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Last April, the AAPD posted an article and it was so great, we want to share it again with you!

April is National Facial Protection Month and the Academy for Sports Dentistry (ASD), the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), and the American Dental Association (ADA) are teaming up to remind parents, coaches and athletes to play it safe as they prepare to suit up for recreational and organized sports.

The mouth and face of a child or young adult can be easily injured if the proper precautions are not used while participating in sports or recreational activities. In fact, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of the 7 million sports- and recreation-related injuries that occur each year are sustained by children as young as 5 years old. Last year, the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation (NYSSF) forecasted that more than 3 million teeth would be knocked out in youth sporting events. They also reported that athletes who don’t wear mouth guards are 60 times more likely to damage their teeth.

An effective mouth guard holds teeth in place, resists tearing and allows for normal speech and breathing. It should cover the teeth and, depending on the patient’s bite, also the gums. Your dental professional can recommend the best mouth guard for every sports activity.  A properly fitted mouth guard can prevent many accidents and traumatic injuries.

The dental experts at the ASD, AAPD, AAOMS, AAO and ADA urge athletes, parents/caregivers and coaches to be proactive as they head out this spring and stay safe on the field.  The ASD, AAPD, AAOMS, AAO, and ADA dental experts offer these important tips:

• Wear a mouth guard when playing contact sports. Mouth guards can help prevent injury to a person’s jaw, mouth and teeth and they are significantly less expensive than the cost to repair an injury.  Dentists and dental specialists can make customized mouth guards, which provide the best fit. Other less-expensive options are the boil and bite mouthguards, which are softened in boiling water to fit the mouth, and stock mouth guards, which are ready-to-wear but often don’t fit well.
• Wear a helmet. Helmets absorb the energy of an impact and help prevent damage to the head.
• Wear protective eyewear. Eyes are extremely vulnerable to damage, especially when playing sports.

·         Wear a face shield to avoid damage to the delicate bones around the eyes, nose and jaw. Hockey pucks, basketballs and racquetballs can cause severe facial damage at any age.

Dr. Kennell and staff are pleased to announce the winner of the 2013 Refer-a-Friend contest – Cassie Smith!  Kennell Orthodontics realizes the greatest compliment received is when one of their patients refers a friend, family member or colleague to its practice.  In an effort to show appreciation to patients for these referrals, Dr. Kennell developed the 2013 Refer-a-Friend campaign.  This campaign, which focused on new patient treatment plans from qualified referrals, awarded refer-a-friend participants with a Visa Cash Card and an entry into the weekend getaway grand prize drawing.

Cassie Smith, chosen as the grand prize winner, was recently awarded an exciting summer weekend getaway to the Anchorage Inn in York, Maine.  Dr. Kennell and his staff presented Mrs. Smith with a canvas tote full of goodies, including embroidered beach towels and summer-time essentials, along with her itinerary for this fun-filled, family getaway.

Dr. Kennell thanked Cassie for being a valued patient family and for recommending Kennell Orthodontics to her family and friends.  “We are more than honored to have you as one of our Lakes Region fans”, Dr. Kennell stated as he wished Mrs. Smith a wonderful weekend at the beach.

You could be the next Refer-A-Friend 2014 patient referral program winner! Check out this link and find out how you could be the next winner and what the grand prize is!!!

There is a lot of excitement at Kennell Orthodontics! If you haven’t visited our office recently, we now have a cool new way to sign-in when you arrive for your next visit! Just touch the finger scanner at the reception desk and it will recognize you and sign you right in! Of course, we would have to introduce your finger to our computer, so if you have not used the Finger Scanner before, let us know and we’ll get you registered.  If you would rather just type in your name, that’s fine too, just use the touchscreen.

BUT don’t worry Mom and Dad, our finger scanner is very safe!  This is how it works: DigitalPersona software never stores fingerprint images. DigitalPersona software creates a fingerprint template, which is a highly compressed and digitally encoded mathematical representation of fingerprint features. This template is created when a user registers a finger and is stored in an encrypted file. When the patient later touches the fingerprint reader to authenticate, a new template is created and compared to the 'registered' template. If there is a match, the authentication is successful.  It is a one-way conversion that cannot be reversed. This means that fingerprint templates cannot be used to recreate the fingerprint image.

The finger scan is not the only new technology we have in our office. Our new software, Ortho2 EDGE, provides the latest in orthodontics software technology designed to provide us with the most effective practice management tools to increase efficiency, provide smoother workflow so you receive only the very best care and service.

Having braces can present some new challenges when it comes to oral hygiene. Preventing tooth decay can be a big challenge simply because of the tendency for braces to trap food under the wires and between the teeth and the brackets.

Here are a few tips to keep your teeth healthy while wearing your braces:

1. Eat Braces-Safe Foods
Keeping your teeth from decay starts with a proper diet. Foods that are high in sugar or starch can cause more plaque, which is difficult to remove during your brushing. There are certain foods that should be avoided while wearing your braces. First, sticky foods like caramel or gum can get stuck in your braces and be difficult to remove during brushing. Next, hard foods such as nuts and candy could bend wires or even break a bracket. Foods that are firm or hard to bite into like apples, carrots, or corn on the cob should be avoided. As much as we like to snack on them, those crunchy treats can harm your braces. Things like chips, ice, and popcorn can also bend or break your braces. On the other hand, bananas, mangoes, milk, water, poultry, and pasta all tend to be low in enamel-busting acids.

2. Proper Brushing
You want to place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle against the gums in order to clean the whole tooth, and brush gently in the area between the wiring and the teeth. Use a softer toothbrush with fluoride paste for best results. Rinsing every day will help, too. Rinsing is important regardless, but especially important when you have braces as you need to disinfect the entire mouth, including those spots under the braces where your brush can't always reach.

3. Ask About Special Cleaning Tools
There are also special brushes, or other tools, to get under and clean your braces. You can find many of these items at your local pharmacy.

4. Regular Teeth Cleaning
It's important to keep your routine appointments with your dentist and dental hygienist for a thorough cleaning twice a year or as directed. The exact frequency of these visits will be up to your dentist as some types of braces are more demanding of a regular cleaning than others.

As long as you practice good oral hygiene and follow these basic tips, you should have no problem keeping your teeth from decaying while you wear braces.