2016 -

December 30, 2016January 22, 2019

New Year, New Smile!

Every New Year comes and people all over the world resolve to achieve a slew of self-improvement goals. Each year one of the top-10 New Year’s resolutions, if not the number one resolution, is to improve health. While many of us will focus on losing weight, one health-related resolution you may not have considered is to improve your smile! A great smile can improve confidence and help you leave a lasting first impression.

Why to Improve Your Smile

Resolving to improve your smile in the New Year can have multiple benefits. A great smile can:

Make you look younger
- Yellowing teeth come with age, don’t let your smile give away how old you really are
Boost your confidence
- A beautiful smile can make a world of difference in leaving a great first impression, have the confidence of knowing your smile will always impress
Oral health
- Your teeth can signify health problems, and a crooked or yellowing smile may actually contribute to worsened oral and overall health. Working with your dentist and orthodontist to improve your smile this year can actually also improve your health!

Easy Ways to Improve Your Smile

You can help to transform your smile this year with a few steps without a dental professional. Some tips include:

Eat fruits and vegetables
- Antioxidants and nutrients found in fruits and vegetables help to keep your teeth strong and fight periodontal disease. Crisp fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots, and celery can help to clean plaque from your teeth and help to freshen breath.
Limit alcohol intake
- Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to increased gum recession and poorer overall oral health
Quit tobacco
- Tobacco use can harm your health in a number of ways, but it can take a serious toll on oral health resulting in discoloration, gum recession, gum disease and recession
Perfect your daily routine
- Brushing at least twice and day and flossing once per day can have a dramatic effect on your smile if you’re not already doing so daily

Professional Dental Makeovers

Another way to transform your smile this year is through Dr. Marc S. Wright. There are a variety of affordable treatments to consider to whiten and straighten your teeth. A consultation with Dr. Marc S. Wright will help you to determine the best options.

Get the confidence and health benefits of a beautiful smile this year! It is an achievable resolution with multiple benefits for you and your wellbeing. Dr. Marc S. Wright and his team are here to help you with you with your smile goals. Call us today to learn more about how you can have your own million dollar smile this year.

December 22, 2016December 22, 2016

Travel Necessities for Oral Hygiene

Traveling can take its toll on your regular routines, especially during the holidays. Exercise, diet, and even hygiene can get out of whack when you hit the road or take to the skies. Your oral care routine doesn’t have to suffer just because you’re on the go. Some necessities for a healthy smile during your next trip include:

The Right Toothbrush Container

Your toothbrush container should be large enough, with holes to provide air circulation and requires regular washing to avoid bacterial growth. It is important to allow your toothbrush to air dry. Remove from the container upon arrival to your destination and leave out overnight.

A Backup Plan

Know your proximity to the supplies you may need and have a backup plan, or even bring back up when traveling on extended trips. Having the basics in both your suitcase and carry on for a long trip could come in handy if your bag doesn’t make that connecting flight. Additionally, it’s important to know if the water in your destination is potable. If it’s not safe to drink, it’s not safe for oral care! Use water bottles or filtered water for both drinking and oral care.

Xylitol Gum, Sugarless Candies, & Green Tea Extract

Easy to pack aides for your oral health while traveling can actually be small things such as xylitol gum, and sugarless candies and treats with green tea extract. These little treats can help protect your mouth by increasing the saliva production and fight harmful bacteria.

Dedication to routines and habits

Vacations often change our schedules, and we aim to relax. While you certainly should kick up your feet and enjoy your vacation, it is important to recognize that this shift in schedule can have an impact on your health, including oral health. Increased sugar and alcohol consumption can contribute to tooth decay. It’s important to travel prepared and do your best to maintain your healthy brushing and consumption routines. Contact our office should you ever have any questions!

November 30, 2016January 22, 2024

Managing the Holidays with Braces

Braces come with a lot of special care requirements. With the holiday season right around the corner, there are a lot of hidden challenges to face in relation to the care and keeping of your braces and oral hygiene. From travel to holiday foods, not all the holiday hazards are avoidable. With diligence, common sense and a few extra steps can help you stay on track to a beautiful smile.

