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   Step 1. Pull off a small piece of floss and Insert one end of the floss through the small hole at the tip of the flossFish and pull it through.

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   Step 2. Hold one end of the floss against the flossFish.

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   Step 3. Insert the shaft under the arch wire, in between each bracket. Work the shaft and the floss carefully to remove plaque between your teeth as you would flossing normally.

    

   For more information about flossFish, visit the flossFish website and call our office at 707-525-1180 or visit us on Facebook with any questions. If you would like to get started with flossFish, make sure to talk to Dr. Lynskey or our team during your next visit!

If you have both braces and glasses…you may feel like a ‘geek’. People might even have called you a geek and other names. But you know that you really aren’t. You’re just someone with crooked teeth and bad vision. So what! It’s time to prove to people that you are more than that!

1. Realize that you aren’t a geek…or any other negative names. Understand that people have this preconceived notion that anyone with braces and glasses is nerdy or geeky, and not worth their time. People think this because of the things they see on TV…and because they aren’t confident themselves.

2. Find the part of you that you want people to see. Whether it be your cool fashion sense, athleticism, singing or dancing talent, whatever! Find the part of you that makes you most unique. Let this be the thing that people will notice, not your glasses.

3. Choose glasses and braces that fit your personality. There are various color and shape options available for glasses. There is also the option of contacts. Some patients can wear Invisaline instead of braces, but even the rubber bands in braces can be customized for those who want colorful teeth or made white/clear for those who want to be subtle.

4. Be approachable and friendly. If you have a great personality, less and less people are going to notice your mouth of metal. Remember how Ugly Betty did it so successfully?

5. Dress Nicely. Wear clothes that are accepted with in your social circle. However, don’t try to dress like something or some one you are not. An easy way to do this is to look at the way your favorite celebrity dresses, and try to replicate some of their outfits, or get inspired by them.

6. Keep clean and groom your self nicely. Wear a little mascara, blush, and lip gloss, and a ‘little’ perfume if you are a girl. And if you are a guy, let smelling good be your top priority, not only will this attract girls, it will boost your confidence. Note that sprays like ‘Axe’ and ‘Tag’ are very common and perceived as cheap. Bathing regularly, and wearing deodorant is just enough…however wearing nice cologne is always nice.

7. Be yourself, stick to your real personality and be confident. No matter what people say to you, just remember you are awesome!

Some Additional Tips:

• As having braces becomes more affordable and common, more and more people are in your situation. You aren’t alone.
• Nice clothes and hair cut always help. Again, for a cool hair cut, cut out a picture of your favorite celebrity’s hair cut, and give it to your   hair dresser.
• Consider getting contacts, but only if you want to.
• Remember that you won’t have braces for the rest of your life. After a while, you will get them taken off and then you will have beautiful teeth.
• Buy a pair of glasses that look great on you. If you have to wear glasses, you might as well make the best of it!
• There are many tutorials on how to do makeup with glasses. Search on YouTube for some.

A national survey from the ADA, Crest, and Oral B discovered that the smile is what most folks find most engaging in others. The smile outranked eyes, hair, and the body as the most fascinating physical feature in others. Though males and females both ranked the smile as the most appealing feature in others, the genders differed when it came to looking after their teeth and gums. Of the representative sample surveyed, 86% of women vs. only 66% men said that they brush their teeth twice or more daily while only 49% of those surveyed declared they floss their teeth once every day or more.

Remember to keep on top of your oral health because it helps you keep your smile going strong! If you have any questions about your oral health, or want to know what treatment is best for you, contact Dr. Lynskey’s office today and we would be happy to help.

Wearing braces has been a painful rite of passage for generations of American teens, but orthodontists say today’s treatments are considerably more comfortable — both physically and aesthetically.

New technology has had a dramatic effect on orthodontic treatment. Latest advances range from “space-age” wires used to more efficiently realign teeth to 3-D diagnostic computer imaging that allows more precision treatment to “clear” braces and removable retainers that address patients’ vanity.

Options for adults, kids

Gone are the days when orthodontists hammered large metal brackets onto the teeth. Today, the brackets that are used to hold the wires bond directly onto the tooth with an adhesive, significantly cutting the time it takes to fit the braces.

In addition, the orthodontist’s regular and vital process of adjusting wires around the braces has been made less painful. Wires now are made from more resilient metals that are more flexible and retain a preformed shape.

Technological advances have eliminated the “railroad tracks” braces, and some patients can be treated with “clear” braces — braces with ceramic brackets and clear rubber bands that blend in with teeth. The downside: The clear bands most adults choose to hold in the wires tend to stain from food and cigarette smoke.

Still another option is lingual braces that are attached to the back of teeth so they are nearly invisible. One of the drawbacks of lingual braces is difficult cleaning.

