longer they’ll last!

Feel free to live your life! Orthodontics is easier today than ever before, with treatment options that fit your lifestyle and schedule. We can personalize your treatment to suit all of your needs!

Call Dr. Kennell today to set up your consultation!

Summer is right around the corner!  There's no better time to make sure you have a safe and healthy summer.  Pool parties, BBQ's, summer camps, vacations galore!  With summer comes a time to slow down, take a break and soak up a little extra family time.  That being said...Summer is NOT the time to skimp on your dental care routines.  Whether your child is heading off to summer camp with new orthodontics or you, yourself, have transitioned into a new retainer - Don't take a vacation from your healthy smile!

Make an appointment with Dr. Kennell today for a quick check up before heading out on your summer trips.  Remembering good orthodontic care during your summer activities, caring for your braces and avoiding sugary drinks and sticky, chewy or hard foods, are all part of a smart plan for maintaining your healthy Summer Smile!

It's National Teen self-esteem month in the month of May, so what better time to talk about the importance of teen self-esteem. Actually self-esteem in all ages is really important! National Teen Self-Esteem Month was established to create awareness about the negative effects poor self-esteem causes among the teen population. During this month, parents and guardians are encouraged to act as positive role models, help stop negative self-images, and improve confidence and security among adolescents.

What is self -esteem? The Webster’s dictionary says: Self-Esteem-The esteem or good opinion of oneself. Now lets look at what Esteem is- to set value on, to regard with respect. So, for us to have self-esteem we need to have a good view of ourselves and be respectful to ourselves as well. Why is self-esteem so important? One, we make better decisions for ourselves when we are not lacking self-esteem. We want to value who we are, love who we are and make good decisions for our self, to reinforce our self worth, thereby strengthening our self-esteem.

Treating ourselves with respect is totally in our hands, we have complete control over this one. If you have the choice to do something good or bad for yourself, you have the choice to do what’s good, and no one can stop you. We have to remember that our opinion of ourselves really starts with us, not outside influences - not people, not the media!

Here are a couple quick tips to strengthen and maintain our sense of self and build confidence:

• Learn to love yourself for who you are
• Respect yourself, make good decisions
• Know your opinions of yourself, come from you, not the opinions of others
• Realize what make you shine is on the inside, not what you look like

So, go out in the world and know you are good enough and are perfect just the way you are. And remember, although it might sound cliche, treat others the way you want to be treated!

You're engaged, you're planning your wedding, and you couldn't be happier-except for one thing… Your smile!  Maybe your teeth are a little crooked, or you have a gap-but you're an adult now and you don't want braces!  Rest easy- Dr. Kennell has several esthetic, or invisible treatment options for you to choose from.

If your teeth are only moderately crooked and you have three or four months till the big day, you can see drastic improvements using clear aligners, such as Invisalign.  Believe it or not, if your case is mild enough, your treatment time may be as little as 10 weeks!

If you're not familiar with the Invisalign technology, Dr. Alan Kennell can (in appropriate cases) use clear aligners to move your teeth, rather than the traditional wires and brackets.  Invisalign trays are almost invisible-unless someone is very close to you, they won't even notice you are wearing them! You take the trays out to eat and brush your teeth, and while your teeth will feel sore and may even throb periodically for the first few days, after that you'll hardly notice when the trays are in. (While wearing the trays you won't be able to drink anything but water, which will also help with that wedding day diet!)

If you are not a candidate for Invisalign, Dr. Kennell has another “invisible” option for you – lingual braces.  These are actually braces that go behind your teeth!  The Harmony system is a custom set of behind the teeth braces that will get your teeth straight without having to show metal braces and wires.  Dr. Kennell is proud to be the only Harmony provider in the entire state of New Hampshire!

Call Dr. Kennell today to make your appointment for beautiful, straight teeth for your upcoming wedding and get ready to Smile Down the Aisle!