Holiday Foods to Watch Out For

There are everyday foods your orthodontist will advise against eating when you have braces. This is to prevent damage and protect the overall health of your teeth. Nuts, popcorn, hard candy, and caramel are all things that make the “what not to eat” list. The tricky part of the holiday season for braces wearers is the abundance of these hazardous treats. Whether it’s caramel apples to ring in the fall or pecan pie at big holiday meals, these seasonal treats are still potentially damaging. Though it is best to continue avoiding these foods, it doesn’t mean all holiday treats are off the list. Look for softer treats such as pumpkin pie, ice cream, fruit cups, gelatin desserts, and even thinly sliced apples dipped in chocolate or yogurt. Having braces doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy holiday treats. It just means to continue using the same care and consideration you would on any other day.

Holiday Hygiene

Traveling and added sweets during the holiday season make managing your oral care routine extra important. Normally, The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that patients brush and floss after eating sweets, but you may want to take it a step further according to some dentists. Brushing as soon as five minutes following a meal or snack is another recommendation.

Overall, it is important for orthodontia wearers to remember to dedicate extra time to brushing and flossing properly. It may help to keep a travel toothbrush and supplies handy. Though it is not a substitute for brushing, rinses may be especially pivotal to maintaining oral health when access to running water to brush teeth is not available, such as during holiday travel. Don’t forget bottled water is always a usable option in lieu of potable sink water!

The holidays are a season for celebration and family time. Even with braces, you can indulge and enjoy this time of year. Just be sure to watch out for treats that may be a hazard to your smile and always remember to maintain the cleaning routine and practices as directed by your orthodontist. Dr. Marc S. Wright and his team are always happy to guide you on the best way to keeping your smile healthy and bright. Feel free to call us with any questions.

November 23, 2016January 22, 2024

Tips for Flossing With Braces

Getting braces comes with a variety of new oral care challenges and special steps. Flossing with braces is one such challenge that people regularly face, and it isn’t always easy. To help, here are three quick tips to make the process easier and ensure your teeth are getting properly cleaned:

1. Use Waxed Floss
Regular uncoated flosses can get stuck and shred more easily in the wires and brackets of braces. Waxed floss and dental tape are more durable when maneuvering. There are even specially designed floss products for those with braces.

2. Give Yourself Enough Floss
Most people don’t realize how much floss they should actually be using every time. It’s recommended to use about 18 inches of floss every time. (Yes, that’s a foot and a half!) You should be using a clean floss segment or section every time you move from tooth to tooth. This helps remove germs and bacteria more effectively.

3. Thread & Maneuver Carefully
Braces are a delicate obstacle to flossing. First, thread the floss carefully under the main wire before passing it through the pair of teeth. Trying to pass it through the teeth first, can damage wires if not done gently and make it more difficult overall to floss. It is also best not to snap the floss and instead move it up and down gently along the sides of each tooth.

Other dental care products can help ease the flossing process when you have braces. Floss threaders and water picks can be used with braces and are all designed to help keep your smile healthy and bright. Dr. Marc S. Wright and his team are always happy to help you get the technique just right and answer any questions you may have. Contact us today!

October 31, 2016January 22, 2024

Tips for Keeping a Healthy Smile This Halloween

October brings out the ghost and ghouls, wizards and witches, and a great deal of fun for the whole family. Even though it is a wonderful time of year to celebrate and indulge, the excess intake of sugar can also bring on dental issues and toothaches! It’s important to take a few extra steps to keep your family’s smiles bright, healthy and cavity-free during this holiday. We’ve put together the top tips and tricks to help:

1. Control The Candy Haul
An easy way to lessen the sugar overload is to downsize your children’s trick-or-treat bags and limit the time in which they have to participate in collecting treats. This is probably the simplest way to reduce the overall volume of sugary treats. The activity of trick-or-treating can still be a great deal of fun if the emphasis is placed on decorating their container before they go out rather than how much candy they collect.