As technology has improved, so has the profession’s knowledge of when to start treatment. Now doctors often recommend a first orthodontic checkup at age 7 or 8 rather than waiting until 12 or 13 when the adult teeth have come in. The earlier age allows orthodontists to make adjustments before the child’s jaw is fully developed.

Retainers stay on longer

Today, nearly 1 in 5 wearers are adults, many of whom are attracted by the quicker and less noticeable treatment options.

Because of better technology, most patients now wear braces for about 18 months to two years, about six to nine months less than in the 1970s.

In addition, many patients wear removable retainers or aligners at night for several years, which helps the teeth and mouth maintain the proper shape.

3-D imaging

Orthodontists also have several new tools to help choose the best treatment and predict future results. One system, called SureSmile by OraMetrix Inc., uses 3-D diagnostic imaging and computer-aided treatment planning to increase the accuracy with which teeth are moved.

The system uses a digital wand to scan the patient’s teeth. A 3-D image is sent to OraMetrix’s headquarters near Dallas, where computer software determines a treatment plan and a wire is made to fit the patient’s teeth within 1-degree accuracy, according to the company’s website. Some orthodontists also are using 3-D imaging to help predict how a patient’s appearance will evolve as the teeth are straightened.

If you have any questions about braces or your treatment, please contact us at Dr. Lynskey’s office today!

It’s back…this year our charitable partner for our Giving Tree is the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For every holiday ornament you decorate at your next visit with us, we’ll donate $2 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. So, come on down, bring a friend (or 3) and have fun making someone’s wish come true! Call us at 707-525-1180 or visit our office for more information!

But it’s easier than it seems. And no, there are not two separate compartments. The tube is filled with the carrier material, the actual toothpaste, which is usually white, to a certain level. Above that level, the tube is filled with the ‘stripe’ stuff, which is usually red, blue or green. Both materials are viscous enough so that they don’t mix. Now the trick is to let these two substances out separate ways but at the same time. The toothpaste nozzle is not just a hole at the top of the tube. Instead, it is a longish pipe that reaches down the tube just ending at the filling level of the carrier material. The pipe has small holes in it further up closer to the nozzle. Pressing the tube will cause the carrier material to enter the outlet pipe and press the stripe stuff. The stripe material will enter the outlet pipe through the small holes, which is where the stripes are generated.

Assorted Trivia

Toothpaste Trivia

• Since the stripes only make up a fraction of the volume, the pipe protruding into the inner part of the tube must not be too long (usually about some fractions of a centimetre).
• You can screw up the stripe effect by pressing the tube as close as possible from the nozzle side, forcing the stripe stuff to go through the main outlet. Or you could also knead the tube thoroughly mixing the two substances.
• The patent on the method to produce stripes from the tube was bought by Lever (at date of writing: Unilever) from a New York inventor in the late 1950s.
• Around 1960 the new toothpaste ‘Stripe’ was introduced into the American market. A few years later, in 1965, it was introduced as ‘Signal’ in the UK and then in Europe. ‘Stripe’ reached 8% market share in its second year and declined from then on. The stripes didn’t come out right in every third tube.
• New nozzle designs to produce different shapes of stripes with different colours produced a sharp trade mark dispute in the late 1990s.
• The stripes are there for the optical effect, but they may also contain different components. For example, the main carrier contains the ‘soap’, a red stripe containing ‘fluoride’, and another one might contain the mint aroma for the ‘freshness’. However, there is no strict need for the separation of these components.

Braces are known to trap food particles and make it difficult to brush or remove plaque, which is why Dr. Lynskey and our team at Lynskey Orthodontics recommend that you brush and floss after every meal. We also encourage you to use a proxabrush to help with the smaller areas where your toothbrush doesn’t reach. We encourage the use of fluoride rinse as well; just ask us for a recommendation!

When your braces are initially placed, your teeth are likely to be very sensitive. You may experience discomfort for up to 3 or 5 days, which is why we encourage you to eat soft foods during that time. Remember, the less pressure you put on your teeth, the less discomfort you will have.

You may also be thinking, “Okay, so what can I eat?” We would encourage you to avoid eating sticky, hard, crunchy or chewy snacks that can stick to your teeth.

Dr. Lynskey and the team will tell you it’s crucial to regularly check your braces for bent or loose wires and brackets. In the event of a loose/broken wire or bracket, please call our office immediately to schedule an appointment for repair.

Lastly, in addition to visiting Dr. Lynskey Orthodontics during your orthodontic treatment for adjustments, you should visit your dentist for professional check-ups and teeth cleaning appointments about every six months, or as recommended by your dentist.

Got questions? Let us know by calling our office at 707-525-1180, visiting us at our Facebook page, or below in the comments section!

With the craziness of the holiday season upon us, Dr. Lynskey and the team would like to take a moment and extend our best wishes to all of you, our patients and families, referring doctors, and team members, for a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We hope this Thanksgiving brings you great memories, thank you for being a part of our family!