2. Limit Access to Treats Through “Treat Time”
Another quick way to keep smiles healthy and cavity free is to limit all day grazing on candy. Instead, set a specific “treat time”, or allow a treat only with meals. This strategy can help to minimize all day candy consumption and binges. Mealtime is an easy time to remember and manage the intake of treats. Kids will look forward to the meal knowing they are able to have a treat with it. Even more beneficial, during meal consumption additional saliva is created to help clean the mouth. If you set a specific treat time outside of meals, have kids rinse their mouth with water to help further break down sticky sugars.

3. Hone Your Candy Knowledge
Not all candy is created equal when it comes to your dental health. Candies that are chewy and sour have a tendency to stick to the teeth longer allowing sugars to cause more damage, while chocolates dissolve more quickly. The best bet is dark chocolate that has less overall sugar and does not stick to teeth as easily.

4. Add Some Extras To Your Regular Routine
Maintaining your regular diet and oral care routine is important every day, but even more so during holidays. Keeping a regular healthy eating routine will help to limit the impact sugar takes on your smile. Just like your diet, keeping up all your regular oral care routines is critical. Also, this Halloween, whether it’s an extra brush, floss, or rinse (even with water) after you eat sweets you’ll be doing your mouth a world of good in preventing cavities.

5. Get A Halloween Toothbrush
It may sound strange, but you can make oral care more fun during Halloween by having your kids pick out a new “Halloween Toothbrush”. Letting them pick out their favorite character and designating the brush for the Holiday will help kids look forward to practicing good oral hygiene during the holiday!

Halloween is a time for tricks, treats and family fun. Common sense and the tips above can help you keep the whole family’s smile healthy, while still enjoying a little indulgence in the holiday festivities. . Dr. Marc S. Wright and the team are always here to help you with any of your questions.

October 18, 2016January 22, 2024

Eating with New Braces

Once your braces have been affixed to your teeth, you will probably discover that your choice of foods is now limited. Dr. Marc S. Wright, our Atlanta and Marietta orthodontist, would like each of our patients who wears braces to have a positive experience as their teeth are being treated.

Even though modern braces are sturdy, they must still be treated with care. This means you should stick to eating foods that are gentle on your brackets and wires holding your braces in place. You probably already know to avoid eating foods that are hard, crunchy, or sticky. Soft foods are usually fine to eat for those wearing braces since they are simply so much gentler on your oral hardware.

From the moment we put your braces on, we explain to you how important it is to avoid certain types of foods that can damage or even break your braces including sticky, tough, crunchy, and hard foods. You were also told you must alter your usual eating habits somewhat since the brackets cannot withstand the stress of biting. Your brackets could come away from your teeth and break if you bite into foods while wearing them. Should this occur regularly, you may need to wear your braces longer than normal, meaning you must wait even longer to finally see your new smile.

This may leave you wondering what you can actually eat. The good news is you can enjoy a variety of foods and snacks without worrying if you are damaging your braces. Sometimes, you can still enjoy the same foods as before, but with minor alterations. For example, you could still eat pizza if you cut it up into smaller pieces and chew only with your back teeth. Other examples of foods that can be eaten this way are soft tacos, hot dogs, hamburgers, and soft fruit.

Foods to Enjoy While Wearing Braces

Soft fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, nectarines, and kiwi
Vegetables that are steamed until soft
Tender meats such as turkey, meatballs, soft-cooked chicken, and lunch meats
Dairy products such as soft cheeses and yogurt
Seafood including salmon, tuna, crab cakes, and cod
Snacks such as applesauce, pudding, smoothies, bananas, jello, and ice cream
Grains including pasta and soft-cooked rice
Eggs and soup
Soft breads such as biscuits, muffins, pancakes, and soft tortillas

These are just a few examples of the many foods you can eat while wearing braces. Just keep in mind to avoid sticky, gooey, hard, or crunchy foods that may damage your braces. Remember to not bite down hard on something that may break your braces. If you feel a temptation to eat a food such as corn-on-the-cob, you can always remove the kernels before eating.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding what foods you can eat when wearing your braces, feel free to contact our Atlanta and Marietta offices for more information.

September 30, 2016January 22, 2024

How often should you change your toothbrush?

Unlike shoes or clothes, toothbrushes don’t show obvious signs of wear, which makes it hard to know when you should replace them. Is there a standard for how often a toothbrush should be changed? The answer really depends on the individual. How often do you use your toothbrush, what is the state of your health and what do you personally prefer? Next time you brush your teeth, think about whether it is time to get a new toothbrush.

When to Get a New Toothbrush

The standard rule of thumb is to replace your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months. If you have been sick, it is a good idea to replace your brush immediately, especially if you keep it near your family’s toothbrushes. The bristles of your toothbrush are a good indicator if it is time for a replacement. If they look crushed and flat, they won’t clean your teeth properly. The harder you brush, the more worn your toothbrush becomes. Children often press their toothbrush into their teeth harder than adults, so they often need new toothbrushes sooner than the 3 to 4-month rule indicates.

Types of Toothbrushes

When it comes to toothbrushes, there are two basic types to consider: manual or electric. Both are good, so choose the style you are most comfortable with so you will brush your teeth on a regular basis. Manual brushes are more portable and easy to use anywhere. They don’t make noise, and the user is able to control the pressure placed on his or her teeth and gums.

An electric toothbrush isn’t so simple. It must be charged and is usually a little bigger and heavier than a manual toothbrush, which could be an issue when traveling. The rotating bristles of an electric toothbrush make the job of cleaning between teeth and at the gum line much easier. Some electric toothbrushes have built-in timers to help you brush the recommended amount of time.

Maintaining Your Toothbrush

Whether you choose an electric or manual toothbrush, it is important to keep it clean. The American Dental Association recommends that after brushing, you rinse your brush under tap water. This washes away leftover toothpaste and saliva and the germs associated with both. Once rinsed, you should always store your toothbrush vertically with the bristles in a position to air and dry out.

If you store your wet toothbrush in a closed container, thinking this will keep it clean, you could actually be causing bacteria to build up on your brush. It is a much better idea to let the bristles dry completely between uses. This isn’t always possible when you are traveling, so it is a good idea to take disposable toothbrushes when you go on a trip.

Deciding when to change your toothbrush has a lot to do with personal preference, but you should try to change out your households’ toothbrushes several times a year. Stock up on extra toothbrushes so when you are ready for fresh bristles, you always have a new toothbrush available. Contact Wright Orthodontics today to schedule your free consultation!

September 15, 2016January 22, 2024

Wear Your Mouth Guard!

Protect Your Team, Protect Your Teeth

No one is invincible. Accidents can happen to anyone. Studies show that the chance of an athlete damaging their teeth increases by 60 times if they aren’t wearing a protective mouth guard. When worn properly, a mouth guard can lower the risk of harm to an athlete’s teeth, lips, tongue, and jaw. Taking the time now to prevent damage is much better than trying to repair damage at a later date.

Making the Right Decision

You can buy a stock mouth guard at a sporting goods store, or you can receive a custom fit mouth guard by Atlanta Orthodontist Dr. Marc S. Wright. Stock guards don’t offer the confidence that comes with the personalized fit that a custom-made orthodontic appliance can offer. A personalized mouth guard, made just for you, provides the absolute best fit and defense against injury and possible irreparable damage to your mouth, jaw or teeth.

Not only does an off the rack mouth guard offer less protection than a custom guard, due to the fact that it isn’t a precise fit, but it can restrict your breathing or speech or just feel painful or uncomfortable. It is impossible to make a perfect fit with a mouth guard bought at a sporting goods store. A custom made mouth guard fits you perfectly, and if any discomfort develops, it can be fixed by Dr. Marc S. Wright.

Taking Care

Your mouth guard takes care of you, so it is important to give it proper care in return. Always rinse it with cool water or even mouthwash before and after each use. Every so often, give it a much deeper cleaning with soapy water. Never place it in hot water or leave it in the sun. Heat can damage it.

Always Play It Safe!

When you make the wise choice to wear a sports mouth guard, you are protecting your mouth and jaw from the possible damage of an accident. Atlanta orthodontist Dr. Marc S. Wright can meet all your mouth guard needs. Play hard, but don’t forget to play smart. Protect your smile by wearing one of the most important pieces of equipment, a sports mouth guard. If you play a sport, and you are interested in a customized mouth guard, call Wright Orthodontics to schedule an appointment for a free consultation.